Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 120: what you’re looking at

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

Shel u , by A.Merritt Author of “ The Moon Pool,” “ Conquest of the The Moon Pool,” efc. (In collaboration with Dr. Walter T. Goodwin, Ph.D., I. A.S., F. R.G.S., etc.) IKE Mr. Merritt's narrative of “ The Moon Pool” (published in All-Story Weekly, June 22, 1918), and “* The Conquest of the Moon Pool ” (All-Story Weekly, February 15 to March 22, 1919), “ The Metal Monster " is published with the consent and authority of the International Association of Science. After the expeditions described in the earlier narratives, Dr. Walter T. Goodwin was placed at the head of a special bureau of the association and supplied with un- limited means to prosecute his investigations. Upon his recent: return from Central Asia he gave Mr, Merritt the manuscript of his report, to be prepared for popular presentation. In its popularized form it is presented herewith. PRECEDING CHAPTERS BRIEFLY RETOLD HILE traveling in the mountains of Turkestan Dr. Goodwin met Dick Drake, an American engineer. In a valley they saw a colossal imprint crushed into the stone—a curved heel with four claws, each twenty feet long, extending from it. Next day, while traveling an ancient road that\passed through a hollow, they were almost overcome by an unsegen force that sapped their strength. Winning through they met an American girl, Ruth Ventnor, daughter of a scientist, and her brother Mart. From them they learned that one night two men—the first humans they had seen for months—had come close to their fire and discussed Ruth with exceeding frankness—in archaic Persian. Awakening she had fired at them, and wounded one. Next day they had seen a body of soldiers, dressed and armed like the legions of ancient Darius, approach- ing, apparently in search of them. They had escaped. Ruth showed Dr. Goodwin and Dick a number of small metal objects, that formed geometrical designs that moved with intelligence. Metal—with a brain! | Attacked by the pursuing Persians they saw standing in a fissure in the mountain the figure of a woman. At her command hundreds of metal objects—the “ Metal Things” formed them- selves into a giant that struck out and destroyed the attackers. Speaking in ancient Persian the woman told them that she was “ Norhala.” She was beautiful—but not entirely human. At ‘her command they followed her into the fissure—which proved to be a passage hewed by human hands—mounted platforms formed by the “ Metal Ones,” and were swept away through the mists and through an opening in the mountain. / Then came a hair-raising journey through the wonders of an unknown world—although over- \. head they could see the familiar stars. Ruth, they were horrified to find, was becoming like Norhala—from her face shone forth the impassiveness of the Infinite. - At the end of the journey Norhala took the travelers before a strange—edifice—altar—machine?—they could find no name for it—formed of glistening, greenish cones and spinning, gqlden disks. With the weird guardians of these cones Norhala communicated. She and Ruth were lifted up by some strange force, and ‘when Mart fired at one of the creatures a lance of green flame darted at him and left him a broken wreck. Norhala saved him from further punishment; told Dr. Goodwin and Dick that the—Thing— had given them to her for playthings; ordered them to carry Mart and follow her, and led the way through a wall of light. | Mart was not dead, and Dr. Goodwin tried to revive him with an injection of strychnine. And as he worked he realized that the intelligence that ruled in this strange world and looked upon man as a plaything was a Mind of Metal—a Metal Monster! This story began in the Argosy-Allstory Weekly for August-%, 686 ———