Richmond planet., 1930-12-13
Continued from Page Seven

GREATNESS way Vi LID, I lIldoO u1nOVii0A
interesting discovery. Every now
and then he would lower his eyes to
glance at something on the polished
table on which sat our half bottles of
fingo. Further casual observation, and
I discovered still another of these
little stone images another little
brown woman, nude, sitting cross
legged on a bit OF rouC base. To be
sure, my curiosity was deeply aroused.
"You must" I subsequently COM
mented, "have had many wonderful
experiences, Captain Sto," and he
promptly set his glass down, regard
ing the little image on the table.
Then he smiled and said very soft
ly:
ut do be true, Quano Brent" he
murmured. yet, it be only one ad-
venture in my life lat do linger!"
And as he said that, I became aware
of a PARKWAY look in his eyes, a
quickening of breathing, a rising
feeling in his breast.
The next moment he discarded the
fingo, punched forward in his chair
and I was getting the story of Ioane!
%
Captain Sto, of the Pragian Fed
ration Air forces, now stationed in
that part of the recently conquered
ElSian kingdom called Balo, 3Iddenly
halted his leisurely progress along the
dark, nearly deserted thoroughfare
Mito. Quickly he stopped and
whisked up the thing which had just
then fell gathering at his feet. About
forty-young for a Martian-his
pouchy body attired in the brilliant
red uniform of the unconquerable
kingdom of Pragus, Captain Sto i'm
mediately gave vent to an astonished
gasp,
In his hand was a short. glistening
knife-an Elsian knife. Yet. it was
not this that caught the young war
rior's eyes and caused him to peer
quickly upwards towards the tiny
windows of the darkened, apparently
untenanted structure it had obvious
" been hurled from. 1t was. the OBJ
ject tied to it's carved handle. . . An
Elsian knife bearing a Pragian ring!
What did it mean?
at do be the sign of va! The
ring, he be little, the band of a weak
er cne-a woman of Pragusl" was his
startling conclusion: "a Pragian
weaker one in diStreSSl"
The lines in his dark face hardened.
The next instant he was stealing his
way silently up a flight of narrow
spiral stone steps, through the stag
nant darkness of an ancient ElSian
structure. Instinctively, he drew his
trusty dart gun. On and on he
climbed. No sound came to him, no
Yet he had an e~Xhilarating
feeling that ere Ions, for the hum
dredth time in an adventurous life,
he would test his skill in combat
this time, for a weaker one, a woman.
The winding steps finally ended
abruptly after the fifth landing. For
a moment he stood there. A stale
odor. Silence Or was it silence? Had
not some sound come to him just
then? va! Grimly he crept on be-
tween two cold stone walls. Sudden
ly he caught his breath and stopped.
From out of the darkness nearby
had come a rising voice, the deep,
passionate voice of a man. 1t was
as if the words were being Kissed
from between gritting teeth, as if
fists were clencf
"You do accept now the heart of
Captain Pignoff, Ioane the Beauti-
full" they growled, or the thrust
of my trusty blade! va! va! 1t do
be one. . . . Two years I do see your
reflection in my lingo: two years 1
do dream, do hope. Now the gods
be smile on Captain Pignof. Ya!-
1aone the Man-hater, the infant OF
an Elsian mother and Pragian faith
er, take hasty choice
'Ioane never do! Never, never . i"
AS the hysterical voice Of the woman
rent the darkness, Sto'S heart sud-
denly raced like the engine Of a good
ship. Crouching there, an inaudible
gasp escaped him. He hesitated. Was
IL possible? Ioane the Man-hater!
----~,