Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1911 — A Columbus of Space [ARTICLE]

A Columbus of Space

By Garrett P. Serviss.

Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co. —-o CHAPTER XXII. At The Capital. I need not detain you with ap account of our return trip. Edmund again laid his course by the stars, and running at a high elevation we passed over the crystal mountains and their warring tempests, believing that we could recognize with our glasses the huge jeweled peak that had once so nearly wrought our destruction. Edmund pointed this out to Ala as she clung to his arm, and then we crossed the sea where wd"had first met her, and were soon coursing under the great cloud-dome in the land of filtered sunshine. Upon reaching the capital the same scenes' of jubilation were jenewed, but there was great surprise at our reappearance from exactly the opposite direction to that in which we had been expected. An aeroplane was at once dispatched to recall those who were waiting for us on the border of the twilight zone. There can be no doubt that the forebodings which had so long occupied my mind tended to color my judgment, yet I would have sworn that 1 detected a change in the moral atmosphere of the capital. Our greeting from the people was hearty, as usual, but there were faces' which seemed to me to wear a half-concealed scowl, and I caught, occasionally, an unfriendly glance in the crowd. These things impressed tne so deeply that again I warned Edmund. “The current is beginning to run against us,” I told him. “I am sure of it.” This time he did not laugh at my fears On the contrary, he said; “Yes, I believe you are right. But I am not afraid. We have weathered worse storms.” “But what will you do?” “Let events take their course, and watch them.” “Then you may, be too late. Listen to me! Prepare the car, get Ala’s consent to go, for I believe she would follow you any where, and start for the earth at the earliest possible moment.” Edmund mused a little while. Then he said: “The day after tomorrow.” “The day after tomorrow?” I replied, impatiently. “Why trifle thus? You know that there are no days and no tomorrows in this land of endless light.” Edmund smiled.

‘‘Count forty-eight hours by your watch,” he said, ‘‘and at the end of that time I promise you to start.” This promise heartened me immensely. But I did not know what that ‘‘day after tomorrow” had in store. The blow was nearer falling than I could have suspected. It was hastened, without doubt, by an occurrence which nobody could foresee or govern, and which, if it had happened at the time of our first arrival, would probably have had no mischievous consequences for us. But, since that fatal interview in the temple, all was changed, and an event more disastrous for us than that which now occurred Ingra himself could not have devised. It was the opening of the clouddome! I have already told you that at certain unpredicted times a rift appeared in the pearly vault of the heavens and the sun for a few minutes blazed down through the opening in unclouded splendor. So many years had elapsed since the last occurrence of this phenomenon that for the youngdlgeneration it was only a tradition, yet it was a tradition on which the pagan religious system—of which the eagle-faced Sphinx in the red-lighted temple was the head-center—was based, and its influfence upon the ignorant and superstitious multitude was unbounded and irresistible. This terrible priest, whose hatred of us had, of course, been stimulated by Ala’s open defiance, bad, as I feared, occupied the time of our absence in poisoning as many minds as possible against us, and bis sacred character had enabled him to spread the venom of religious prejudice with amazing rapidity. Even if we had not wasted time on our unfortunate expedition, *1 do not know that we could have done much to counteract his pernicious influence, but then, at least, we should have' been ready at an earlier date ,to escape,from his clutches. And who knows what Ala, with her great popularity, might have accomplished if she had been on the ground? I did not doubt for a moment that

Ingra waa in the capital and thick Jn the plot The opening of the dome came very suddenly. It was announced by a great shout—a rare occurrence—from the people who happened to be on the outer platforms of the palace tower. We were all with Ala at the time, Edmund being engaged in trying to decipher the curious characters in a large book which she had brought him. » Upon hearing the shout we all ran out The scene was one of the most unforgettable things that occurred in our whole expedition. Excited people were crowding the platforms, jostling one another, jabbering, pushing and pointing upward; some already on their knees, others with looks of the utmost consternation, throwing their arms wildly above their heads, while hundreds of aeroplanes were circling like frightened birds about the towers. I glanced upward, followillir the direction of thousands of eyes, and w r aa momentarily blinded by the fierce glare of the sun, pouring its unmitigated rays straight down through a narrow rift in the cloud dome. The gold and jewels that decorated the tower made it blaze with a splendor like that of a huge frost-gemmed tree struck by the morning rays after a winter night’s ice storm. It was too dazzling to look npon. ■■ ■ - " Then there was a movement in the vast throng, a space cleared itself, and the gigantic augur, wearing a great black miter flaming with circles of rubies and carbuncles, appeared, his strange beak projecting ominously and his black byes aglow. Thousands instantly dropped on their knees as he slowly advanced. With one long asm carrying a sort of crozier, he pointed aloft, while he muttered a chant that fell like a charm upon the superstitious multitude. I glanced at Ala. She did not stir, and I felt my heart give an exultant bound, with the conviction which flashed over me that her active, penetrating mind had flung off the burden of this superstition. How much Edmund had been able to teach her I do not know, but I gave him all credit for the change.

Soon the terrible priest directed hi 3 menacing glance upon us, as we continued standing after all the others had abjectly fallen before him. If his eyes had glared before, they turned to living flames now. With a majestic stride he advanced toward Ala, and I thought for a moment that he meant to strike her down with his staff. Edmund pushed her behind him, and I shall never cease to thrill at the recollection that I, with a boldness surprised and gratified me afterward, sprang instantly to Edmund’s side, with Jack —brave old Jack—at my elbow. What we should have done next I do not know, for our enemy hesitated. Whether he was cowered by our menacing aspect or whether he thought it unbecoming his dignity to attack us physically, at any rate, he stopped short. Then, towering to his full height, he made one vast sweep with his arm, and covered us, I suppose, with a withering anathema. As far as he was concerned, thai apparently ended it He paid us no more attention after that than if we had been so many sticks, but directed his gaze straight at the sun. I saw its rays sparkle in the corner of his black eyes, which never winked, and I hope I may be forgiven for wishing, ns I did, that his god would strike him blind on the spot.

As I glanced around I caught side looks from the prostrate worshipers which boded no good. Suddenly a cold hand seemed to have been planted over the pit of my stomach, for there, lifting his head above the kneeling crowd and staring at us with a wicked grin, was Ingra! An instant later, and before I could speak to Edmund he was gone. This capped the climax of my apprehensions. The mere fact that Ingra dared to show himself here attested the change that had occurred in our situation. After a moment’s thought I determined not to tell Edmund at present what I had seen. 1 The spectacle of the opening of the dome ended as unexpectedly as it had begijp. The rift closed, and then for a few moments the contrast between the unclouded brilliance of the sun and the soft glow that succeeded had an effect as if we had been plunged Into night. Finally objects became clearer, there was a great movement of .the closely packed throng, the people rose from their knees, and the black priest bad gone as mysteriously as if he had been snatched up into the sky. (To be continued.) For the first time in the history of California a socialist was elected mayor of a city In that state, when L Stitt Wilson defeated Beverly Hodga head, the republican incumbent, bf a plurality of 284 for mayor of Berkley. Wilson received 2,750 votes and Hodgehead 2,466. Wilson was socialist candidate for governor last November. He was minister