San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-01

of Gems my simple observations
had helped to develop a plan the
extravagant audacity of which
would have been repellant to any
one else. Preparations were made
secretly, and, l knew of them
only forty-eight hours later, when
the cataleptic sleep which Rass-
puss had brought upon the revolt
ling city came to an end. From
the top of our terraced observa-
tory l watched, with my compan-
les, the gradual awakening of
those sleeping streets. 1t was
really a comical spectacle; stretch
ing themselves, and with eXclama-
tions and looks of establishment
all those men arose, opened their
heavy eyes, and looked about ues-
tionably before exchanging ques-
tions and finding themselves
again. At this moment newsboys
began to run through the streets
calling out the names of the usual
papers and the Paris papers as
we'll, all of which announced in big
headlines the news which had stir
red up the. public. -.-
Who wants the awakening"
the "Open Air. the World" the
journal" the "Star"-Latest de-
tails OF the Feast of Gems. They
did not sell these papers, but gave
them away freely and at the same
time great placards were posted
upon all the walls notifying the
inhabitants of Aeria that on the
next evening the city would be
open to all the women who wanted
to be taken up and through it: 1t
was suggested that these voluntary
visitors be received with due court
esy and the Difference. due to the
sex. All would be admitted to the
treasury, of gems manufactured
}s=tae King of Gems, who, in
honor of this occasion would dis
tribute diamonds, rubies and, sap
phires. of which he had the secret
of production to match those made
by nature herself. For the last
two days, the New York papers
and papers OF every large AmerI-
can city said, enormous signs had
been projected upon the sidewalks
and walls of New York and the
largest cities in flaming letters, an
nouncing this latest fancy of MIR.
Avery! millions of dodgers were
FLOATING through the air, falling
Into the trembling hands of the
people; the reading Of these fool
ish promises had distracted the
minds of all the women and it was
said that already thousands were
on their way from every corner OF
the United States to the Tower of
the King of Gems, which he was
about to make into a pandemon-
Jun of perversity and extrava-
gance. It was true. In these
forty-eight hours the news had
spread from telephone to tele-
phone, from one end of the United
States to the other and the method !
Employed bv Avery seemed about
10 result better than he had
imagined. -..
What can / say about the ire
nendous explosion of joy which
burst forth in the City at this an
iUdhceStsnt of what was to- come.
IN the wink of an eye the silly vio-
ence Of the day before was for
Eotteh and everyone was busy pre-
barring for the Feast of Gems.
Guides instructed by Avery were
Erecting the work: In two days
Il was ready. 1t was to be feast
which light would play the prin-
ipal part; nothing like it had ever
dashed beneath the sky, in the
ights of earth. What tremend-
us reserves of electric power
very utilized for that enormous
Clubhouse which Aeria became
rom niIe o'clock on. / do not
now now how he produced that
normous column of light, and the
purces of that power seemed in
mite and astounding. ] only knew
be laboratory, that great center
here all the devices that had
cen invented by those demoniac /;
rains of Avery and his acolytes
d been assembled. During the
70 DAYS the King of Gems was
visible to me. Rassmuss, kaudy, /
ostich and DIR. Hartwig had all
sappearsd and l had to take it
|r granted that in the center OF v
is enormous tower of metal {"