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A thousand years of darkness and decay! A thousand years of blight, brutality, and atavis cities and of forgotten civilization, of stupefaction, of death! A thousand years of night!

Two hus, all alone in that vast wilderness--a woht with problems, perils, and alarh this thousand years had seely smeared away all semblance of the world of men from the cosmic canvas, Allan Stern and Beatrice Kendrick thrilled with as vital a passion as though that vast, oblivious age lay not between theht of their new home-to-be--alone there in that desolated world--was as natural as the summer breeze, the liquid h above their heads, the white and purple spikes of odorous lilacs along the vine-grown stone wall, the gold and purple da breaking over the distant reaches of the river

Thus were these two betrothed, this sole surviving pair of hu flaed each other their love and loyalty and trust

Thus they stood together, his left arer-skin Their eyes lory of the dawn Unafraid, she read the e in the depths of his, the invitation, the command; and they both foreknew the future

Beatrice spoke first, flushing a little as she dreard him

"Allan," she said with infinite tenderness, even as a ht speak to a well-loved son, "Allan, co to do Come, let me see your arm"

He smiled a little, and with his broad, brown hand stroked back the spun silk of her hair, its old pins he had found for her a the ruins of New York

"No, no!" he objected "It's nothing--it's not worth bothering about I'll be all right in a day or two My flesh heals almost at once, without any care You don't realize how healthy I am"

"I know, dear, but it must hurt you terribly!"

"Hurt? How could I feel any pain with your kiss on ain repeated with insistence, and pointed toward the beach where their banca lay on the sand

"Come, I'll dress your wound first And after I find out just how badly you're injured--"