Pittston Gazette

              Oldest Newspaper in the Wyoming Valley. PITTSTON, LUZERNE COUNTY, PA., FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1898. Bstablinhed 1850. I rOL.XLVlllMu.4S I A Weekly Local and Family Journal. ili.uo » inr ku AdV) m, apparently witliout fear. The learued men, to tell tbe trutb, gave tbe poor girl no rest. For hours at a time tbey would ply her with interrogations by voice and by gesture, until at length, wearied beyoud endurance, she would fall asleep before their faces. tbe man from Heidelberg, turning to Colonel Smith with a griu. "We shall both of them eventually learn." ovwueau wiui a great electric net wore, to touch which would be instant death." Every motion of this girl convinced me that she uut ouly recognized us as uitmbtrs of ber owu race, but tbat she felt tbat her ouly hope lay in our aid. Therefore, strange aa we were to ber in irony respects, sbe did not think that she wan in danger while among us. upon tnern again alter we naa oncaineu, an we now bad good hope of doing, information tbat woald nmke us masters of the situation. this scourge of tbe gods, need the mysterious meaus at their command, and, carrying our ancestors with them, returned to their own world, in which we have ever siuce lived." We liari traveled more than 80,000,- 000 of miles in order to get answers to question)* w hich could not be solved at "Ah!" said Mr. Edison. "They hay* got an electric shield, have they? Well, I think we shall be able to manage that Three entire weeks were passed in this manuer. Alter the first week tbe girl herself materially assisted the linguists in their eiforts to acquire her speech. home. Deimos proved to be. as we had expected, about six miles in diameter. Its mean density is not very great, so tbat the acceleration of gravity did not exceed one two-thousandth cf the earth's. Consequently the weight of a man turn* ing the scales at 150 pounds at home was here ouly about an ounce. But from these speculations and retrospects we were recalled by the commander of the expedition. Then she would be left undisturbed for a little while, but the moment ber eves opeued again the merciless profess ors flocked about her once more and resumed the tedious iteration of their experiments."Then there are more of your people in Mars':" said one of the professors. "Anyhow," he continued, "we bavt. got to get into that power house, and we have got to close those gates, and wa must not lose much time* iu making up our minds bow it is to be done. Evidently this is our only chanoe. We hava not force euough to contend in open buttle with the Martians, but if we caa flood tbein ont and thereby render tha engines contained in their fortification* useless perhaps we shall be able to deal with the airships, whioh will be all tha. means of defense that will then remain to them." "Alas, no!" replied Aiua, ber eyes filling with tears. "I alone am left." "This is all very interesting and very gentlemen," he said, "but now let us get at the practical side of it. We have learned Ainu's language and have heard her story. Let us next ascertain whether she cannot place in our bands some key which will put Mars at our mercy. Remember what we came here for, and remember that the rarth expects every man of us to do his duty." The circumstances under which we bad found ber were quickly explained. Her beauty, her strange fate and the impenetrable mystery which surrounded her excited universal admiration and wonder. At length tbe task was so far advanced tbat we could, iu a certain sense, regard it as practically completed. The Heidelberg professor declared that he had mastered tbe tougue of the ancient Aryans. His delight was unbounded. With prodigious industry be set to work, scarcely stopping to eat or sleep, to form a grammar of tbe language. For a few minutes she was unable to speak. Then she continued: Our Heidelberg professor was the chief inquisitor, and he revealed himself to us iu a new and entirely unexpected light. No oue could have anticipated the depth and variety of his resources. He placed himself in front of the girl aud gestured aud gestioulated, bowed, nodded, shrugged his shoulders, screwed his faoe into i.u infinite variety of expressions, smiled, laughed, scowled and aocompanied all these dumb shows with posturings, exclamations, qneries only half expressed iu words, and cadences which by some ingenious manipulation of the tones of bis voice be managed to make marvelously expressive of bis desires. ." What fury possessed them I do net know, but not loug ago an expedition departed from tbe plauet, tbe purpose of which, as it was noised about over Mars, was the conquest of a distant world. After a time a few survivors of that expedition returned. The story they told caused great excitement among our masters. They had been successful in their battles with the inhabitants of the world tl ey had invaded, but as in the days of our forefathers in the land of sand a pestilence smote them, and but few survivors escaped. "Not long after that, yon, with your mysterious ships, appeared in tbe sky of Mars. Our masters studied you with tbeir telescopes and tbose who had returned from tne unfortunate expedition declared that you were inhabitants of the world which they had invaded, come, doubtless, to take vengeance upon them. The result wan tbat we could move about with even greater ease than on the golden asteroid, and some of the scientific men eagerly resumed their interrupted experiments. "Ilow did she get on Mars?" was the question that everybody asked and that uobody could answer. But while all were crowding around Mid overwhelming the poor girl with their staring suddenly she burst into tears, and then, with arms outstretched in tbe same appealing manner which bad so stirred our sympathies when we tirst saw ber in the house of the Martians, she broke forth in a wild recitation which was half a song and half a wail. "You shall see," he said. "It will the speculations of my countrymen vindicate. " this time almost entirely exhausted its stores, each man carrying as much as he could stagger under. Hut tbe attraction of this little satellite was so slight tbat we bad to be This Nelsonlike summons again changed the current of our thoughts, and we instantly set to work to learn from Aina if Mars, like Achilles, had not some vulnerable point where a blow would be mortal. Tbe girl sprang to my side and grusp ed my arm with a cry of fear. CHAPTER XVIII No doubt the professor had an exaggerated opinion of the extent of his acquirements, but tbe fact remained tbat enough had been learned of the girl's language to enable him and several others to converse with her qniteas readily as a person of good capacity who has studied under tbe instructions of a native teacher during a period of six months can converse iu a foreigu tongue. Immediately almost every man in tbe squadron set vigorously at work to learn tbe language of this fair creature for himself. Colonel Smith aud Sidney Phillips were neck aud neck in the linguistic race. This idea commended itself to all the leaders of the expedition. It was determined to make a reconnoissance at once. This seemed to throw tbe Martian into a sudden frenzy, and be raised bis arms to Btrike. Fortunately our proceedings bad been conducted without much noise, and, tbe stnreborse being situated at a considerable distance from other buildings, none of tbe Martians, except those who would never tell tbe story, bad known of our arrival or of our doings on tbe plauet. It was a carious scene when the momentous interview which was to determine our fate and that of Mars began. Aina had been warned of what was coming. We in the flagship bad all learned to speuk her language with more or less ease, but it was deemed best that the Heidelberg professor, assisted by one of his colleagues, should act as interpreter. But it would not do for as to approach the planet too hastily, and we oertainly could not think of landing upon it in broad daylight Still, as long as we were yet at a considerable distance from Mars we felt that we should be safa from observation, because so much time bad elapsed while we wera hidden behind Deimos that the Martians had undoubtedly concluded that we were no longer in existence. My rage was equal to bis. But the disintegrator was in my hand. 1 felt tbe concentrated vengeance of tbe earth quivering through me as I pressed tbe button of tbe disintegrator, and sweeping it rapidly up aud down, saw tbe gigantic form that bad confronted roe melt into nothingness. As she went on I noticed that a learned professor of languages from tbe University of Heidelberg was listening to ber with intense attention. Several times be appeared to be on tbe point of breaking in with au exclamation. I could plainly see thut he was becoming more and more excited as tbe words poured from tbe girl's lips. Occasionally be nodded aud muttered, Biniliug to bimself. . ''Now, We'll return and surprise Edison with the news," said Colontl Smith. He was a universal actor—comedian, tragedian, buffoon—all in one. There was uo shade of human emotion whioh be did not seem capable of giving expression to. There w«r« three other giants in tbe room, and tMyifod been on the point of following up tbe attack of their comrade. Bat when he disappeared from before their eyes tbey paused, staring to amazement at tbe place where but a moment before be bad stood, but where now only the metal weapon he had wielded lay on tbe iloor. Our ship was tbe lbst to pass up through theolouds, and it was a strange sight to watch tbe others as one after another they rose toward the great dome, entered it, though from below it resembled a solid vault of grayish pink| marble, and disappeared. D I His every attitude was a symbol, and all bin feature* became iu quick succession types of thought and exponents of bidden feeliiigs, while bis inquisitive uose stood forth iu the midst of tbeir ceaseless play like a perpetual interrogation poiut that would have electrified tbe sphinx into life and set its stone lips gabbling answers and explanations. "Some of my people who were permitted tt) look through the telescopes of the Martians saw you also and recognized you as members of their own race. There were several thousand of us, altogether, and we were kept by the Martians to serve tbem as slaves and particularly to delight tbeir ears with music, for our people have always been especially skillful in tbe playing of mu sical instruments and in songs, and while the Martians have but little musical skill themselves they are exceedingly fond of these things. The girl, flushed with the excitement of the novel situation, fully appreciating the importance of what was about to occur and, looking more charming than before, stood at one side of the principal apartment. Directly faoiug her were the interpreters, and the rest of us, all with ears intent and eyes focused upon Aina, stood in a double row behind them. So we boldly quitted the little satellite with our entire squadron and onca more rapidly approached the red planet of war. This time it was to be a death grapple, and our ohances of victory still seemed good. Oue of tbe first bits of information which the professor had given out was tbe name of the girl. Her song finished, the girl sank half exhausted upon the floor. She was lifted and placed in a reclining position at the side of thenar. We quickly followed them, and barhg penetrated the enormous curtain were considerably surprised on emerging at the upper side to find that the sun was shining brilliantly upon us. It will be remembered that it was nigbt on this side of Mara when we went down, but our adventure bad occupied several hours, and now Mars had ao far turned upon its axis that the portion of its surface over which we were had come around into the sunlight It was Aina (pronounced Ah-ee-na). This news was flashed throughout the squadron, and tbe name of our beautiful captive was on the lips of all. A large number of airships made their As 80011 as we arrived so near the planet that there was danger of onr being actually Men we took pains to keep continually in the shadow of Mars, and the more sorely to conceal oar presence all lights upon the ships were extinguished. The precaution of the commander even went so far as to have the smooth metallic sides of the cars blackened over so that they should not reflect light and thus become visible to the Martians as shining specks moving suspiciously among the stars. At first tbev started back and seemed on the point of flying; then with a second glance, perceiving again how small and insignificant we were, all three together advanced upon us. Theu the Heidelberg professor stepped to the center of the car, in the sight o? all, and in a most impressive manner said: very careful not to move too swiftly in going about lest we should involuntarily leave the grouud and sail out into space, as, it will be remembered, had happened to the fugitives during the fight on the asteroid. appearance. The girl looked on, partly astonished, partly amused and partly com prebending. Sometimes she smiled, and then the beauty of her (ace became most captivating. Occasionally she bnrst into a cheery laugh when the professor was executing some of. his extraordinary gyrations before her. After that came her story. It was a marvelous narrative. Translated into our tongue, it ran as follows: As heretofore, I am setting down her words translated into onr own tongue, having taken only so much liberty as to connect the sentences into a stricter sequence than they had when falling from her lips in reply to the questions that were showered upon her. "Gentlemen, our sister. "The traditions of my fathers, banded down for generations so many that no one can nnmber them, declare that the planet of Mars was not tbe place of oar origin. The girl sank trembling on her knees. "I have her tongue recognized. The language that she speaks thu roots of the great Indo-European or Aryan stock contains. In tbe meantime 1 bad readjusted my disintegrator for another discharge, aud Colonel Smith stood by me with the light of battle upou bis face. Not only would such an adventure have been an uncomfortable experience, but it might have endangered tbe success of our scheme. Our present distauce from the surface of Mars did not exceed 12,500 miles, and we had reason to believe that tbe Martians possessed telescopes powerful enongh to enable them not merely to see the electrical ships at such a distance, but ako to catch sight of us individually. Although tbe cloud curtain still rested on the planet it was probable that the Martians would send some of their airship* up to its surface in order to determine what oar fate bad been. From that point of vantage, with their exceedingly powerful glasses, we feared that they migbt be able to detect anything unusual upon or in tbo neighborhood of Deimoa. "Although Mars has completed not less than 5,000 circuits about tbe sun since our ancestors were brought as prisoners to its surface, yet tbe memory of our distant home has never perished from tbe hearts of our race, and when we recognized you, as we believed our own brothers, come to rescue us from long imprisoument there was great rejoicing. The news spread from mouth to mouth wherever we were in the bouses and families of our masters. We seemed to be powerless to aid you or to communicate with you in any manner. Yet our hearts weut out to you as in your ships you hung above the planet aud preparations were secretly made by all tbe members of our race for your reception when, as we believed would occur, you shonld effect a lauding upon the planet aud destroy our enemies. We kuew that the squadron which we had left besieging the Lake of tbe San mast also have been carried around in a similar manner, passing into the nigbt while the side of the planet where we were was emerging into day. It was a marvelous exhibition of what the human intellect, when all its powers are concentrated upon a single object, is capable of achieving. It seemed to me, as I looked at tbe performance, that if all the races of men who bad been stricken asunder at tbe foot of tbe tower of Habel by the miracle which made tbe tongues of each to speak a language unknown to tbe others oould be brought together again at tbe foot of tbe same tower, with all tbe advantages which thousands of years of education had in the meantime imparted to them, they would be able, without auy miracle, to make themselves mutually understood."Sweep the discharge across the three," I exolaimed. "Otherwise there will be one left, and before we can fire again be will crush us." "This girl, gentlemen, to the oldest family of the human race belougs. Her language every tongue that now upon the earth is spoken antedates. Convinced am I that it that great original speech is from which have all tbe languages of tbe civilized world sprung. "Ages and ages ago our forefathers dwelt on another and distant world that was nearer to tbe sun than this one is and enjoyed brighter daylight than we have here. "Yon will never be victorious," she said, "if you attack them openly as you have been doing. They are too strong and too numerous.. They are well prepared for such attacks, because they have had to resist them before. The precise location of the great power house on the shores of the Syrtis Major having been carefully ascertained, the squadron dropped down one night into the upper limits of the Martian atmosphere, directly over the gulf. The whir of the two instruments •oaaded simultaneously, and with a Our shortest way back would be by traveling westward, because then we should be moving in a direction opposite to that in which the planet rotated, and tbe main squadron, sharing that rotation, would be continually moving in our direction. "They dwelt—as I have often beard the story from my father, who bad learned it by heart from bis father, and he from his—in a beautiful valley that was surrounded by enormous mountains towmtitJtf into tne cuouas ana wane auuut their tops with snow that never melted In the valley were lakes, around which clustered tbe dwellings of our race. fulok, horizontal motion we swept tbe lines of force around in such a manner that all three of tbe Martians were "How she here came, so mauy millions of miles from tbe earth, a great mystery is. But it shall be penetrated, and it is from ber own lips that we the truth shall learn, because not difficult to us shall it be tbe language that she speaks to acquire since to our own it is akin." "They have waged war with the inhabitants of the asteroid Ceres, whose people are giants greater than themselves. Their enemies from Geres have attacked them here. Hence these fortifications, with weapons pointing skyward, and the great air fleets which you have encountered. Then a consultation was called on the flagship, and a plan of campaign was quickly devised. ■D oaugbt by the vibratory streams and sotually out in two. It was deemed wise that the attempt should be made with a single electrical ship, bnt that the others shonld be kept hovering near, ready to respond on the instant to any signal for aid whioh might come from below. It was thought that, notwithstanding the wonderfnl defenses which according to Aina'a aocouut surrounded the building, a small party would have a better chance of success than a large one. Loog gaps were opened in the wall of the room behind them, where the destroying currents bad passed, for with wrathful fierceness we bad run tbe vibrations through half a gamut on tbe index. Bat to travel westward was to penetrate once more into tbe night side of the planet. "It was, tbe traditions say, a land wonderful for its fertility, filled with all things that tbe beart could desire, splendid flowers and rich with lusciom fruits. This announcement of tbe Heidelberg professor stirred us all most profoundly. It not only deepened our interest in tbe beautiful girl whom we had rescued, but, in a dim way, it gave us reason to hope tbat we should yet discover some means of mastering the Martians by dealing theni a blow from witbin. "But there must be some point," said Mr. Edison, "where we can." The prows, if I may so call them, of our ships were accordingly tnrned in tbe direction of the vast shadow which Mars was invisibly projecting into space behind it, and on entering tbat shadow tbe sun disappeared from our eyes, and once more tbe huge hidden globe beneath us became a black chasm among the stars. Aud it was evident that an understanding wiis actually growing between the girl and the professor. Their minds were plainly meeting, and when both bad become focused upon the same point it was perfectly certain that tbe object of tbe experiment would be attaiued. "Yes, yes," interrupted the girl qniokly, "there is one blow yon can deal them which they could not withstand. " Accordingly strict orders wero given, not only that the ships should be moored on that side of the satellite which is perpetually turned away from Mars, but that without orders no one should venture around on tbe other side of tbe little globe or even ou tbe edge of it, where be migbt be seen in profile against tbe sky. Tbe victory was ours. There were no other enemies that we could see in tbe bouse. "It was a land of musia, and tbe people who dwelt in it were very happy." "But in some manner tbe fact that we bad recognized yxra and were preparing to welcome you came to the ears of the Martians." Yet at any moment others migbt make their appearance, aud what more we did most be done qaickly. While tbe girl was telling this part of ber story tbe Heidelberg professor became visibly more and more excited. Presently he could keep quiet no longer and suddenly exclaimed, turning to ns who were listening as the words of the girl were interpreted for us by one of tbe other linguists: "What is that?" eagerly inquired the commauder. "You can drown them out." Mr. Edison was certain that the electrical network which was desoribed as covering the power house wonld not prove a serious obstruction tons because by carefully sweeping the space where we iutended to pass with the disintegrators before quitting the ship the netting could be sufficiently cleared away to give us uninterrupted passage. At first the intention was to have 20 men, each armed with two disintegrators (that being the largest number that one person could carry to advantage), descend from the eleotrical ship and make the venture. But after further disoussion this number was reduced It bad been expected, tbe reader will remember, that the Martian whom we bud made prisoner on tbe asteroid migbt be of use to us in a similar way, aud for that reasou great efforts had been made to acquire bis language and considerable progress bad been effected in tbat direction. Whenever tbe professor got from the girl an intelligent reply to his pantomimic inquiries or whenever be believed that he got such a reply it was immediately jotted down in tbe ever open notebook which be carried in bis band. At this point the girl suddenly covered ber eyes with ber bands, shuddering and falling back in ber seat. "How? With the canals?" Tbe girl evidently was as much amazed as tbe Martians bad beeu by tbe affects which we bad produced. Still she was not terrified and oon tinned to oling to us and to glance beseechingly into our faces, expressing in ber every look and gesture tbe fact that Bhe knew we were of her own race. Now tbat we were in the neighborb jod of a globe capable of imparting considerable weight to all things nnder tl.o influence of its attraction tbat pecul - iar condition which I have before described as existing in the midst of space, where tbere was neither up nor down for us, bad ceased. Here where we bad weight "up" and "down" bad resumed their old meanings. "Down" was toward the center of Mars, and "up" was away from that center. "Yes, I will explain to you. I have already told you, and, in fact, yon must have seen it for yourselves, that there are almost no mountains on Mars. A very learned man of my race used to say that the reason was because Mars is so very old a world that the mountains it once had have been almost completely leveled and the entire surface of the planet has become a great plain. There are depressions, however, most of which are occupied by the seas. The greater part of the laud lies below the level of the oceans. In order at the same time to irrigate the soil and make it fruitful and to protect themselves from overflows by the ocean breaking in upon them the Martians have constructed the immense and innumerable canals which you see running in all directions over the continents. "Ob, yon do not know tbem as I do!" at length she exclaimed. "Tbe monsters! Their vengeance was too terrible. Instantly tbe order went forth that we should ail be butchered, and that awful command was executed." Still, of course, it was essential tbat we on our part should keep a close watch, and so a number of sentinels were selected, whose duty it was to place themselves at the edge of Deimos, where tbey could peep over tbe horizon, so to speak, aud catch sight of tbe globe of our enemies. Aud then be would tarn to us, standing by, and, with one band on his beart and the other sweeping grandly tbrongb tbe air, would make a profound bow and say: "Oentlemen.it is tbe vale of Cashmere ! Has not my great countryman, Adelong, so declared? Has be not said that tbe valley of Cashmere was the cradle of the human race already?" But from tbe moment of our arrival at Mars itself, and especially after tbe battles began, the prisoner bad resumed his savage and uncommunicative disposition and bad seemed continually to be expecting that we would fall victims to the prowess of bis fellow beings and tbat be would be released. How an outlaw, such as he evidently was, who had been caught in thu act of robbing tbe Martian gold miues, could expect to escape punishment ou returning to his native planet it was difficult to see. Nevertheless, so strong are the ties of race, we could plainly perceive that all his sympathies were for his own people. But clearly she could not apeak onr tongue, for tbe words she uttered were unintelligible. "How, then, did you escape?" asked tbe Heidelberg professor. Tbe distance of Mars from us was only about throe times its own diameter; consequently it shut off a large part of tbe sky, as viewed from our position. "The young lady aud I great progress make already. I have ber words comprehended. We shall wuudrous mysteries solve. Jawobl! Wuuderlich! Make yourselves, gentlemen, easy. Of the human race the ancestral stem have I here discovered." "From the valley of Casbmere to the planet Mars! What a romance!" exclaimed one of tbe bystanders. Aina seemed unable to speak for awhile. Fiually mastering her emotion, she replied: Colonel Smith, whose long experience In Indian warfare had made him intensely practical, did not lose bis military instincts even ia the midst of •vents so strange. Standing on the deck and looking overhead as we swiftly plowed our smooth way at a great height through tbe now imperceptible atmosphere of tbe planet, I saw tbe two moons of Mars meeting in tbe sky exactly above ua. Colonel Smith appeared to be particularly moved, aud I beard bim humming under bis breath, greatly to my astonishment, for this rough soldier was not much given to poetry or music: "One of tbe chief officers of tbe Martians wished me to remain alive. He, with bis aids, carried me to one of the military depots of supplies, where I was found and rescued." And as she said this sbe turned toward Colonel Smith with a smile that reflected on his ruddy faoe aud made it glow like a Chinese lantern. first to a dozen and finally to only four. These four consisted of Mr. Edison, Colonel Smith, Mr. Sydney Phillips and myself. But in order to see its whole surface it was necessary to go a little beyond the edge of tbe satellite on tbat side which faced Mara At the suggestion of Colonel Smith, who had so frequently stalked Indians that devices of this kind readily occurred to his miud, tbe sentinels all wore garments corresponding in color to that of tbe soil of tbe asteroid, which was of a dark, reddish brown hue. This would tend to conceal them from tbe prying eyes of tbe Martians. . "It oocura to me," be said, "that we have got a chance at tbe enemy's supplies. Suppose ws begin foraging right here. Let's see if this girl can't show ua tbe commissary department" Once I glanced over a page of hia notebook, and there I read thin: "Mars—Zabmur. "Copper—Hayes. r "Sword—A iiz. "I jump—Aitesna. "I slay—Amoutba. "I cot off a bead—Ksutaskof*. v "I sleep—Zicha. "I love—Levza." "Who ha* not heard of the vale of Cashmere, With ita rosea the brightest that earth ever gave. Both by ber own request and beoanse we could not help feeling that ber knowledge of tbe locality would be indispensable to us Aina waa also included in onr party, but not, of course. Before our arrival at Mars, there bad been considerable discussion among tbe learned men an to tbe advisability of touching at one of their moons, and when tbe discovery was made tbat onr provisions were nearly exhausted it had been suggested tbat tbe Martian satellites might f Ornish ns with an additional supply. He immediately began to make sigua to tba girl to indicate tbat be was hungryIt* teniploH, lu (rottoen. It* fountains as clear A* the love Ught.-d ejrea that bang over the waveT" "Tliere is one period in tbe year, and tbat period bas now arrived, when there is special danger of a great deluge. Most of tbe oceans of Mars lie in tbe southern hemisphere. When it is summer in that hemisphere, the great masses of ice and snow collected around the south pole melt rapidly away." "By 1" mattered Colouel Smith. "That was the fellow we blew into nothing. Blast him, be got off too easy!" In fact, in consequence of bis surly manner and his attempts to escape, be had been more strictly bound than before and to get bim out of tbe way bad been removed from tbe flagship, which was already overcrowded, and placed in one of tbe other electric ships, and this ship—as it happened—was one of those which were lost in tbe great battle under the clouds. So after all the Martian bad perished by a vengeful stroke launched from bis native globe. Mr. Sydney Phillips, standing by and alao catching tbe murmur of Colonel Smith's words, showed in hia handsome oonntenance some indications of distress, aa if be wished he bad thooght of those lines himself. as a fighting member of it. A look of comprehension flitted over tor features, and, seizing our hands, •be led us into an adjoining apartment and pointed to a number of metallio boxes. One of these she opened, taking out of it m kind of cake, wbicb she placed between ber teeth, breaking off * vary small portion and then banding it 10 us, motioning tbat we phould eat, but at the same time sbowUig as that we ought to take only a small quantity. "Tbank (Jod! It's com pressed food," •aid Colonel 8mith. "I thought these Martians, with their wonderful civilization, would be up to tbat, and it'a uiigbty lucky for as, because, without overburdening ourselves, if we can find one or two more cacbea like tbia we (ball be able to reprovision the entire fleet, but we must get re-enforcements before we oan take possession of tbe fodder."The remainder of Aina's story may be briefly told. It was about an hour after midnight when the ship in which we were to make the venture parted from the remainder of the squadron and dropped cautiously down. Tbe blaze of eleotrio lights running away in various directions indicated the lines of innumerable canals with habitations crowded along their banks which came to a focus at a point on the continent of Aeria westward from tbe Syrtia Major. Tbe commander himself frequently went around the edge of the planet in order to take a look at Mars, and 1 often accompanied bim. When Colonel Smith and I entered the mysterious building which, as it now proved, was not a storehouse belonging to a village, as we bad supposed, but one of tbe military depots of the Martians, tbe girl, on catching sight of as, immediately recognized as as belonging to the strauge squadron in the sky. As such she felt that we must be her friends aud saw in us her only possible hope of escape. For that reason she had instantly thrown herself under oar protection. This accounted for the singular confidence which she had manifested in us from the beginning. Wbt n I saw this last entry, I looked ■aspiciously at tbe professor. But it bad appeared a sufficient reply to this suggestion tbat tbe moons of Mars are both insignifloant bodies, not much larger tban tbe asteroid we bad fallen in with, and that there could not possibly be any form of vegetation or other edible producta-npon them. "Yes, tbat is so," broke in one of our astronomers, who was listening attentively. "Many a time I have seen the vast snow fields around tbe southern pole of Mars completely disappear as the summer sun rose high upon them." I shall never forget one ocrasiou, when, lying flat on tbe ground and cautiously worming our way around on tbe side toward Mars, we bad just beguu to observe it with our telescopes, when 1 perceived, against tbe vast curtain of smoke, a small, glinting object, wbicb I instantly suspected to be an airship. Was he trying to make love without nor knowing it to the beautiful captive from Mars? Tbe girl resumed her narrative: CHAPTER XX "Suddenly there dropped down out of the sky strange gigantio enemies, armed with mysterious weapons, and began to slay and burn and make desolate. Oar forefathers could not withstand them. They seemed like demons who bad been sent from tbe abodes of evil to destroy oar race. If so, I felt certain that be would get himself into difficulty. She had made a deep impression upon every man in the flagship, and I knew that there was more than one of the younger men who would have promptly oalled him to account if they bad suspected him of trying to learn from those beautiful lips tbe words, "I love." But Providence had placed in our bauds a far better interpreter tban bo could ever have been. This girl of our own race would need no urging or coercion on our pait in order to induce ber to reveal any secrets of tbe Martiaus that might be useful in our further pro oeedings. "With tbe melting of these snows," continued Aina, "a rapid rise in tbe level of the water in the southern oceans occurs. On the side facing these oceans tbe continents of Mars are sufficiently elevated to prevent an overflow, but nearer tbe equator tbe level of the land sinks lower. [TO BE CONTINUED.] This view having prevailed, we had ceased to take au interest in tbe satellite, further than to regard tbem as objects of great cariosity on aocount of their motions. ORCHARD AND GARDEN. Prune grapevines to two or three buda of last year's growth. 1 called Mr. Edison's attention to it, and we both agreed that it was undoubtedly one of the Martians' aerial vessels, probably on tbe lookout for us. "Some of the wise men said that this thing had come upon our people beoause tbey had been very wicked and the gods in heaven were angry. Some said tbey came from the moon, and some from the faraway stars. But of these things my forefathers knew nothing for a certainty. Tbe nearer of these moons, Phobos, is only 3,700 miles from the surface of Murs, and we watched it traveling around the planet three times in tbe course of every day. Tbe more distant one, Deimos, 12,500 miles away, required considerably more tban one day to make its circuit. Her wonderful story had so captivated our imaginations that for a long time after it was finished we could not recover from the spell. It was told over and over again from mouth to mouth and repeated from ship to ship, everywhere exciting the utmost astonishment. A southerly or easterly sloping location la nearly always best for grapes. I pictured to myself the state of mind of Colouel Alonzo Jefferson Smith if in my place he had glanced over the notebook and read wbat I bad read. But one thing was first necessary to be done—we must learn to talk with her. A short time afterward a large number of airships made tbeir appearance at tbe upper surface of tbe clouds, moving to and fro, and although with our glasses we conld only make out tbe general form of the ships, without being able to discern tbe Martians upon them, yet we bad not tbe least doubt but they were sweeping the sky in every direction in order to determine whether we had been completely destroyed or bad retreated to a distance from tbe planet. "With your telescopes you have no doubt noticed that there is a great bending sea connecting the oceans of the south with those of the north and running through the midst of the continents."Be ready to spray as soon as tbe foliage blossoms appear on tbe frait trees. One important step in renovating an old orchard is to secure proper drainage. Grapes give an excellent return for the land and labor required to grow them. Accordingly we bnrried oat into tbe nigbt, passed into tbe roadway aud, taking tbe girl with us, ran as rapidly as possible to tbe foot of tbe tree where we bad made our descent. Tben we signaled to tbe electrig ship to drop down to tbe level of tbe ground. But for tbe discovery of tbe store of provisions it would have been impossible for us to spare tbe time needed to acquire tbe language of tbe girl, but now tbat we bad been saved from tbe danger of starvation we could prolong tbe siege for several weeks, employing tbe intervening time to tbe best advan tage. And then I thought of another handsome young fellow in tbe flagabip—Sydney Phillips—who, if mere actions and looks could make bini so, had beoome exceedingly devoted to this long lost and happily recovered daughter of five. "Tbe destroyers showed no mercy to tbe inhabitants of tbe beautiful valley. Not content with making it a desert, tbey swept over other parts of tbe earth. Destiny seemed to have sent us on this expedition into space for the purpose of clearing off mysteries that bad One of tbe cheapest and best remedies for plant lice is tbe kerosene and soap mixture.it now happened tbat tbe two bad come iuto conjunction, as I bave said, just over our heads, and, throwing myself down on my back en tbe deck of the electrical ship, for a long time I watched tbe race between tbe two satellites, until Phobos, rapidly gaining upon the other, bad left its rival far behind."Quite so," said the astronomer who had spoken before. "We call it the Syrtis Major." lu fact, 1 bad already questioned within my own mind whether tbe peaoe would be strictly kept betweeu Colonel Smith and Mr. Phillips, for the former had, to my knowledge, notioed the young fellow's adoring glances aud had began to regard bim out of the corners of bis eyes as if he considered him no better than an Apache or a Mexican Greaser. "The tradition says that they carried off from tbe valley wbicb was our native laud a large number of our people, takiug tbem first into a strange country, where there were oceans of sand, but where a great river, flowing through the midst of the sands, created a narrow land of fertility. Here, after having slain and driven out the native inhabitants, they remained for many years, keeping our people, whom tbey had carried into captivity, as slaves. "Tbat long narrow sea," Aina went on, "forms a great channel through which the flood of waters caused by tbe melting of the southern polar snows flows swiftly toward tbe equator and then on toward tne north until it reaches the sea basins which exist thera At that point it is rapidly turned into ice and snow, because, of course, while it is summer in the southern hemisphere it is winter in tbe northern. Do not entirely forget the good old fashioned aorta in setting out tbe apple orobard.Tbia was quickly done, the girl was taken aboard, and a dozen men, under oar guidance, hastened back to tbe bouse, where we loaded ourselves with tbe compressed provisions and conveyed tbem to tbe ship. The currant and gooaeberry are grown with tbe least trouble of any of tbe small fruits. The terrible disaster which we had suffered in tbe great battle above the Lake of tbe Sun, wherein we had lost nearly a third of our entire force, bad been quite sufficient to convince us that our only hope of victory lay in dealing tbe Martiaus some paralyzing stroke tbat at one blow would deprive tbem of tbe power of resistance. A victory that cost as tbe loss of a single ship would be too dearly purchased now. Even when tbat side of Mars on wbicb we were looking bad passed into nigbt we could still see tbe guardships circling above the clouds, tbeir presence being betrayed by tbe faint twinkling of tbe electrio lights that they bore. Plenty of well rotted and fine manure la an Important element of aucceas in tbe garden. Suddenly Colonel Smith, who took very little interest in these astronomical curiosities, touched me, and, pointing ahead, said: On this second trip to tbe mysterious house we bad discovered auother apartment containing a very large number o! tbe metallic boxes, filled with compressed food. In planting strawberries for market aelect tbe varieties tbat will give tbe longest season of ripening. "There they are." Finally, after about a week bad passed, tbe Martians evidently made up tbeir minds tbat they had annihilated us aud that there was no longer daoger to-be feared. Convincing evidence tbat they believed we should not be beard from again was furnished when tbe withdrawal of the great curtain of cloud began. "But what," I asked myself, "would be tbe vengeance that Colonel Smith would take upon this skinny professor from Heidelberg if he thought that he, takiug advantage of his linguistic powers, bud stepped in between bim and tbe damsel whom he had rescued?" I looked, and sore enough there were tbe signal lights of tbe principal squadron, and as we gazed we occasionally saw, darting up from the vast cloud mass beneath, an clectrio bayonet, fiercely thrust into tbe sky, whiob showed tbat tbe siege was still actively going on and tbat tbe Martiaus were jabbing away at tbeir invisible enemies outside tbe curtain. "Tbe Hyrtis Major (I am giving our name to the channel of communication iu place of that bv which tbe girl called it) is like a great safety valve, which, by permitting the waters to flow northward, saves the continents from inundation.There la a good demand for ourranta aa soon aa they are. big enough to pick and on through tbe season.—St. Louia Republic."By Jove, it is a storehouse!" said Colonel Smitb. "We must get more foroe aud carry it all off. Gracious, bat this is a lucky nigbt. We can reprovision tbe whole fleet from this room." "And in this land of sand, it is said, tbey did mauy wonderful works. How to deal that blow and, first of all, bow to discover tbe means of dealing it were Ht present the uppermost aroblems before our minds. "They had been astonished at the sight of the great mountains which surrounded our*valley, for on Mars there are no mountains, and after they came into tbe land of sand they built there with huge blocks of stone mountains in imitation of wbat tbey bad Been and used tbem for purposes that our people did not understand. THE BEEHIVE. If a queen dies, she may always be found near the entranoe. "I thought it singular," I said, "tbat with tbe exoeption of the girl whom we bave rescued no women were seen in tbe bouse. Evidently the lights over yonder indicate tbe location of a considerable town, and it is quite probable tbat tbis building, without wiudows, and so strongly constructed, is tbe common storehouse, where tbe provisions for tbe town are ke(lt. The fellows we killed mast have beeu tbe watchmen in charge of tbe storehouse, and they were treating themselves to a little music from the slave girl when we happened to come upon tbem." However, when I took a second look at the professor I became couviuced that be was inuocent of any snob amorous intentions, and that he had learned, or believed he had learned, tbe word for "love" simply in pursuance of tbe method by wbioh he meant to acquire the language of the girl. CHAPTER XIX. "Bat when midsummer arrives, the snows around the pole having been completely melted away, the flood ceases and the water begins to recede. At this time, but for a device which ch* Martians, have enmloved. the canal* connected with the oceans would ran dry, and the vegetation, left without moisture under the summer sun, would quickly perish. The entrance to the hive should always be near the ground. Tbe only hope for us lay in the girl, This phenomenon first manifested itself by a gradual thinning of the vaporous shield until at length we began to perceive the red surface of the planet dimly shiniug thtougb it. Thinner and rarer it became, a»Cl after the lapse of about lb hoars it had completely disappeared, and the hoge globe shone out again, reflecting the light of the snn from its continents and oceans with a brightness that, in contrast with the all enveloping night to which we bad so long been subjected, seemed unbearable to our eyes. It la the young bees that co the nursing and feeding of the young brood. In a short time the two fleets had joined, and Colonel Smitb and I immediately transferred ourselves to tbe flagship.If, as there was every reason to believe, she was familiar with the ways aud secrets of the Martians, then she might be able to direct our efforts in such a niauivr as to render tbem effective.Whenever bees hang on the outalde of the hives something Is wrong. "Then, too, it is said they left there at tbe foot of these mountains that they bad made a gigantic image of the great chief who led them in their conquest of our world." Foundations for good combe must be made heavier than for comb honey. "Well, what have yon done?" asked Mr. Edison, while others crowded around with eager attention. There was one thiug which gave some of u* considerable misgiving, aud that wan the question whether after all the language the professor was acquiring was really the girl's own tongue or one that she had learned from the Martians. Any dark beeswax may be Improved and made whiter by melting it over several times. " We can spare two weeks for this," said Mr. Edison. "Can you fellows of many tongues learn to talk with the girl in that time?" "If we have not captured tbeir provision train," said Colonel Smith, "we have done something just about as good. We have foraged on the country and have oolleoted a supply that I reckon will last this fleet for at least a month." At this point in the story the Heidelberg professor again broke in, fairly trembling with excitement: "To prevent this they have built a series of enormous gates extending completely across the Syrtis Major at its narrowest point (latitude 25 degrees south). These gates are all controlled by machinery collected at a single point nn the shore of the strait. As soon as the flood in the Syrtis Major begins to recede the gutes are closed, and, the water being thus retained, the irrigating canals are kept full long enough to mature the harvests." "Hou\ then. dhl you cwupef" ashed the If foundation Is made from a good quantity of beeswax, the bees will thiu II down properly. "We'll try it," said several. "It shall we do," cried the Heidelberg professor, more coutldeutly. UeUlelhcnj professor. long puzzled the minds of men. When on the moon, we buit unexpectedly to ourselves settled the question that had been debated from the beginning of astronomical history of the former liabitability of tl/ht globe. But the professor bade us rest easy on that point. He assured as, in the first place, that this girl could not be the only human being living upon Mara, but that she must have friends and relatives there. That being so, they unquestionably bad a language of their owu, which they spoke when they were among themselves. Here, finding herself among beings belonging to her own race, she wonld naturally speak her own tongue and not that which she bad acquired from the Martians. "Gentlemen, gentlemen," he cried, "is it that you do not understand? This laud of sand and of a wonderful fertilizing river—what can it be? Gentlemen, it is Egypt! These mountaius of rock that tbe Martians have erected, what are they? Gentlemen, tiny are tbe great mystery of tbe land of the Nile, tbe pyramids. Tbe gigautio statue of their leader that they at the foot of their artificial mountains have set up— gentlemen, what is that? It is tbe sphinx I" When tbe queen goes up Into tbe surplus boxes, she selects drone com b In whloh to deposit eggs. If the section boxes are properly constructed, tbe qijfen will rarely go into tbe surplus chainbA With the utmost baste several of tbe other electrical ships, waiting above tbs Indeed, so brilliant was tbe illumination which fell upon the surface of Deimos that tbe number of persons who bud been permitted to pass around upon tbe exposed side of the satellite was oarnfully restricted. In the blaze of light which bad lieen suddenly poured upon' us we felt somewhat like malefactors unexpectedly enveloped in tbe illumination of a policeman's dark lantern."What's that? What's that';" "Then there is no use of staying here," continued tbe coJimander. "If we withdraw, the Martians will think that we have either given up the contest or been destroyed. Perhaps they will then pull off their blanket aud let us see tbeir face once more. That will give us a better opportuuity to strike effectively wben we are agaiu ready. " ' l \" "TaU her i k," he mid. "It's just what i say." And Colonel Smith brought oat of his pocket one of the square cakes of compressed food. "Set your teeth in that and see what you think of it, but don't take too mooh, for it's powerful strong." * Italian beei proof against moth and vornis, but the black been will not protect l£r»v N*T'oZ^nm WT of t*e Globe for I RHEUMATISM,! I MiilfKATiCHA and «hwCl»D Complaints, I and prepared under the stringent ■j. KUtUI MEBIttL UWtji »i dr. richtcr's "oak f?u ANCHOR fPAIN EXPELLERl ■ World renowned! Remarkably incceMful I ■ ■Onlyg*nnlne with Trade Mark" Anchor,"! ■r. id. UcktM "-Co., 81a Pearl St., New York. ■ I 31 HIGHEST AWARDS. I 13 BranohHouM. Owa Olamorka. , .'5 & 50c. Kndoreed A recommended  Farrer A Pwk, 30 Luzerne Avenue, O. O. GHlck.80 North Main 8t. J. H Hnuck, 4 North Main St Pitttaton, Pa. r- HICHTOf® ! by j Now, ou Mars, we had put to rest no less mysterious questions relating to tbe past history of our owu planet. Adelung, as the Heidelberg professor asserted, bad named tbe vale of Cashmere as tbe probable site of the garden of Eden, aud the place of origin of the human race, but later investigators bad taken issue with this opinion, and tbe question where the Aryans originated upoii the earth bad long been one of the most puzzling that science presented. "The clew I The clew at last!" exclaimed Mr. Kdisnu. "That is the placc where we shall nip them. If we can lose those nates now at the moment of high tide, we shall flood the oonntry. Did yon say," he continued, turning to Aiua, "that the movement of the gates was all controlled from a single pointr" "I say," be continued, "we have got enough of that stuff to last as all for a month, but we've done more than that —we have got a surprise for yon that will make yoa open your eyea. Just wait a minute." "Wbyuot rendezvous at one of the moons':" said an astronomer. "Neither of the two moons is of much consequence, as far as size goes, but still it would serve as a *ort of anchorage ground, and while there, if we were careful to keep on the side away from Mars, we should escape detection." Meanwhile the object which we had in view in retreating to the satellite was not lost sight of, and the services of the chief linguists of the expedition were again called into use for the purpose of acquiring a new language. The experiment was conducted in the flagship. The fact that this time it was not a monster belonging to an utterly alien race upon whom we were to experiment, but a beautiful daughter of our common Mother Kve, added rest and interest as well as the most confident hopes of saccess to the efforts of those who were striving to understand the accents of ber tongue. "Moreover, gentlemen," be added, "1 have in her speech many roots of tbe great Aryan tongue already recognized." The professor's agitation was so great that he could go no further. And indeed there was not one of us who did not fully shuie bis excitemeut. To think that we should have ooine to the plauet Mars to eolve one of the standing mysteries of tbe earth, which bad puzzled maukind aud defied all their efforts at solution for so mauy centuries! Here, then, was tbe explanation of how those gigantic blocks that constitute the gveat pyramid of Cheops had been swuug to their lofty elevation. It was not the work of puny man, as many an engineer bad declared that it could not be, but tbe work of these giants of Mars. Colonel Smith made a signal to the electrical ship which we had just quitted to draw near. It came alongside, so that one oould step from ita deck on the flagship. Colonel Smith disappeared for a minute in the interior of his ship, then re-emerged, leading the girl whom we bad found upon the planet We were greatly relieved by this explanation, which seemed to all of ua perfectly satisfactory. This question seemed now to have been settled. "Yes," said the girl. "There is a great building (power house) full ol tremendous machinery which 1 once entered when my father was taken there by his master, and where 1 saw one Martian, liy turning a little handle, cause the great line of gates, stretch ing 100 miles across the sea, to slowly shut in, edge to edge, until the flow of the water toward the north bad been stopped." This suggestion was immediately accepted, and the squadron, having been signaled to assemble, quickly bore off in the direction of the more distant moon of Mars, Deiinos. We knew it was slightly smaller than Phobos, bat its greater distance gave promise that it would better serve our purpose of temporary concealment. The moons of Mars, like the earth's moon, always keep the same face toward their master. By biding behind Deimos we should escape the prying eyes of the Martians, even when they employed telescopes, and thus be able to remain comparatively close at hand, rfady to pounce dyDv» Yet, really, there was no reason why oue language should be any better than tbe ether for our present purpose. In fact, it might be more useful to us to know the language of tbe Martians themselves. Still, we all felt that we should prefer to know her language rather than that of tbe monsters among whom she bad lived. Aina bad said that Mars had completed 5,000 circuits about tbe sun since her people were brought to it as captives. One circuit of Mars occupies 687 days. More than 11,000 years had therefore elapsed since tbe iirst invasion of tbe earth by tbe Martians. "Take her inside, quick," he said, "for she is not used to this thin air!" in fact, we were at so great an elevation that the rarity of the atmosphere now compelled us all to wear our airtight saits, and the girl, not being thus attired, would have fallen nnoonscious on the deok if we bad not instantly removed her to the interior of the car. Another great mystery, that of tb« origin of those gigantic and inexplicable monuments, the great pyramids and the sphinx, ou the banks of the Nile, ha(' also apparently been solved by us, although these Egyptian wonders had been tbe furthest things from our thoughts when we set out for the planet of Mar* Colonel Smith expressed what was in all our minds when, after liatening to tbe reasoning of the professor, he blurted out: Still the difficulty was very great, notwithstanding the ccnvictiou of the professors that her language would turn oat to be a form of the great Indo-European speech front which the many tougues of civilized men upon the earth had been derived. Aina resumed ber story "How is this building protected?" "At length, our traditions say, a great pestilence broke out in the laud of sand, aud a partial vengeance was granted to us in the destruction of the large uumbes of our enemies. At last tfe* giants wfcy remained, fleeing betuM "So completely," replied Aiua, "that my only fear is you may not be able to reach it. On account of the danger from their enemies in Ceres the Martians have fortified it strongly on all sides and hijvfl ev$u surrounded it and covered it "Thank God, she don't speak any of their blamed lingo) By Jove, it would soil ber pretty lips!" •load curtain, were summoned to deaaaskd, aid, with mora than a hundred ■■kViatmito ita* Ci*ldc, quit There abe quickly recovered from the efhoti of the deprivation oi air and look - •* DUDnt hat, aala, aateaiabad. hot ?et " But also that she sneaks, too.'' said