Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Moon Maid Edgar Rice Burroughs

"I had intended telling you my story of the days of the twenty-second century, but it seems best, ifyou are to understand it, to tell first the story of my great-great-grandfather who was born in theyear 2000."I must have looked up at him quizzically, for he smiled and shook his head as one who is puzzledto find an explanation suited to the mental capacity of his auditor."My great-great-grandfather was, in reality, the great-great-grandson of my previous incarnationwhich commenced in 1896. I married in 1916, at the age of twenty. My son Julian was born in 1917. I never saw him. I was killed in France in 1918-on Armistice Day."I was again reincarnated in my son's son in 1937. I am thirty years of age. My son was born in1970-that is the son of my 1937 incarnation-and his son, Julian 5th, in whom I again returned toEarth, in the year 2000. I see you are confused, but please remember my injunction that you are totry to keep in mind the theory that there is no such thing as Time. It is now the year 1967 yet I recalldistinctly every event of my life that occurred in four incarnations-the last that I recall being thatwhich had its origin in the year 2100. Whether I actually skipped three generations that time orthrough some caprice of Fate I am merely unable to visualize an intervening incarnation, I do notknow."My theory of the matter is that I differ only from my fellows in that I can recall the events ofmany incarnations, while they can recall none of theirs other than a few important episodes of thatparticular one they are experiencing; but perhaps I am wrong. It is of no importance. I will tell youthe story of Julian 5th who was born in the year 2000, and then, if we have time and you yet areinterested, I will tell you of the torments during the harrowing days of the twenty-second century, following the birth of Julian 9th in 2100."I will try to tell the story in his own words in so far as I can recall them, but for various reasons, not the least of which is that I am lazy, I shall omit superfluous quotation marks-that is, with yourpermission, of course.-----My name is Julian. I am called Julian 5th. I come of an illustrious family-my great-greatgrandfather, Julian 1st, a major at twenty-two, was killed in France early in The Great War. My greatgrandfather, Julian 2nd, was killed in battle in Turkey in 1938. My grandfather, Julian 3rd, foughtcontinuously from his sixteenth year until peace was declared in his thirtieth yea