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"You fight in platinus with a quizzical sood-naturedly, "and it is possible that we place too much value on personal appearances We vie with one another in the splendor of our accoutrehter duties of life, though e take the field our leather is the plainest I ever have seen worn by fighting men of Barsoom We pride ourselves, too, upon our physical beauty, and especially upon the beauty of our wo for the day when you will visit Gathol that my people may see one who is really beautiful?"

"The woht to froith displeasure upon the tongue of the flatterer," rejoined the girl, but Gahan, Jed of Gathol, observed that she sle sounded, clear and sweet, above the laughter and the talk "The Dance of Barsoo warrior "I clailanced in the direction of the bench where she had last seen Djor Kantos He was not in sight She inclined her head in assent to the claiuests, distributing s Upon each instruth of its tone The instruut, and were shaped to fit the left forearm of the dancer, to which it was strapped There was also a ring wound with gut which orn between the first and second joints of the index finger of the right hand and which, when passed over the string of the instruuests had risen and were slowlytheir way toward the expanse of scarlet sward at the south end of the gardens where the dance was to be held, when Djor Kantos came hurriedly toward Tara of Helium "I claim-" he exclaiesture

"You are too late, Djor Kantos," she cried in ard may claim Tara of Helium; but haste now lest thou lose also Olvia Marthis, who to be claimed for this or any other dance"

"I have already lost her," admitted Djor Kantos ruefully