Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

12 ing vegetation—accompanied in his oceupa- tion by a slow-stalking beast remarkably like a hound. Croft noted the direction of my glance and manner. ‘‘ Mitlos—our majordomo, and Hupor,” he said and smiled. ‘“ Zitu man, when I told you about them, the last thing I dreamed was that some day you should see them.” “And now?” I returned with a strange inclination to chuckle as I thought that Jason was no longer alone in being the first mortal to reach Palos in the astral presence, even though his potent will had helped me to my present position. ““ And now ”— he laughed in a tone of ex- ultation—“ you see not only them, but me, husband of Tamarizia’s most beautiful wo- man, and thanks to you—-the father of her child.” ‘“* Nonsense,” I exclaimed, doubly abashed by his praise and my thoughts of a mo- ment before, “I did nothing—what can a ghost accomplish?”’ He turned fully toward me. His eyes burned with the strong fire of his spirit. ‘““T came here even as you are, Murray, and ”—he waved a hand in a comprehen- sive gesture—‘‘ I have accomplished this, and other things besides—yet not so much that this morning—the most wonderful of all my span of existence, I have either words or deeds in which the assistance your presence within the last few hours gave me, may be repaid.” And no matter how he voiced it, I knew he meant it. The sincerity of his feeling forced itself upon me. “Let us not speak of payment,” I said --and I confess I felt embarrassed by the value he seemed to place upon what was no more than my agreement with his own valuation of a now favorably passed .con- dition. ‘“ As it happens, Croft, my presence here was no more than the granting of an expressed wish.” He nodded. ‘ The thought is father to the deed—isn’t it, Murray? I thought of that last night. Come—I’ll show you about the place.” Turning he led the way along the bal- cony to one end. We went down the red and yellow stairs. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. At their foot was a group of sculpture— the figure of a man strainmg to defend a crouching woman from the fangs of a rending beast. It was of heroic size and wonderfully perfect detail. I recalled it from Croft’s description of it, and how once he had told Naia that so he would defend her were his right to do so granted. Well— last night I had seen him do it.. I had seen him strain body and soul to guard her from the yawning jaws of death. I said as much. He gave me a glance. “ You’re an odd sort, Murray. You’ve a lot of the symbol- ism, the mysticism of life in your make-up. Come along. Let’s get a breath of the morning air outside.” Once more I followed his lead across the red and yellow court where unknown plants bloomed about us om every side. Mitlos, intent on his duties, knew not of our pass- ing, but Hupor sensed us, I think, and turned his huge head toward us, and stood looking at us out of amber eyes. Then we were outside the arch of a doorway at the head of a flight of pure white steps, on a far-reaching esplanade. On every hand there were mountains, wooded on their sides. The house stood on one side of a natural mountain’ valley, in the emerald cup of which was a tiny lake, its waters gilded now by the rays of the Dog Star. And winding past it, and off along the flank of the hills in a series of , perfect tangents was a wonderfully metaled road. I followed its turnings until I lost them, and my vision found itself baffled by a further reach of the landscape, blan- keted as it seemed beneath a singular dun- colored haze. In its way the scene was not unlike that of a morning on earth. I turned my eyes back to the dim shape of Croft beside me. He-lifted an arm. “ Over there is Him- yra,”’ ‘he said, pointing, “ but a ground fog is hiding the desert. If you'll look off across it, however, you’ll see a silver sort of shimmer. That’s the Central Sea.” Himyra—the capital of Aphur—the Cen- tral Sea. And this was Palos. The weird- ness of the whole adventure came upon me. It was hard to realize. And the sun: up there was Sirius and not the sun to which I was accustomed. GO NOOK = A C©