Thus ends the second story of Myles Cabot, the radio man.
The first was written by his own hand, and was shot from Venus to the
earth, swathed in the fur of the fire-worm, and concealed in the heart
of a streamline projectile. The second he told to me in person from time
to time during his stay on my Massachusetts farm on his return from
Venus.
The tale was a long time in telling, for Myles, in his assumed name of
course, at once matriculated at Harvard to study electricity under
Kennelly and Hammond. Although he spent nearly every week-end at my
farm, he devoted most of his spare time even here to reading assorted
books on nearly every form of practical science, and to the installation
of a radio set for the purpose of communicating with his friends and
family on Venus, and so as to be prepared to transmit himself back
eventually. Hence the two huge steel towers on Cow Hill, which have
recently excited the wonder and curiosity of my fellow-townsmen.
Of course, there were many questions which we asked him, when his story
was completed. My little daughter Jacqueline was particularly
resourceful in this connection.
Almost the moment he finished, she inquired: “And what became of your
beautiful pet woofus? Did he die?”
Cabot smiled. Like most Bostonians, he was always very adept with
children.
“You never could guess,” he replied, “so I will tell you. After the
flight of the ants from the stadium, my woofus was found, still alive,
in one of the passageways beneath the seats, where he had evidently
dragged his poor mangled body and hidden himself. His life was spared by
some one who recognized him as the beast who had rescued me on the day
of the games. Word was brought me, and I at once went to him with Emsul.
At my command, the woofus submitted to treatment, and soon recovered. He
became a great pet of Lilla and little Kew. Always he lies on guard by
the crib while the baby sleeps. And the baby’s favorite game when awake
is to play horsey astride of his back.”
“How cunning!” Jacqueline murmured. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a pet
woofus to take care of Stuart?” Stuart being my own youngest.
But Mrs. Farley was a bit incredulous.
“Mr. Cabot,” she asked, “how could Baby Kew know anything about playing
horse, seeing as there are no horses on Poros?”
Myles laughed good-naturedly.
“I said ‘horse’,” he explained, “merely to give an earthly allusion.
What the little king thinks he is riding on is a whistling bee.”
This suggested another question.
“What of Portheris and his swarm?” I inquired. “Has it never occurred to
you that these Hymernians, as you call them, are a race of intelligent
beings almost on a par with the Cupians and the Formians, and that,
therefore, there are still _two_ races of intelligent beings on the
Planet Poros? How about your assertion, made in the council hall of the
palace at Kuana, that ‘there is no room on any given planet for more
than one race of intelligent beings’?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account