Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 67: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BEYOND THE STARS. Before we could reach him, his great head sagged to the high hunched shoulders. He twitched a little, then slumped inert. I swung on Jim. “Go pound on the door! Tell them to let you out! Get Ren! Tell Ren to bring a doctor—surgeon—some one to help us!” ““ He’s—dead?”’ “No! Unconscious; he may be dying. Get help. Where’s esate Send her in here! Hurry, Jim!” They believed that Dr. Weatherby was dying. He lay now in a room off our main apartment, still unconscious, lying with closed eyes, motionless save for the tiny stirring of his breath. Tt was, by earthly standards of day and night, now late afternoon, a soft, pale day- light. After another time of sleep the long night would be upon us. They could not say how long Dr. Weatherby would live. There seemed noth- ing to do for him. The shock of his joy over Dolores, the let-down of the tension under which he had been laboring, had brought a collapse. He would die, the end might come at any time; they did not think he would again be conscious. One of us was constantly watching him. Alice was in there now; from this main room I could see the pale gold of her hair as she sat there, solemnly, sadly watching. Dolores and Lupe were up, sitting with Jim and me; Lupe, with red, mutilated eyes, his pale face puzzled as he groped with the unfamiliar darkness; Dolores, won- dering at all she saw, frightened at the impending tragedy of her grandfather’s death. Often she would gaze at Dr. Weatherby’s still, white face, gaze as though not quite sure of what she saw. In hushed tones, with the awe of death upon us, we sat talking. We were on the upper half-story of the apartment off which the small bedrooms opened. I heard the sound of the door downstairs; and heard Ren’s voice: ‘‘ How is he?” I leaned over the balcony. no change. Come up, Ren.” The old man mounted the incline stairs. With him was a young girl. He introduced her gravely: | “ There is hay 865 “The daughter of my young brother, who now is dead. She is named Sonya— she is very proud that she has learned ‘from me your language. Hold out your hand, child. They shake it for the greeting, you see?” I took the girl’s extended hand. She was the first woman we had seen of this new realm, and I regarded her curiously. She seemed of an age just before full ma- turity, a small girl—small as Dolores, slim, almost fragile of body, garbed in a single short garment, from neck to knees. It was a sort of smock, of soft dull-red pleats, gathered with a girdle at the waist, high at the neck, with long, tight-fitting sleeves to the wrist. Over it was a long cloak of a heavier material, which she dis- carded upon entering. Her legs were bare. On her feet were leather sandals. Her hair was long, and black as jet. Parted in the middle, it par- tially covered her ears, was caught by a thong at the back of her neck; and its long tresses, hanging nearly to her waist, were bound by a ribbonlike cord. Her face was oval, with expressive dark eyes, and long black lashes; sensuous lips, I thought, but a mouth and chin that be- spoke a firm character; a beautiful young girl; intelligent, perhaps beyond most of her race. And that she was modish was plain to be seen. Her cloak had a jaunty cut to it, a lin- ing of delicate fabric and contrasting color. Her smock was very tight at the throat, shoulders and sleeves; and tight across the bust to mould her youthful breast. It fell not quite to her knees, and flared with a stiffly circular bottom. Her face carried the stamp of youth and health. But it was not wholly as nature made it. Her eyebrows had been plucked to a thin, dark line. The lobes of her nostrils held an artificial touch of pink; her lips were perhaps more sensuous of line than nature ~ made them. She discarded her cloak, and stooped to remove the skin sandals from her feet. Up- on her left leg, just above the knee, was clasped a broad, white metal band. — “T am glad to know the strangers.” Her glance went to the room where Dr. Weath- — GEomichbooks 5.€0