except by hand power. If you were able to stand on
the seething furnace of Alpha Centaurus, you would see these machines
rise far into the shooting fire and beyond, as far as occupants can go
without freezing to death. Then at a reverse of the lever you would see
the mysterious car descend.

These star residents have enjoyed this invention so long that they no
longer appreciate its marvels. You ask me if I tried to get the secret.
I saw the whole apparatus and the more I studied it, the more I was
convinced that its storage battery contained heat energy. So I concluded
to solve the mystery. I learned that there was a certain element found
only in combination. When this element is set loose by chemical process,
it will rise at once toward a large planet that revolves around this
sun. This planet draws that particular element with six times more force
than it is held by Alpha Centaurus. The brilliant chemists, when they
first made this discovery, separated enough of this element to carry a
man upward from the sun's surface. Later on they made a counter
discovery of equal value.

They found a substance that would destroy this attraction if it was
placed between the element and the planet. The discovery enabled a
person to rise as high as he wished and then, by swinging the plate in
position, the aerial carriage would either stand still or descend
according to the wish of the operator.

What a boon it would be to our world if we had such an element for which
Jupiter or the Sun would have so much fondness! Then with our superior
knowledge of propulsion we could forever settle the perplexing problem
of aerial navigation.

These exceptional people, living in such terrible fire, wear pieces of
garments made of the finest texture. The hair-like threads are composed
of metallic substances far more enduring than gold or platinum.

Of all the unthinkable things on this star none are so extreme as the
manner in which these people hold conversation. They have no organs to
produce vocal sounds.

[Illustration: Fire Life on a Fixed Star.]

They convey their ideas one to another by a vibration of the
conversation flaps. Either the air waves, or substantial emissions,
excite the sensitive face of the listener so that the thought
intended can be accurately received.

Having a strong curiosity, I remained and studied this fire life. It
opened to me new channels of thought and illustrated more emphatically
than ever that all thing