within the
oval. His mother--she had worn this. And she would have approved, he
knew, of its disposal.

Gravely he faced Marahna. He showed her the picture within the case,
then held it aloft where all might see. He closed it and taught her
the pressure that released the spring. Then, with gentle dignity that
made of the gesture a rite, he placed the chain about the neck of
Princess Marahna--Queen, now, of the People of the Moon. And he knew
that he gave into her keeping their only relic of a being from the
sun. It marked her beyond all future question with a symbol of
mastery. And it made of him a god.

And even a queen may not aspire to such an one.

It was well that Winslow's hand was there to guide him as he walked
with unseeing eyes toward the ship.

* * * * *

Time may lose at times all meaning and measure--moments become
timeless. It seemed ages to Jerry Foster when Winslow spoke in casual
tones. "I'm going straight up," he said, above the generator's roar.
"Then we'll swing around above the other side. We'll follow the
sun--make the full circle of the moon before we start."

But Jerry neither thought nor heard. His eyes were close to a window
of thick glass. Below him was a shrinking, dwindling landscape,
wind-swept and desolate.

There was a multitude of faces, turned worshipping toward the sky. On
one, who stood apart in tiny loneliness, his vision centered. He
watched and strained his aching eyes until the figure was no more.
Only the pale rose of a dying sun, and a torn, volcanic waste that
tugged strangely at his heart.

"Yes," he answered mechanically, "yes, we'll go round with the sun ...
a couple of sun gods."

He laughed strangely as he regarded his companion.

If Winslow wondered at the weariness in the voice he made no sign. He
was busy with a rheostat that made thunderous roaring of the blast
behind their ship: that swung them in a sweeping arc through velvet
skies, away from the far side of the moon, to follow the path of the
setting sun--homeward bound.

_The Readers' Corner_

_A Meeting Place for Readers of_

Astounding Stories

[Illustration:]

"_Second Better Than First_"

Dear Editor:

The second number of Astounding Stories is better than the
first. "Spawn of the Stars," by Charles Willard Diffin, was
the best story, closely followed by "Creatures of the
Light," by Sophie Wenzel Ellis and "The Beetle Hord