The Project Gutenberg EBook of Devil Crystals of Arret, by Hal K. Wells

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Title: Devil Crystals of Arret

Author: Hal K. Wells

Release Date: April 28, 2009 [EBook #28628]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEVIL CRYSTALS OF ARRET ***

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

This etext was produced from Astounding Stories September 1931.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

[Illustration: The tip sprayed a web around his body.]

Devil Crystals of Arret

_By Hal K. Wells_

Facing a six-hour deadline of death, young Larry raids a
hostile world of rat-men and tinkling Devil Crystals.

Benjamin Marlowe and his young assistant, Larry Powell, opened the
door of the Marlowe laboratory, then stopped aghast at the sight
which greeted their startled eyes.

There on the central floor-plate directly in the focus of the big
atomic projector stood the slender figure of Joan Marlowe, old
Benjamin Marlowe's niece and Larry Powell's fiancee.

The girl had apparently only been awaiting their return to the
laboratory for around her gray laboratory smock was already fastened
one of their Silver Belts, and a cord was already in place running
from her wrist to the main switch of the projection mechanism.

Joan's clear blue eyes sparkled with the thrill of high adventure as
she swiftly raised a slender hand in a gesture of warning to the two
men.

"Don't try to stop me," she warned quietly. "I can jerk the switch
and be in Arret, before you've taken two steps. I'm going to Arret,
anyway. I was only waiting for you to return to the laboratory so
I'd be sure of having you here to bring me back to Earth again
before I have time to get into any serious trouble over there."

"But, Joan," Benjamin Marlowe protested, "this is sheer madness! No
one can possibly guess what terrible conditions you may confront in
Arret. We've never dared to send a human being across the atomic
barrier yet!"

"We've sent all kinds of animals across, though," J