The Girl in the Golden Atom

The Girl in the Golden Atom, by
Raymond King

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Raymond King Cummings
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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
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL
IN THE GOLDEN ATOM***
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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