oo!" he muttered. "And then where would I be? I'd be
standing on the glass platform, I guess. And the thing flying off over
my head!"

He gazed at the rapidly dwindling forms of Agnes Sterling and her
amazing abductor. As it grew smaller, the machine-monster flew higher
in the violet beam, until it was opposite the tiny, spinning planet.

The distance between the red and the violet rays was just slightly
more than the diameter of the pygmy world. The sphere hung between
them, one side of it a fraction of an inch from the red, the other as
near the violet.

Opposite the elfin planet, the monster ceased to climb. It hung there
in the violet ray, an inch from the surface of the little world.

And still it swiftly dwindled. It was no larger than a fly, and Larry
could barely distinguish the form of the girl, helpless in the green
tentacles.

Soon she and the monster became a mere greenish speck.... Suddenly
they were gone.

* * * * *

For a little time he stood watching the point where they had vanished,
watching the red and the violet rays that poured straight down upon
the crystal disks, watching the tiny, green-blue planet spinning so
steadily between the bright rays.

Abruptly, he recovered from his fascination of wonder.

"What did she say?" he muttered. "Something about the monsters
carrying off people to sacrifice to a rusty machine that they worship
as a god! It took her--for that!"

He clenched his fists; his lips became a straight line of
determination.

"Then I guess we try a voyage in the little plane. A slim chance,
maybe. But decidedly better than none!"

He returned to the table, dropped on his knees, inspected the tiny
airplane. A perfect miniature, delicately beautiful; its slim, small
wings were bright as silver foil. Carefully, he opened the door and
peered into the diminutive cabin. Two minute rifles, several
Lilliputian pistols, and boxes of ammunition to match, lay on the rear
seat of the plane.

"So we are prepared for war," he remarked, grinning in satisfaction.
"And the next trick, I suppose, is to get shrunk to fit the plane.
About three inches, she said. Lord, it's a queer thing to think
about!"

He got to his feet, walked back to the machine in the center of the
room, with its twin pillars of red and violet flame, and the tiny
world floating between them. He started to step into the violet ray,
then hesitated, shivering involuntarily, like a swim