WNU SBERVICE
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(Copyright by W. OG. Chapman.)
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CHAPTER XVI—Continued
oe] Gre
The cave grew narrower; then, just
when Lee thought that they had
reached the end, It suddenly vAulted
out and up into a large chamber,
The roaring of the waterfall imme
diately became accentuated as the
sounds echoed from wall to wall. By
the light of the candle they could
now see what looked like a sheer drop
into darkness Immediately in front
of them.
They drew back from the edge has-
tily., But the next moment they per-
ceived that what they had taken for
a precipice was a river, inky black, a
swift and perfectly soundless stream
rushing through the cavern from side
to side of the mountain.
It emerged through a low tunnel in
the rock and disappeared through an-
other, barely two feet in height, upon
the other side.
they heard was not caused by this
stream within the cave, but by some
distant cataract, either beyond the
mountain or deep within the bowels
of the earth.
There were evidences, in the shape
of rusty pots and kettles, and disinte-
grating tins strewn about the place,
that this had been Pelly's head-
quarters, while on the opposite side of
the cavern there was a deep
tunnel extending into a smaller cavern
i
scraped the
emptiness,
the surface
eves, \
Starlight overhead, appearing be-
tween high, precipitous walls, that
seemed to scrape the sky, A narrow
gorge, through which the current
whirled him still more furiously. In
the distance a line of white, the boll-
ing of the torrent about the rocks of
the falls.
Involuntarily a great cry of anguish
broke from Lee's throat. Agaln and
again It broke forth, the spontaneous
protest of the body against inevitable
destruction,
Upon the brink of the gorge, which
had a tiny ledge of rock or undercliff
beside the water, a beacon fire leaped
into view, far .away. Silhouetted
aginst It was the black figure of a
man, Lee fancied that he shouted in
answer, His head was growing clearer
now,
The gorge had become as narrow as
a hall bedroom, and the rush of the
roof—then touched only
The current hurled him to
again. He opened his
It whirled Lee around and around like
a ball, The line of white was coming
nearer with awful rapidity. Lee saw
the figure on the edge of it, tossing (ts
arms as it
in the of the
indistinguishable roar
the
with
And
high
of charred
worked this part for gold.
whole was piled
wood and remains
interior
ashes
logs.
of Pelly’'s gold mine,
inthway, who had been
wandering apparently almlessly about
the uttered a
leaped toward the obscurity of the o
wall, In another
returned, dragging
from
Suddenly
interior, shout
moment
with
mouth
posite
had
large sack, whose
vellow particles exuded,
As If unconscious of the presence
down, and,
1.ee and Joyce, he kneeled
by
the
The
gitles disclosed a pit of gol
1d
lunged his arms within
1.1
sithows, chuckli
cord about sack’'s mouth,
1 .
aust, g
the ¢
There was a fortune
th accumulation
rs of nocturnal
ble to estimate it,
its
man for life
“Well, I'm gla
De ISSESSOr 2 very
you've got ir.”
J =
was thinking bitterly
vee's loss,
He turned away.
stinect him
around. The flash of flame spurted al
most into his
cry ring
Rathwnay
tol from his
at
Suddenly some In
cansed
face,
through the cavern.
had pulled a second
clothes and fired at
feet distance,
Lee
five or ix
wall behind his
instant Lee
from the
the
ite
At same saw
L
Great fallen rocks lined the banks
Lee grasped at them as he was swept
by, but him, al-
ways the him
Now he
1 ii ’ ty *
{ ie imbling centaract,
they always eluded
current
1 n th ink
see med poised dpon the brink
He Erasg od
carried away
i
at Rathway.
the puliing of the trigger. Lee had
known antomatic was
though It had not seemed necessary to
warn Joyce.
As le sprang
the
forward, Rathwnay
Lee's forehead.
foolishly upon
Rathway's face,
with fury, over him:
arm, yellow with gold
to strike again. lee leaned
backward, overbalanced, fell into the
stream.
He Joyce run forward and
grusp at him as he was swept past,
saw Rathway grappling with her—
then he was in the whirling current,
and Joyce and Rathway and the cav-
ern vanished as swiftly as a picture
on the screen.
Lee was only dimly conscious of
whitt was happening to him, for his
senses reeled under Rathway's blow,
and it was only an intense effort of
the will that enabled him to keep his
fdce above the water, He had a vague
consciousness that he was being
whirled through the depths of the
mountain In complete darkness. The
rock roof swept his halr, and the
rock walls on his two sides formed
a sort of hydraulic tube against which
the stream tossed and buffeted him,
hurling him from side to side in its
fury.
And ever the stream grew swifter,
and ever that ominous roaring sounded
touder in his ears. :
The river was carrying him towar
some subterranean waterfall, Half
conscious, Lee visualized death among
the grinding rocks—death In that
viscous blackness that go ray of sun-
light had ever illuminated,
He knew In a dim way that this was
t'e end, and resistance being impos.
#'le, resigned himself to the rush of
the waters, gasping In q few mouth-
tuls of alr whenever it was possible,
The tunnel was growing still nar.
rower, and now the roaring sounded
in his ears like thunder. The rock
roof pra to the water, Lee drew
In one last breath. He went under.
He flung up his arms, and his fingers
ing down
Lew
upon
dropped
knees: he saw con-
viiised
WAYS
raised
saw
it.
v wiised cacy # 11
hecking him. He seemed to float still
. $
in the current, which be
» reiched out
about
to the
ited
rock, found it, cl reac
1 ine 3 T'ID
up one arm !
1 ff.
veloped ir t FF L0 is of i
1.eboent
Lee could
He
Comp!
» felt himself being slowly
a gigantic fish, toward the
tr : :
swri+ was one instant when
re
the current seemed to be
f
@
slowly the great shoulders swung back,
and Lee grasped the rocky ledge
through the folds of the net. Hae, felt
himself raised to the rock rim, felt
Leboeuf's arms about him, and col-
lapsed Into unconsciousness,
CHAPTER XVII
Rathway Takes Thought of
His Spoils
Rathwgy laughed like a hyena as
he saw Lee disappear In the swift
waters of the torrent. He spun about
and struck the pistol from Joyce's
hands, pulled the girl to him, and
crushed her brutally against his
breast,
And Joyce, overcome by this cli
max of the night's work, suddenly re-
laxed in his arms and fainted,
Rathway laid her down on the sand
and looked at her In perplexity.
He discovered that he was some
what in the same situation as the
fox with the sack of corn and the
goose,
If he carried the girl through the
tunnel and left her while he went back
for the gold she might escape him,
On the other hand, If he left her In
the cave while he carried the gold
away, she might fling herself Into the
stream In her despair. And some
one might take the gold.
The only thing for Rathway to do
was to remove the gold and the girl
simultaneously, He carried the bag
of gold to the cave's mouth, but In
wus terrific. He reconciled himself
to his labors, however, by the reflec-
tion that the bag contained a fortune,
Then, returning to Joyce, he carried
her to the bag and set her down be-
side It,
remained unconscious, or he
have been impossibly handicapped in
his maneuvers. Cursing and
gling, first with the bag and then with
the girl, Rathway at last got them to
the rock at the foot of the tunnel
which Lee had so Indiscreetly pointed
out to him.
Then arose
lem of all.
would have
the most diffienlt prob.
Either the girl or the gold
to be left on the upper
for the other. And during his absence
—~Rathway shuddered at the thought
ing off with the treasure,
He was not convinced in hig mind
that his aldes had not followed him.
Rathway chose to the gold
in safety. It was the greater of his
two passions. Ga'lering Joyce In his
he essayed the ascent of the
leave
arms,
cliff
knew afterward, It
only the spur of triump®
nim to accomplish He
to hold on with both hands while grip
ping the girl with of his
nrms,
At
reach
he hardly
feat which
the insides
length, however, he did succeed
nz tunnel’'s mouth,
imself nnd
rough The
the rock ladder was trifling In com
the drag-
through,
ufter him ascent
parison
He
looked at Jovee Khe was i
ondition
Breathing an
of profound unconscious
unvoleed
gods controlled
auld not
awake,
between the
sione, and w
hoisting the heavy
the cliff,
bag
required less
¢ of strength
*unned,
stone ahove
He tO wel § 3
his face
dawn. He mu
that hideous
irrying the bag and the girl
he pushed on toward the
1#¢. He wakened his aides with a
They game staggering
drink and half asleep
“Start up the engine, Kramer,” he
“We'll have to on our
daylight. Gimme a drink!”
He gulped down half a bottle of his
The reaction after his In
the possession of the
triumph of that
ut he was anxious
revithe He
It was
<t
from
from have
on
taek
ont,
be
gold, the supreme
At Siston lake, which was
be In his own retreat. He
the
and Rathway fussed and
while Kramer, the mechanic,
was repairing It. The packs were got
together, the engine overhauled
Rathway placed the bag of gold dust
in the middle of the boat, and car
ried Joyee to It. He laid her down,
and they pushed off,
Joyce had fallen into a profound
sleep of exhaustion. She began to
stir, stretched out her arms.
“Loe, dear,” she murmured,
She opened her eyes and looked Into
Rathway's vulpine face, She screamed.
She struggled. She remembered,
She fought like a mad woman, and
Rathway was forced to call for a
rope. He tled her ankles together and
fastened her arms to her sides. He
passed the rope around one of the
clents. In spite of her bonds she
struggled so that It was all Rathway
could do to keep her from tilting the
boat over, She screamed continually
and tried to throw herself over the
side.
At last she stopped, however, und
lay still from exhaustion, She never
renewed her struggles. She lay In
the bottom of the bot with her eyes
closed, drawing in convulsive breaths.
Despite hig triumph and his anticipa-
tions, Rathway was afraid of her. He
wondered what was going on !nside
her mind,
It was about noon when
reached the promontory,
Rathway, preceded by Pierre and
Shorty with the gold-<he would not
leave it In the motor boat——earried the
girl across the neck of land to an Iso-
inated hut about three hundred yards
away, following na secret passage
among the reeds. He laid her down
upon the camp bed, Joyce lay rigid,
looking at him with dilated pupils, and
still drawing In those shuddering
breaths, Rathway went out with a
engine,
fumed
they
dh of reilef; he was still more afrald
of her in that condition,
Another person he feared was Es-
telle, and It was with relief he learned
that she wns not at the promontory.
Estelle hand odd ways of wandering
nlone about the country. Rathway
was glad of this temporary respite
Golng to. the stables, a shanty with
two stalls by, where he kept
two horses and fodder for use in un-
expected emergency, he saw that one
of the animals was missing. No doubt
Estelle had gone out riding,
Estelle's personality was a stronger
one than Rathway’s. He could never
cow her by violence, ps he cowed his
men; on the contrary, he feared her
lashing tongue when she was aroused.
He had Plerre, Shorty, and
over the gold. and
he knew that he would have short
shrift If once his men suspected that
he was unable to keep It against
them, or if they trusted other
to combine against him.
why he had
close
seen
each
was
men at the
the
other
them,
ty
Rix
ane
There were
promontory, of
left her, her hands folded In her lap.
Fear of Her sprang up in him again,
and with the fear unreasoning fury.
Hate and Jove left hlin neutral for the
moment, so strongly they contested
within him.
The girl did not turn her head, and
he steered a wide course of the bed,
edging sldewlse toward the sack of
gold dust. Picking it up, he made his
way quickly outside, With a great
effort he managed to holst it upon
his back, and, staggering along, al-
most bent double by his burden, he
made his way among the reeds until
he reached the shore of the lake, a
few yards from where the motor boat
lay beached at the end of the broken
parapet
He laid the bag down In the swamp
growth, He felt more at case now,
No one would think of looking for it
Rathway set
He
about
talking
he
he
but
that
gold
would
night,
knew
the
they
at
he paced the track,
the gold, now over
lay sllent on the
und that
who
her lips
Joyee
bed,
awful
com-
ook
YOR,
He and cut
There was no
she could not
up
that
har eyes
He
whisky
went to her side
her ;
him. Joyce
lookin: at him In
He not face
helpless hefore her
nl night and
“Come, dearle,” he
that meant
know everything
of for
“Murderer!
sat
terrible
He
needed
way
could fel
Hes
in n volre
“you
began
was to he pacable,
I've done has
love you
Rathway
y
trembled
He had
fare
thought
she seemed
her outstretehes
to
finger
have her at his mer
Borg vgn sles ’
te hers
still
Carven
wns
peginning to
he uld share
Why couldn't
was that d--d
she
1
Ander
Id she be thinking
with Ler
How long w
Weeks,
His suspicions o
him,
abusing
unheard
cleaned, engine
drum of gasoline placed in
motor boat He sent food
The men grumbled and
their work sullenly
saw looks
them, as they had
He be
against
Es
son!
» and
d he raged all
his men, and
He
son lashed an
them of tasks had
boats
ing
the the over
some
to Joyce
went about
Rathway fancied
between
secret understanding
they were conspiring
And where the devil was
he Pass
if
him,
telle?
In spite of the hate that he now felt
for her, he turned to her In his
thoughts in time of difficulty. Cusse
woman! She was getting
strong a hold on him! He must send
her packing.
His desire for Joyce was a constant
goad to him. But he was still afraid
of her, He must give her time to
weaken, It was not dark enough.
And he had not drunk enough,
At nightfall the Snen began a ca
rousal, gathering in a hollow between
the huts, protected by a skin roof and
sides, but open in front, where a huge
fire was kindled. Usually Rathway
kept liquor from them, except when on
long journeys and for the weekly de
bauch which he permitted, but now
they were openly defying his rigid
rule. The possession of the gold had
disintegrated everything.
For Rathway, too. He cared no
longer. The drunker his followers
became, the better for the plans that
were condensing in his mind
As he passed, one of the men de
fiantly held up a bottle, an act that
would have brought swift physical re.
tribution under other circumstances.
A man at his side dashed it out of his
hand, whispering In his ear. The bottle
smashed, and the spirit ran out on
the ground. Rathway affected not to
notice the Incident,
Another man, staggering out of a
hut, lurched past him with a mum-
bled gibe. Rathway affected not to
notice that either. Let the fools weave
thelr halter!
He went Into his own hut and gwal™
lowed a cupful of whisky, It helped
to steady his nerves. He crossed the
neck and made his way to the hut
where Joyce was. It wns nearly dark
now, and through the darkness he
could see her sitting whore he had
$
the toon
Swamp Growth,
into the
patter of only a
he
@ gram «
he hont, saw that
WF
anced t}
had ordered
chuckled, Joyce
and Estelle away !
«¢ iny
iinute’s start Was
Then he was safe. He ro
Misquash In
have
not
Best
IL cou
favorably
Estelle’'s absence
But then, through
ight, Rathway
him
the {
Estelle
the path
SAW in
toward along throug!
he reeds
And a fury
is breast at the sight of her
Why
{ tolerated this woman so long
mean
WHE I
of resentment rose in
had
ifter
never hated her more, he
she
| hind ceased to
There
.
he advanced to mest
CHAPTER XVIII
‘Lee Is
ny
any
urder
Tool
It was dawn in the gorge when Les
opened his eyes. At first his
{| ries were confused so that he
carry them no further forward
the moment when he turned
from the log house, leaving
with Rathway.
He had meant to kill him then-—and
here he must have fallen asleep In
the forest, for it was daylight. And
had been all night in Rath
way's power!
Murder filled his heart; and again
everything else was blotted out of his
mind but the insensate desire fo slay,
a primal instinct that swamped every
other part of the man's being.
He started up. But-—this was not
the forest! He was amazed to see
the walls of the gorge on elther side
of him, dwindling away in the dis
stance Into open country, with a vista
of trees beyond, and splashes of sun.
shine, interspersed with long waves
of shadow, showing that the sun had
already risen.
Almost immediately beneath the
ledge on which he lay was a cataract,
but not deep—a roaring stream of
water rushing among the rocks,
And not far away was old Leboeuf,
placidly frying bacon In a skillet over
a wood fire,
Then all the events of the night
flashed Into Lee's mind, He uttered
a ory, got on his legs
“Leboeuf I"
At Lee's cry the old Indian turned
and came toward him, the skillet in
his hand.
“Monsieur?”
“We must go back. Joyce—" And
Ye began to tell the old man of the
svents of the night, that Juyee and
he were married-<but it was all Inco.
herent, and he was not sure that he
succeeded In making Leboeut under
stand,
memo
could
than
awns
Joyce
Joyce
(TO BR CONTINUED.)
HOW TO KEEP
WELL
sme
DR. FREDERICK R. GREEN
Editor of "HEALTH"
(E35, 1925, Western Newspaper Union.)
UNNECESSARY NOISES
boulevard this
at the
The po
OMING down the
morning, I was stopped
street crossing by a parade.
lice, of course, halted the traffic on
both sides of the crossing. In a few
minutes, a long line of autos, trucks
and busses were standing on each of
the cross streets,
The procession was a short one and
did not require more than eight or ten
minutes to pass. But even this short
delay was too much of a strain on
the nerves of the automobile drivers.
Some them began honking thelr
horns and, at once, like a lot of frogs
in a pond, every driver turned loose his
gyren. The result was that for five
minutes, every one within hearing had
his nerves tortured with an infernal,
ear-splitting and entirely unnecessary
racket,
One can understand, even though he
may not entirely sympathize with or
enjoy, the noise made by a small boy
who urges a stick along a picket fence
or lets off cannon crackers under one’s
window, This is simply the irressist-
ible Impulse of the average boy to
make 8 noise. But why did two or
three hundred grown and supposedly
sensible men keep up this awful and
unnecessary din for full five minytes?
Did they think it would shorten the
procession or make it go faster? Not
one of the cars could move untll the
way was clear, and the police were
certainly not going to allow them to
proceed until the parade had passed.
What possible good did it do any of
them to keep their horns going?
There were probably two ressons:
irst was the nervous inability to
and ] for a few
end the other was the nerv-
h driver to do some-
Cer
of
the
sit
still keep quiet
ous impulse of
sp ©
show his displeasure.
he stopped
for a
making a noise did any
think, would have believed
heard
continued
is
noises are just
are too-bright
» 1s » 00 oy 1 oad
or continued
as
as
men-
al exert
Loises
rgy, but ti
n
n
liess stra
CERSATryY
of ene also a
We
noise In present-day life
In the city,
of street
waste are
ey
nee on the nerves,
we avoided
CAS,
£8, in the coun-
You
or dog. or put
all the roosters.
Every locality has its
few
Don't
your
nal life
OWN necessary
noise exceptions, they
add to the wear-
others’
any that
a 2% £388 8
are enoug
own
BN
waking
Ae
anag-teatr
nerves an
Are unns
VACATION PRECAUTIONS
as warm weather comes
for kind of a vacation. The
vacation habit is growing every year,
and rightly. No matter what one’s
interesting, or
8Oile
it, the mind and the body need and
should have a few days or a few
weeks of change.
Probably the automoblie
more to develop the
among American people
other one thing.
means a change of location
quires some kind of
is doing
vacation habit
than any
A vacation always
This re
transportation,
for a few days, without having to buy
railroad tickets or to engage rooms
at a hotel. In the car or on the run-
ning board can be packed tents, beds,
provisions, cooking utensils, guns, fish-
ing tackle and all the other things
needed for a few days of outdoor life.
Most people going on such a trip
need no advice as to clothing, bedding
or food. Their own desire for comfort
will lead them to look after these
things. But few think seriously about
protecting their health.
Living outdoors, there Is not as
much lability to colds or other respir
atory diseases as at home, The per
centage of accidents is probably not
as great as in driving at home. The
principal dangers on a summer camp-
ing trip are from bad water and waste.
Water Is, of course, a dally, almost
hourly necessity. You are used to get-
ting your water from your own well
or hydrant. But you can't take them
along with you. You must use such
water as you can get.
On short trips you can take a suffi.
clent amount of pure water with you.
Otherwise, unless you know where It
comes from and know that it is pure,
the only safe rule Is to boil the water.
It is not safe to use unbolled water
from any spring, well, brook or creek
along the way. It may look clear and
clean, it may be cold and refreshing
and tasté fine, but It may also be full
of typhoid germs. The more thickly
settled the country the greater the
danger.
Much of our typhoid today is sum-
mer or vacation typhoid. What shall
it profit a man to take two weeks
away from his business to get rested
and then take six weeks from his busi.
fess to get over an attack of typhoid?
For any water that you are not sure
of there is only one safe rule boll i}