The Girl in the Golden Atom

The Girl in the Golden Atom, by Raymond King

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Title: The Girl in the Golden Atom
Author: Raymond King Cummings

Release Date: April 15, 2007 [eBook #21094]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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Transcriber's note:
No evidence was found to indicate the copyright on this book was renewed.

THE GIRL IN THE GOLDEN ATOM
by
RAY CUMMINGS

TO MY FRIEND AND MENTOR ROBERT H. DAVIS WITH GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS ENCOURAGEMENT AND PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE TO WHICH I OWE MY INITIAL SUCCESS

CONTENTS
I. A Universe in an Atom
II. Into the Ring
III. After Forty-eight Hours
IV. Lylda
V. The World in the Ring
VI. Strategy and Kisses
VII. A Modern Gulliver
VIII. "I Must Go Back"
IX. After Five Years
X. Testing the Drugs
XI. The Escape of the Drug
XII. The Start
XIII. Perilous Ways
XIV. Strange Experiences
XV. The Valley of the Scratch
XVI. The Pit of Darkness
XVII. The Welcome of the Master
XVIII. The Chemist and His Son
XIX. The City of Arite
XX. The World of the Ring
XXI. A Life Worth Living
XXII. The Trial
XXIII. Lylda's Plan
XXIV. Lylda Acts
XXV. The Escape of Targo
XXVI. The Abduction
XXVII. Aura
XXVIII. The Attack on the Palace
XXIX. On the Lake
XXX. Word Music
XXXI. The Palace of Orlog
XXXII. An Ant-hill Outraged
XXXIII. The Rescue of Loto
XXXIV. The Decision
XXXV. Good-bye to Arite
XXXVI. The Fight in the Tunnels
XXXVII. A Combat of Titans
XXXVIII. Lost in Size
XXXIX. A Modern Dinosaur
XL. The Adventurers' Return
XLI. The First Christmas

THE GIRL IN THE GOLDEN ATOM
CHAPTER I
A UNIVERSE IN AN ATOM
"Then you mean to say there is no such thing as the smallest particle of matter?" asked the Doctor.
"You can put it that way if you like," the Chemist replied. "In other words, what I believe is that things can be infinitely small just as well as they can be infinitely large. Astronomers tell us of the immensity of space. I have tried to imagine space as finite. It is impossible. How can you conceive the edge of space? Something must be beyond--something or nothing, and even that would be more space, wouldn't it?"
"Gosh," said the Very Young Man, and lighted another cigarette.
The Chemist resumed, smiling a little. "Now, if it seems probable that there is no limit to the immensity of space, why should we make its smallness finite? How can you say that the atom cannot be divided? As a matter of fact, it already has been. The most powerful microscope will show you realms of smallness to which you can penetrate no other way. Multiply that power a thousand times, or ten thousand times, and who shall say what you will see?"
The Chemist paused, and looked at the intent little group around him.
He was a youngish man, with large features and horn-rimmed glasses, his rough English-cut clothes hanging loosely over his broad, spare frame. The Banker drained his glass and rang for the waiter.
"Very interesting," he remarked.
"Don't be an ass, George," said the Big Business Man. "Just because you don't understand, doesn't mean there is no sense to it."
"What I don't get clearly"--began the Doctor.
"None of it's clear to me," said the Very Young Man.
The Doctor crossed under the light and took an easier chair. "You intimated you had discovered something unusual in these realms of the infinitely small," he suggested, sinking back luxuriously. "Will you tell us about it?"
"Yes, if you like," said the Chemist, turning from one to the other. A nod of assent followed his glance, as each settled himself more comfortably.
"Well, gentlemen, when you say I have discovered something unusual in another world--in the world of the infinitely small--you are right in a way. I have seen something and lost it. You won't believe me probably," he glanced at the Banker an instant, "but that is not important. I am going to tell you the facts, just as they happened."
The Big Business Man filled up the glasses all around, and the Chemist resumed:
"It was in 1910, this problem first came to interest me. I had never gone in for microscopic work very much, but now I let it absorb all my attention. I secured larger, more powerful instruments--I spent most of my money," he smiled ruefully, "but never could I come to the end of the space into which I was looking. Something was always hidden beyond--something I could almost, but not quite, distinguish.
"Then I realized that I was on the wrong track. My instrument was not merely of insufficient power, it was not one-thousandth the power I needed.
"So I began to study the laws of