Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1921-05-20

| for two days and which marked the
| southern boundary of this particular
sea. Our animals had been two days
| without drink, nor had they had water
for nearly two months, not since
shortly after leaving Thank; but, as
Tars Tarkas explained TO me. they re-
quire but little and can live almost In
definitely upon the moss which covers
| Barsoom, and which. he told me. holds
| in its tiny stems sufficient moisture
to meet the limited demands Of the
| animals
| After partaking of my evening meal
| of cheese-like food and vegetable milk
/ sought out Sofa, whom found work
ing by the light of torch upon some
of Tars Tarkas trappings. She looked
up at my approach, her face lighting
with pleasure and with welcome
II am glad you came" she said;
'1Dejah Thoris sleeps and / am lonely.
l promised TO tell you my story, or
rather the story of my parents. From
what ] have learned of you and the
ways of your people I am sure that
the tale will not seem strange to you,
but among green Martians 1t has no
parallel within the memory of the old
est living Thank, nor do our legends
| hold many similar tales.
MY mother was rather small, in
| fact too small to be allowed the re-
sponsibllities of maternity, as our
chieftains breed principally for size.
| She was also less cold and cruel than
most green Marian women, and caring
little for their society. she often
! roamed the deserted avenues of Thank
alone. or went and sat among the wild
flowers that deck the nearby hills,
thinking thoughts and wishing wishes
which / believe 1 alone among Thank
Ian women today may understand. for
am l not the child of my mother7
And there among the hills she met
young warrior, whose duty 1t was to
guard the feeding zitidars and thoats
and see that they roamed not beyond
the hills. She trusted him and told of
the awful repugnance she felt for the
cruelties of their kind, for the hideous,
| loveless lives they must ever lead, and
| then she waited for the storm Of de-
nunciation to break from his cold, hard
| lips; but instead he took her in his
arms and kissedSher.
"They kept their love a secret for
six long years. She, my mother, was
of the retinue of the great Tai Hajus.
while her lover was simple warrior,
wearing only his own metal. Had
their detection from the traditions of
| the Thanks been discovered both
would have paid the penalty in the
| great arena before Tai Hajus and the
assembled hordes.
THE egg from which l came was
hidden beneath great glass vessel
upon the highest and most inaccessible
of the partially ruined towers of an
| cient Thark. Once each year my moth
er visited 1t for the five long years it
lay there in the process of incubation.
She dared not come oftener, for in
the mighty guilt of her conscience she
feared that her every move was
watched. During this period my ia
Their gained great distinction as
warrior and had taken the metal from
several chieftains. His advance was
rapid, and he soon stood high In the
councils of Thank. But one day he was
ordered away upon a long expedition
to the ice-clad south, to make war up
on the natives there and despoil them
of their furs.
He was gone for four years, and
when he returned all had been over
for three; for about year after his
departure. and shortly before the time
for the return of an expedition which
had gone forth to fetch the fruits of
community incubator, the egg had
Matched. Thereafter my mother con-
tinued to keep me in the old tower.
visiting me nightly and lavishing upon
me the love the community life would
have robbed us both Of
she taught me rapidly the language
and customs Of my kind, and one night
she told me the story have told to you
up to this point, impressing upon ME
the necessity for absolute secrecy and
the great caution l must exercise after
she had placed me with the other
young Thanks to permit no one to guess
cation than they; and then drawing me
close to her she whispered in my ear
the name of my father.
And then a light flashed out upon
the darkness of the tower chamber.
ana there stood Sarkoja, her cleaning,
baieful eyes fixed in a frenzy of loath-
ing and contempt upon my mother.
That she had heard the entire story
was apparent, and that she had sus-
pected something wrong from my
mothers long nightly absences from
her quarters accounted for her pres
ence there on that fateful night.
s.SarkOia ha stenad I'm Tai Hahn to
report her discovery, and while she
was gone my mother, wrapping me in
the silks and furs OF her night cover
ings. so that was scarcely noticeable,
descended to the streets and ran Wild