Tarrano the Conqueror

rn

Not through the ordinary open airways, but in the National Length, and co

o me, North-east Island at once, if t

Br

go. I got off my answer. I did not dare call Dr. Brende openly, since

ere still jammed with an excited throng. I pushed my way through it, up to the entrance to the Staten Bridge. The waters of the harbor beneath me

e entrance. The attendant was there, staring at me as I d

hey'll be ordering them off if m

said s

h-to Dr. Brende's little private island off the coast of Maine. The lower lanes were pretty well cro

bridge, evidently had his finder on me

is voice. "Nothing doing up there tonigh

of my pitlight I hoped he co

me," I said. "I'm tra

atrol's keeping them low. General Ord

N

o know everything in your busine

neath me. I was flying north-east; and at the moment, with

ower," Grille warned. "You'l

ling me. And when the green beam of a traffic tower came up and picked me out, I decide

me closely. At the latitude of Boston, I swung out to sea, off the main arteries of travel. The early night mail for Eurasia,[4] with Great

e stars and planets gleamed in the deep purple of an almost cloudless sky. Venus had long since dropped below the horizon. But Mars was up there-approaching the

me-there was nowhere I would rather have gone this particul

eed to consult my charts; I had been up this way many times, for, the Brendes-th

affic, since I left the line of Boston, had been far less. The

he small two-mile island which Dr. B

down to find them waiti

s. "Good enough, Jac. I got your

eavy up to Boston. And the

Elza put her cool

o see you, Ja

n-grey hair above it, and keen dark eyes beneath bushy white brows. He was usually kindly and gentle of manner-at times

part, I treasured his friendship very highly. He and Elza were twins-twenty-three years old at this ti

blond, powerful young giant. A head taller than I-blue-eyed, from his mother, now dead-square-jawed, and a complexion pink and white. He was slow to anger. He seldom spoke impulsively; and usually with a slow, quiet drawl. Always he seemed looking at life and people with a half-humorous smile-looking at the

eorg was saying. He was leading me to

down from the small viaduct, passed the house,

lared. "Jac, did you ea

," I

you r

up here had brought me a thoroughly h

now," I added. "Such a ni

a man of wealth-or at least, not as poor as a tower timekeeper. True, I made fair money-but the urge to spend it reckles

grove of trees, so thick a grove th

which the tree-branches were dotted. We were in

o to sle

Georg and his father

. Of course not. I guess I'm tired. You've no

You were at Park Sixty when th

to be. I wasn't assigned t

n you-I couldn't push her away from

. She must have searched

ks burning, and was glad of the

d," sai

Dr. Brende interjected

yone-might pick you up. Your words-or read your lip

e's afraid-you see, J

chance-but why take any? W

lonely grove! With the doctor's widespread reputation-his more than national promi

a thousand hostile eyes and ears were watching and listening. "We can talk of what everybody knows," Georg

had imagined as mu

nde put in. "The flash of a

dark, lik

rhaps-I don't know. That was the last we got at the house, just before you came dow

three chief executives of Earth-murdered almost simultaneously! It was in

g. But never had I felt the need of it more than now. A constraint fell over me; I seemed afraid to say anything

Mars, Elza?" he

side me, helpin

look," sh

! Dear little Elza! And because of my accursed extravaga

y formed and matured, and inches shorter than I. Thick brown hair braided, and hanging bel

r sort of skirt, clinging close to the lines of her figure and split at the side for walking; a tight-fitting bodice, light in color (a man knows little of the technicaliti

e was adorable. Almost in silence

tial reports, they seemed, by comparison with what had gone before. But of helios from Mars, or Venus, there were none reported. Of Ven

doctor; and then we all went into the house, to the

he low voice of the Inter-Allied news-annou

Ven

Inter-Allied equipment. Georg picked up the pile of tape where

Venus!" he exclaimed

ide the tape from Elza, but she was beside him and already read

ce was low, clear, and steady, though her hands were trembling. "P.C.S. 10.42 V

ach other. But Elz

t 10.44.30. Hawaiian station will call later, but have little hope of re-establishing connection. Tok

all of importance. Venus Centra

n code from Potomac National Headquarters. We watched the queer-looking characters pr

f Venus immigrants now here. Do you need guard? Or wil

!" crie

this. We cannot-dare not t

member of the Brende household-the maid-servant, a girl about Elza's age. I knew her well, of course, but this evening I had forgotten her existence. She was

s Elza? I thought

, not 'ti

ew, passing from our sight down the inclin

in view of what was transpiring,

maid was a