The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-06-11

kiss me- JONI Carter she muI
INJURED, 81 love you! love you II Is
cruel that we must be torn apart "no
were Just starting upon life OF love
and happiness"
As I pressed her dear lips to mine
the old feeling of unconqueraDie po"
er and authority rose in me. Inc nsnt
ing blood of Virginia sprang to lie I'D
my veins. =,
.sIt shall not be, my princess
cried. There is, there must De SOME
way. and John Carter, who has 1ough'
his way through strange worio LUZ
love of you, will find it."
And with my words there crept
above the threshold of my conscious
mind a series of nine long forgotten
sounds. Like flash of lightning IN
the darkness their full purport dawneo
upon me-the key to the three great
doors of the atmosphere plant!
Turning suddenly toward Iardos
Mors as still clasped my dying love
to my breast cried:
"A flyer, Jeddak! Quick Order
your swiftest flyer to the palace top.
| can save Barsoom yet"
He did not wait to question. but IN
| an instant a guard was racing to the
| nearest dock and though the air was
thin and almost gone at the rooftop
they managed to launch the fastest
one-man. airscout machine that the
skill of Barsoom had ever produced.
kissing Dejah Thoris a dozen times
and commanding Woola, who would
have followed me, to remain and guard
her bounded with my old agility and
strength to the high ramparts of the
palace, and in another moment was
| headed toward the goal Of the hopes
Of all Barsoom.
1 had to fly low to get sufficient air
to breathe, but took straight course
across an old sea bottom and so had to
rise only a few feet above the ground.
/ travelled with awful velocity, Tor
nv errand was race against time
with death. The face of Dejah Thoris
hung always before me. AS turned
for a last look as left the palace gar
den / had seen her stagger and SINK
upon the ground beside the little incu-
bator. That she had dropped into the
last coma which would end in DEATH
If the air supply remained unreplen-
ished. well knew. and so, throwing
caution to the winds, / flung over
board everything but the engine and
compass, even to my ornaments. ana
lying on my belly along the deck with
one hand on the steering wheel and
the other pushing the speed lever to
its last notch / split the thin air OF
dying Mars with the speed of meteor
An hour before dark the great walls
Of the atmosphere plant doomed sud
denly before me, and with sickening
thud plunged to the ground before
the small door which was Withholding
the spark Of life from the Inhabitants
Of an entire planet.
Beside the door a great crew Of men
had been laboring to pierce the wall.
but they had scarcely scratched the
flintlike surface. and now most OF
them lay in the last sleep from which
not even air would awaken them.
Conditions seemed much worse here
than at Helium, and it was with DIM
Guilty that I breathed at all. There
were a few men still conscious, and to
one Of these spoke.
"If can open these doors is there q
man who can start the enginesT
asked.
81 can," he replied. III you open
. quickly. can last but few moments
more. But it is useless, they are both
dead and no one else upon BarsOOm
knew the secret Of these awful locks
For three days men crazed with feal
have surged about this portal in vair
attempts to solve its mystery"
I had no time to talk, was becom
ing very weak and it was with diff
Guilty that controlled my mind at all
But with a final effort, as I sanl
weakly to my knees l hurled the nine
thought waves at that awful thing be
fore me. The Marian had crawled tt
nv side and with staring eyes fixed OF
the single panel before us we waited
In the silence Of death.
Slowly the mighty door receded be
fore us. I attempted to rise and fol
low It but I was too weak.
| "After it." / cried to my companion
i land If you reach the pumproom tur1
i loose all the pumps. 1t is the onl.
chance Barsoom has to exist tomor
j row." ~
From where lay opened the sec
| ond door, and then the third, and as
/ saw the hope of Barsoom crawlin
1 weakly on hands and knees throug
] the last doorway sank unconsciou
| upon the ground.
| CHAPTER XVIII