alry.

"You see, Kay," said Cliff, "we mustn't forget that the Millikan rays
have been bombarding Earth since Earth became a planet, out of the
depths of space. It is their very nature not to injure organic life,
otherwise all life on Earth would have been destroyed long ago. Now,
our process is only an adaptation of these cosmic rays. We haven't
changed their nature."

"No," agreed Kay. "What we want is a death-ray strong enough to
obliterate these monsters, without simply disintegrating them and
creating new fragments to bud into the complete being. Why do you
suppose they are so tenacious of life, Cliff?"

"They represent primeval man, life itself, striving to organize
itself, and nothing is more tenacious than the life principle,"
answered Cliff.

Meanwhile the fatal weeks were passing. A few days after the tickets
had been distributed, a Government notice was broadcasted and
published, ordaining that, in view of former dissensions, no
substitutes for the condemned persons would be permitted. Rich or
poor, each of the victims chosen by lot must meet his fate.

* * * * *

And the monsters were growing active. There had been an extension of
their activities. Tongues had been creeping up the rivers that ran
into the Amazon. Suddenly a dense mass of the devils had appeared on
the north coast, near Georgetown. They had overleaped the Amazon; they
were overrunning British Guiana, eating up everything on their way.
Georgetown was abandoned; the monsters were in complete control.

"They will be cut off from the main herd," the optimistic reports
announced. "We shall deal with the main herd first. This year the
sacrifice will have to be made, but it will be the last. Scientists
have at last hit upon an infallible toxin which will utterly destroy
this menace within a few months."

Nobody believed that story, for everything had been tried and failed.
In their laboratory Cliff and Kay were working frantically. And now
the coldness that had developed between them was affecting their
collaboration too. Cliff was keeping something back from Kay.

* * * * *

Kay knew it. Cliff had made some discovery that he was not sharing
with his partner. Often Kay, entering the laboratory, would find Cliff
furtively attempting to conceal some operation that he was in the
midst of. Kay said nothing, but a brooding anger began to fill his
heart. So Cliff was trying to get