Project Gutenberg's The Whispering Spheres, by Russell Robert Winterbotham

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Whispering Spheres

Author: Russell Robert Winterbotham

Release Date: August 3, 2007 [EBook #22226]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WHISPERING SPHERES ***

Produced by Greg Weeks, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Comet, July 1941. Extensive research did
not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication
was renewed.

[Illustration: _Something--like an inner eye--glowed for just a
moment as the sphere advanced._]

The Whispering Spheres

_An alien life-form--metallic sinister--threatening all
mankind with annihilation._

by R. R. WINTERBOTHAM

* * * * *

CHAPTER I

THE CAULDRON

The factory saw-toothed the horizon with its hideous profile as
the moon rose in the east. The red glow of the furnaces bathed
the tall buildings, the gigantic scaffolds, the cord-like
elevated pipelines and the columnar smokestacks in the crimson of
anger. Even the moon seemed to fade as the long-fingered
smokestacks reached toward it belching their pollution. The air,
which should have been clean, was filled with the reek of
unfamiliar odors.

From the machine shop, where giant cannon were forged into
smooth, sleek instruments of death, came noise: unchecked,
unmuffled, blasphemous din. But something odd was afoot. There
was a sudden hush. It seemed as if a giant hand had covered the
metal city to muffle its screams.

In the nearby city of box-like houses, where the workers lived,
there was an echoing stir. Lights glowed in the windows of the
tiny homes. People were awakened in the night by the sudden
cessation of din.

Something was wrong in the factory.

But there couldn't be anything wrong. The factory was enclosed by
a high, electrified fence. There were guards on duty night and
day, armed to the teeth