rd and Ruth Lawton lay. The
girl's body was so rigidly inert that Dixon threw back his
encumbering hood and knelt over her for a swift examination. His fears
were quickly realized. Ruth was already a victim of the green moon's
dread paralysis.

"Dixon! Bruce Dixon!"

Dixon turned at the call. Emil Crawford, his face drawn with pain, had
struggled up on one elbow. The old man was obviously fighting off
complete collapse by sheer will power.

"Dixon! Replace Ruth's shining head-piece at once!" Crawford gasped.
"That will make her immune from the Green Death, and then we can--"
The old man's voice swiftly faded away into silence as he again
fainted.

Dixon hurriedly searched the scene and found Ruth's head-piece on the
ground where it had apparently fallen in her first struggle with the
giant spider, but the tiny white globe in the device was shattered and
dark.

Despair gripped Dixon for a moment. Then he remembered the unbroken
head-piece of the slain monster. True, the glow of its globe was
opalescent instead of white, but it seemed to offer its wearer the
same immunity to the green moon's rays.

He swiftly retrieved the head-piece from the spider-creature's body,
and set the light metal framework in place on Ruth's auburn curls.

* * * * *

Results came with incredible quickness. The rigidity left Ruth's body
immediately. Her breath came in fast-quickening gasps, and her eyes
fluttered open as Dixon knelt over her.

"It's Bruce, Ruth--Bruce Dixon," he said tenderly. "Don't you know me,
dear?"

But there was no trace of recognition in those wide-open blue eyes
staring fixedly up at him. For a moment Ruth lay there with muscles
strangely tense. Then with a lithe strength that was amazing she
suddenly twisted free of the clasp of Dixon's arms and sprang to her
feet.

The next minute Dixon gave ground, and he found himself battling for
his very life. This was not the Ruth Lawton whom he had known and
loved. This was a madwoman of savage menace, with soft lips writhing
over white teeth in a jungle snarl, and blue eyes that fairly
glittered with unrestrained, insensate hate.

He tried to close with the maddened girl, but instantly regretted his
rashness. Her slender body seemed imbued with the strength of a
tigress as she sent slim fingers clawing at his throat. He tore
himself free just in time. Dazed and shaken, he again gave ground
before the fury of the girl's attack.

H