Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 11, 1921)
NORTTI PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, OF MARKS' Copjrlffbt, A. 0. McHnrsr and Compnnj CHAPTER XII Continues. 10 There Is nlwnys sufllclont reserve of tlio ninth ray stored In the groat building to nifllntnln the present Mnr tlnn atmosphere for n thousand years, nnd ths only tour, ns my new friend tDld me, win that Rome accident might befall the pumping apparatus. Hefors I retired for tho night ho jCf'tnlfNMl to glvo me a letter to a near by agricultural ofllcor who would help mo on my way to Zodnngn, which ho said was the nearest Martian city. "Hut be sure that you do not let them know you aro bound for Helium, ns thev are at war with that country. My nssbtant and I are of no country we belong to nil Unrsoom nnd this tal Ismail which wo wenr protectH us In all lands, even among the green men though we do not tru: ourselves to their Hands If we can avoid It," hi: added. "And so good-night, my friend." he continued, "may you have a long and restful sleep yes, a long sleep." And though he smiled pleasantly I saw In his thoughts the wish that he had never admitted me, and then n pic ture of him standing over me In the nljjht, and the swift thrust of a long dogger atul the half-formed words. "I nir. i rry, but It Iw for the best good of Bur-eoni." ' WhHt waM I to do? How could I es cape through these mighty walls? Kindly could I kill him now that I was warned, but once he was dead I could no more escape, and with tho slop-pin-, of the machinery of the great plant I should die with all the other InhnbltantK of the planet all, even Dejnh Thorls were she not already dead. Cautiously I opened the door of toy apartment nnd, followed by Woola, sought the Inner of the great doors. A wild scheme had come to nie; I would attempt to force the great locks by the. nine thought waves I had read In my host's mind. Creeping stealthily through corridor after corridor and down winding run ways which turned hither and thither I llnnlly reached the great hall In which I had broken niy long fast that morning. I was on the point, of stepping bold ly out Into the room when n slight ' nolso behind mo warned- me back Into the shadows of a recess In tho corri dor. Drugging Woolrt after me I crouched low In tho darkness. Bresently the old man passed close by me, and as he entered the dimly lighted chamber which I had been about to pass through I snw that he held a long thin dagger In his hand and that he was slinrpenlug It upon a stone. In his mind was tho decision to Inspect the radium pumps, which would take about thirty minutes, and then return to my bedchamber and tin lull me. As ho pnssed through the great ball and disappeared down the runway Which led to tho pmnprooin, T stJlo stcnlthlly from my hiding place jind crossed to tho great door, the Inner ot tho three which stood between me and liberty. Concentrating my mind upon the ninsslve lock I hurled the nine thought waves against It. In breath less expectancy 1 waited, when finally the great door moved softly toward me and slid quietly to one side. One after tho other the remaining mighty portals opened at my command and Woola and I stepped forth Into the darkness, free, but llttlo belter off than we had been before, other than that wo had full sUniiiiehs. Hastening away from the shadows of the" formidable pile I made for tho tlrst crossroad, Intending to strike tho central turnpike as quickly as pes slide. This I reached about morning and entering tho first enclosure 1 camo to I searched for some evidence of a habitation. Thcro wore low rumbling buildings of concrete bnrred with heavy lmpnss nblo doors, and no amount of ham niorlng and hallooing brought any re spouse. Weary and exhausted from sleeplessness I throw myself upon iho ground commanding Woola to stand guiirdr Somo time later I was nwakonod by his frightful growllngs nnd opened my eyes to sco threo red Martians stand ing a short distance from us and cov ering mo with their rifles. "I ntn unarmed and no enemy," I hastoned to explain. "I havo been a prlsonor among the green men and am on my way to Zodangn. All I ask Is food and rest for myself and my cnlot and tho proper directions for reaching my destination." They lowered their rllles and jul vnriced plensnntly toward me, placing their right hands upon my left shout dor, after tho manner of their custom of salute, and asking me many ques tions about uirself and my wander ings. They then took mo to thu bouse of ono of them which was only si short distance away. 'fliey were tho personification of ;ordlallty nnd hospitality and I spent aevcrnl days with them, renting and recuporntlng from my long and Urdu ius experiences. When I was ready to depart they furnished 'no with a small domestic 'bull Ihont. such us Is used for saddle t-rince purposes by all red Martians. The animal Is about the size of a horse and quite gentle, but In color and shape mi exuet replica of his huge and fierce cousin of the wilds. rhe brothers had supplied me with u reddish nil with which I anointed my entire body and one of them cut my hair, which had grown quite long, In the prevailing fashion of the time, square at the back and banged In front, so that I could have pussed any where upon Bnrsnom as a full-Hedged red Martian. My metal and orna ments were also renewed In the style of a Zodangan gentleman, attached to the house of Ptor, which was the fam ily name of my benefactors. CHAPTER XIII. An Air Scout for Zodanga. As I proceeded on my Journey to ward Zodanga many strange and In teresting sights arrested my attention, and at the several farmhouses where I stopped I learned li number of new and Instructive things concerning the methods and manners of Harsoom. The water which supplies the fnrms of Alnrs Is collected In Immense under ground reservoirs at either pole from the melting Ice caps, and pumped through long conduits to the various populated centers. Instend of. Hooding the surface of the fields, and thus wasting Immense quantities of wnter by evaporation, tho precious liquid Is carried underground through a vast network of small pipes directly to the roots rf the vegetation. The props upon Mars art' always uniform, for there are no droughts, no rains, no high winds, and no Insects, or destroy ing- birds. On this trip I tasted the first meat I had eaten since leaving Knrth large, Juicy steaks and chops from the woll-fed domestic nnlmals of the farms. Also I enjoyed hnjclous fruits and vegetables, but not n single ar ticle of food which was exactly simi lar to anything on Knrth. At a second stop I met some highly cultlvnted people of the noble class and while In conversation we chanced to speak of Helium. One of the older men had been there on a diplomatic mission several yenrs before and, spoke with regret of the conditions which seemed destined ever to keep these two countries at war. . "Helium," he sutd, "rightly boasts the most bonutlful women of Harsoom, and of all her treasures the wondrous daughter of Mors ICaJak, Dejnh Thorls, Is the most exquisite flower. "Why," he added, "tho people really worship the ground she walks upon and since her loss on thnt lll-starredi expedition nil Helium bus been draped In mourning. "That our ruler should have at tacked the disabled fleet as It was re turning to Helium was but another .of his awful blunders which I fear will sooner or Inter compel Zodanga to ele vate a wiser man to his place. "Uvea now, Jhough our victorious armies are surrounding Helium, the people of Zodanga are voicing their displeasure, for the war Is not a popu lar one, since It Is not baed on right or Justice. Our forces took ndvnntuge of the absence of the principal fleet of Helium on ther search for the prin cess, and we haVo been able easily to i educe the city to a sorry plight." "And what, think you, may havo been the fate of the princess, Dejah Lhorls? I asked as casually us pos sible. "She Is dead," he answered, "This much was learned from a green war rlor recently ensured by our forces In the south. She oivaped from the hordes of Thnrk with a strange crea ture of another world, only to fall Into the hands of the Warhoon.a. Thnlr thoats were found wandering upon the sea bottom und evidences of a bloody conlllct were- discovered near-by." While this Information was In no way reassuring, neither was It at all conclusive proof of the death of Dejah Thorls, and so I determined to make every effort possible to reach Helium as quickly ns I could and carry to Tardus Mors such news of his grand daughter's possible whereabouts as lay In my power. Ten days after leading tho three Ptor brothers I arrived at Zodangn. From the moment thnt I had come In contact with tho red inhabitants of Mars I had noticed thnt Woola drew a grent amount of unwelcome attention to me, slnco the huge brute belonged to n species which Is never domes.tI cated by the red men. Were one to stroll down Hrondwuy with a Numl dlnn Hon at his heels the effect would be somewhnt similar to thnt which I should, havo produced bud I entered Zodanga with Woola. As 1 would willingly havo offered my life In the service of her In search of whom I was about to challenge the unknown dangers of this, to me, mys terious city, I could not permit even Wooln's life to threaten tho success of my venture, much less his momen tary happiness, for I doubted not ho soon would forget mo. And so I bndo tho poor beast an affectionate fare well, promising him. however, thnt If I cume through my ndvontuio In safe ty that In some wny I should find the tueuim in search him out, ss J He seemed to understand me fully, nnd when I pointed buck In the di rection of Thnrk he turned sorrow fully away, nor could I bear to wntch him go; bin resolutely set my face toward Zodangn and with u touch of henrtslckness upproached her frown ing walls. The letter I bore gained me Imme diate entrance to the vast, walled city. The Ptor brothers had given me ex plicit directions for reaching the point of the city where I could find living accommodations nnd bo near the olllccs of the government agents to whom they had given me letters. My way led to the central square or plaza, which Is a characteristic of all Mar tian cities. As I was crossing Mie great square lost In wonder nnd admiration of the magnificent architecture and the gor geous scarlet vegetation which carpet ed the broad lawns I discovered a red Martian walking briskly townrd me from one of the avenues. lie paid not the slightest attention to me. hut as he came abreast I recognized him, and turning I placed my hnud upon his shoulder, vailing out.' "If nor, Kantos Kiinl" Like lightning he wheeled nnd be fore I could so much as lower my hand the point of his longsword was at my breast. "Who are you?" he growled, and then ns a backward leap carried me fifty feet from his sword he dropped the point to the ground nnd exclaimed, laughing. "I do not need n better reply. The-e Is bin ono inilu upon all Harsoom who cm boum-o nbout like a rubber ball. Hy the mother of the further moon, John Carter, how came you here, and hnve you become n Dar scen that you can change your col or at will? "You gave me a bad half minute, my friend," he continued, nfter I had brlelly outlined my adventures since parting with him In the arena at Wurhoon. "Were my name and city known to the Zodangans I would short ly bo sitting on the banks of the lost sen of Korus with my revered nnd departed ancestors. I am here In the Interests of the Tnrdos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, to discover the , where abouts of Dejah Thorls, our princess. Sab Than, prince of Zodangn, has her hidden In the city , nnd has fallen madly In love .with her. "! have been here three days, but I have not' yet found where Dejah Thorls Is Imprisoned. Today I Join the Zodangan navy as an ulr" scout and I hope In this way to win the confidence of Sab Than, the prince, who Is commnuder of this division of the nnvy, and thus learn the where abouts of Dejah Thorls. I am glad that you are here, John Carter, for I know your loyalty to my princess and two of us working together should bo nble to accomplish much." The plaza wns now commencing to till With people going and coming upon tho dully activities of their tin- As I Rose Above the City I Circled Several Times as I Had Seen Kontos Kan Do. ties. The shop wero opening nnd tho cafes filling with enrly morning patrons. Kantos, Kan led me to one of these gorgeous eating places wliero we were served entirely by meehunl cal apparatus. After our meal, Kantos Kan took mo with blm to the hendquarters of tho air-scout squadron and Introduc Ing mo to bis superior asked that I bo enrolled ns n member of the corps. In nccordnnco with custom nn exam ination was necessary, but Knntos told mo to have no fenr on this score, ns he would attend to thnt pnrt of tho matter. He accomplished this by tnk Ing my ordpr for examination to the examining nlUccr and represent Ing himself as John Carter. EDGAR. RlfcE BURROUGHS Author of Tarzan of tho Apes 'This ruse will bq discovered later," he cheerfully explained, "when they check up my weights, measurements, nnd other personal Identification data, but it will be several months before this Is done nnd our mission should bo accomplished or have fullcl long before Unit time." The next few days were spent by Knntos Kan In teaching we the In tricacies of flying nnd of repairing the dainty little contrivances which tho Martians use for this purpose. The fourth day after my nrrlval at Zodangn I made my first flight-, nnd as u result of It I won u promotion which Included quarters In the palace of Than Kosls. As I rose nbove the city I circled several times, ns I had seen Knntos Kan do, and then throwing my engine Into top speed I rnced nt terrific ve locity toward the south, following one of the great waterways which enter Zodangn from that direction I hod traversed perhaps two hun dred miles in n little less than nn hour when I descried far below me a par ty of three green warriors racing mad ly townrd n small figure on'foot which seemed to be trying to rench thu con fines of one of the wnlled Ileitis. Dropping my mnchlne rapidly to wnrd them, nnd circling to the rear of the warriors, I soon saw that the object of their pursuit wns a red Mar- thin wenrlng the metnl of the scout squndron to which I wns nttached. A short distance away lay his tiny filer, surrounded by the tools with which h" had evidently been nivupH d In repairing some damage when sur prised by the green warriors. They were now nlmost upon him; their flying mounts charging down on the relatively puny figure at terrific speed, while the warriors leaned low to the right, with their great metal- shod spears. Each seemed striving to be the first to Impale the poor Zo dangan nnd In another moment his fate would have been sealed had it not been for my timely nrrlval. Driving my fleet nlr craft at high speed directly behind the warriors I soon overtook them and without di minishing my speed I rammed the prow of my little flier between the' shoulders of the nearest. The Impact, sufficient 'to have torn through inches of solid steel, hurled the fellow's head less body Into the nlr over the head of his Ihont, where It fell sprawling upon the moss. The mounts of the other two warriors turned squenllng In terror, and bolted In opposite di rection". Reducing my speed I circled nnd enme to the ground at the feet of the astonished Zodangnn. , He was warm In his thanks for my timely aid nnd promised thnt my day's work would bring the reward It merited, for It was none other than u cousin of the Jeddak of Zodanga yvhose life I hud saved. Hastening to his damaged nincliliiG we were bending every effort to fin ish tho needed repairs and had almost completed them when we snw the two green monsters returning a: top speed from opposite sides of us. When they hnd approached within a hun dred ynrds their thoats again became unmanageable and absolutely refused to advance further townrd the air craft which had frightened them. Tho warriors finally dismounted and hobbling their anlmnls advanced to ward us on foot with drawn long swords. I advanced to meet the larg er, telling the Zodnngun to do the best he could with the other. Finish ing my man with almost no effort, as had now from much prnet'ce be come habitual with me, I hastened to return to my new ucqualntnnce whom I found Indeed In desperate straits. Ho was wounded and down with the huge foot ot his antagonist upon his throat and tho great longsword raised to deal tho final thrust. With n hound I cleared the fifty feet Inter vening between us, nnd with out stretched point drove my sword com pletely through the body of the green wnrrlor. His sword fell, harmless, to tho ground nnd he sank limply upon tho prostrate form ofi the Zodangan Quickly completing the repairs we rose together Into the still, cloudless Mnrtlnn sky, and nt groat speed and without further rnlshup returned to Zodnngn. As we nearedMhe city we discov ered a mighty concourse of civilians nnd troops nssembled upon the plain beforo tho city. My companion slg unled that I slow down, and running his machine close beside mine sug gested thnt wo approach and wntch the ceremony, which, he said, wns for tho purpose ot conferring honors on individual olllccrs and men for bravery nnd other distinguished service. He then unfurled n llttlo en sign which denoted thnt his craft bore a member of the royal family of Zo dnngn, and together wo made our .vay through the niazo of low-lying nlr vessels until we hung directly over tho Jeddak of Zodnngn nnd his staff, Ono ot tho stnff called tho nttentlon of Than Kosls to the presence of my companion nbovo them and tho ruler motioned for him to descend. I could not hear their conversation and pros eutly it cenfcd nnd all dismounted, ns the Inst body of troops hnd wheeled Into position beforo tbolr emperor. A member of the staff advanced townrd tho- troops, and calling the nnme ot n soldier commnnded him to advance. The ofllcer then recited the nature of the heroic net which had won the approval of the Jeddak, and the lat ter advanced and plnced a metnl or- nnment upon the left arm of tho lucky man. Ten men had been so decorated when the nld called out, "John Carter, air scout 1" Never !n n!y life had t been so sur prised, but the habit of military dis cipline Is strong within me, and I dropped my little machine lightly to tho ground und ndvnnced on foot ns I had seen the others do. As I halted beforo tho ofllcer, he uddressei mo In n voice iiudlble to the entire as semblage of troops nnd spectators. "In recognition, John Carter," he said, "of your remarkable courage nnd skill In defending the person of the As We Neared the City We Discov. ered a Mighty Concourse of Civilians and Troops Assembled Upon the Plains Before the City. cousin of the Jeddak Than Kosls and, single-handed, vnnqulshlng three green wnrrlors, It Is the plcnsure of our Jed dak to confer on you the mark of his esteem." Than Kosls then advanced toward me and placing un ornament upon ine, said: "My cousin has narrated the details of your wonderful uchlevement, which seems little short of miracu lous, and if you enn so well defend a cousin of the Jeddak how much better could you defend the person of the Jeddak himself. You are therefore ap pointed a padwar of the Guard nnd will be quartered In my palace here after." I thanked blm, nnd with nn order ly from the palace to guide me I re ported to the ofllcer In charge of the palnce. CHAPTER X'.V. I Find Dejah. The major-domo to whom I reported had been given Instructions to station mo near the person of the Jeddnk, who, in time of war, is always In great danger of assassination, us the rule that all is fair In war seems to con stitute the entire ethics of Martian conflict. He therefore escorred mo Inimqdl ntely to the apartment In which Than Kosls then wns. The ruler wus en gaged In conversation with his son, Snb Than, and several .courtiers of Ids household, and did not perceive my entrance. The walls of the apartment wero completely hung with splendid tnpes trles. My guide drew aside one of tho tapestries, disclosing u passage which encircled tho room, between the hangings und the walls of the cham ber. Within this passage I was to remain, he said, so long ns Than Kosls was In the apartment. When he left I wns to follow. My only duty was to guard the ruler and keep out of sight ns much as possible. I would be relieved after a period of four hours. The major-domo then left me. Scarcely had I gained my post than the tapestry nt the opposite end of tho chamber separated nnd four sol diers of tho Guard entered, surround ing n female figure. As they approach ed Thnn Kosls tho soldiers fell to either side and there stnndlng before the Jeddnk and not ten feet from me, her beautiful face radiant with smiles, was Dejah Thorls. Sab Tban, prince of Zodnngn, nd .vnnced to meet her, nnd bond In hand they uppronnhed close to the Jeddak. Thau Kosls looked up In surprise, and, rising, saluted her. "To what strange freak do I owe this visit from tho princess of Heli um, who, two days ago, with rare consideration for my pride, assured me thnt she would prefer Tal Unjus, the green Thnrk, to my son?' (TO. UB CONTINUED.) Viewpoint. It takes tho eyes of the rich to Bee tho blessings of poverty. Boston Transcript. Trnmplo on a mpn's good intentions and ho will consign you to Uie placo that 1b paved with them. In your Grand- , Mother's Timor! Carroll, Iowa.1 took Dr. Plorco's At ono time I Goldon Medical DlBcorory for a raw, sore fooling In my lungs fol lowing the measles; also for torpid llvor and poor appetlto and the medicine holped me won dorfully. My norves becamo qulot and I could Bleep well at night "My mother took this remedy twenty years ago and she was great ly benefited." MRS. G. S. KNIGHT, 1020 N. Crawford St. The Discovery Is put up In liquid or tablets, without alcohol, and sold by all druggists. Shave With Guticura Soap The New Way Without Mug Her Little bit. She wns giving orders at express rate, for they wero murrlcd. He poor man was, na n rule, the most submissive of men. But even a" cab-horse will turn. Throwing out his manly chest, un til he nearly lost sight of it under tho stubble on his chin, ho brought his fist down with great gentleness upon the table. "Do you think, my dear," he ven tured, "thut you rule the whole uni verse?" "No," she snapped; "but I rule the first letter of it!" RUB OUT SORENESS Sprains, Backache With Old St. Ja cobs Oil. Back hurt you? Can't straighten up without feeling sudden pains, sharp aches and twinges? Now, listen 1 That's lumbago, sciatica, or maybe from a strain, nnd you'll get blessed relief the moment you rub your back with sooth ing, penetrating "St. Jacobs QUI" Nothing else takes out soreness, lame ness und stiffness so quickly. Yon simply rub It on nnd out comes the pain. It Is perfectly harmless and doesn't burn or discolor the skin. Limber up I Don't suffer I Get . smull trial bottle from any drug store, nnd after using It Just once you'll for get that you ever had backache, lum bago or sciatica, because your buck wlil never hurt or cause any more mis ery. It never disappoints and bns been recommended for CO years. Stop drug ging kidneys 1 They don't cause back ache, because they have no nerves, mererore can nor cnuse pain. auv. Proof Positive. "I understnnd," remurked'Mr. Calla han to his friend Mr. Casey, "that the Judge fined ye $10 for nssaultln Cough lln the oUier day." "He did that," answered Mr. Casey, "un It was a proud moment, I'll tell ye, whin 1 henrd the slntlnce." "How's that?" "I'm thlnklu'," continued air. Casey, "that It showed which one of us hnd the best of the fight." WOMEN! USE "DIAMOND DYES" Oye Old Skirts, Dresses, Waists, Coats, Stockings, Draperies Everything. Each package of "Diamond Dyes" contnins easy directions for dyeing any article of wool, silk, cotton, linen,' or mixed goods. Beware I Poor dye streaks, spots, fades, and ruins mate rial by giving It n "dyed-lbok." Buy "Diamond Dyes" only. Druggist has Color Curd. Adv. Jyolk. First-Class Scout I ate three chick ens today. Tenderfoot Scout Gee whiz I Hon est? Roasted or fried? First-Class Scout Rolled In the shell. Boys' Life. "Cold In tho Head" Is an acuto attack of Nasal Catarrh. Those subject to frequent "colds in the head" will lind that the uso of HALL'S CATARRH MEDICINE will build up tha bystcin, cleanse tho lJlood and render them less liable to colds. Repeated at tacks of Acule Catarrh may lead to Chronic Catarrh. HALL'S CATARRH MEDICINE Is taken Internally and acts through the Dlood on tho Mucous Surfaces of the Sys tem, thus reducing the Innarnmatlon and festorlnB normal conditions. All Drtirelats. Circulars free. P. J. Choney & Co., Toledo, Ohio. Spolllng the Metaphor. Mr. Oldsport Do you doubt my love? Look In my eyes and rend It there. The eyes are tho windows of thu soul. Miss Gohlentido Windows of the soul I That's so. Your eyes do look awfully glassy. Pure blood is essentia! to good health Garfield Ton dispels impurities, cleanses the system and eradicates disease.-Adv. Wanted Her Advice. He I am madly in love, will von be my confidante? " She Certainly. I am nt your serv ice. He Well, would you advlso mo to proposo to you? Boston Transcript. 6fsS, ' If they Tire.Itcli. roKC&iSJj Smart or Burn, if Sore, Ynltr FlCC iT113. Inflamed or lUUKCfCO Granulated.useMurine often. 9potb.es, Refreshes. Safe for nfantor Adult At all Druggists. Writefor Free Eye Book. Murlss Eyi Rtntdy C.,CMa