VW EVENING LEDGBRPHJLAlfBLPHrA;' MONDAY,. FEBRUARY Wmi7 ,-i $k "y to , - ' J-3 4. $cTImj. YounR Lady Across the Wny The young lady across tho wny nays she has a great respect for tho Presi dent's opinions as a general thing, but she can't agree with him on tho de sirability of victory without penco. SomcthtnR Different "Mother," said little Evelyn, "may I go out and play with the other children now?" "You may play with the little girls, sweetheart, but not with tho boys; the little boys are too rough," "But", mother." rejoined tho llttlo Bliss, "if I find a nice, smooth little boy, can I play with him?" : Quite a Man! London Opinion Peggy Poor Jlgby won't be able to . 1 ...I. . gfo .j '' y vsggfr-- - Kjft " ut his usual dash with that wounded Ml- Mater Don't despair, dear. That nan can swagger sitting down. THE STAR v. I . --rs -?Tj.l "ixwm jLrz-:.T ..a 1. t.-r- aw-j-n-eY &? sp-..- S1 &2zr? -vier4u tTCRAPPLB THE PADDED CELL VhowTokeep XlX 1 A idKVAN I f M0RtL CAKES MARE ( AKU5T HAVE. HER ArTeRMOOAi ?" I B&A.UTT AAP OTHERWISE J SHE SAYS SHEETS I ' " LIMES UMDER HtB V j I rfAYvyARQ J SCHOOL DAYS An Honest Juror Tim Casey, n Juror, rose suddenly from his sent nnd hastened to tho door of the courtroom. He was pre vented, however, from leaving the room and was sternly questioned by the Judge. "Yes, your Honor, I'll explain me self," said the Juror. "When Mr. Klinn finished his talking me mind was cleirr all through, but whin Mr. Rrnns begins his talkln' I becomes all confuted nn' says I to meself, Tnlth, I'd better lave at once, an' sthay away until he is done,' because, your Honor, to tell the truth, I didn't like tho vay the argument was goln." GAZERS 23S t'ltr:Sl IT2W5 KSW -Tr.- A.H ?AVSVL i-r.xf. I Ztlgf&l RssS2 v?-:ea Y-fMsm r4tE Hruc Balmafstbsr tat I4if Hrstaaasr, That's All He Had Pearson's Weekly. The Lady of the House (to husband, who has been settling a difference, with a neighbor) You're a beauty to come 'ome like this. Why, you've got a couple of black eyes. The Warrior Well, wot abaht lt7 I could 'ave 'ad a few more If I'd 'ad room for 'em. Omit Flowers The month's prize for the bum mest Joke goes to the Kansas editor who admonished his readers In the following words: "In order to com bat the constantly soaring cost of living, we advise our readers to bi plane food." It was a nice murder. Gargoyle. That's So, Too Prof. -What's a continued story? Intelligent Fresh Why er). a sky scraper, Penn State Froth. Pusaylanimous! .'Sf Wl Tha Skstofa. The Warrior Phor 1 Th! J, gelM totjitfM.yan,Mv j. ' THE AFTERGLOW NUMMARY OP ritnCKUINO STOMKS Allan Htern,. a consulting engineer, and Deatrlre Itenarlck, his stenographer, wake from a tons sleep In hit office In the tower of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Ilullillng, New York rltvi they look about them and sea the office Interior fallen to decay, while below they behold a vast forest of great trees where New York city onco stood. It 1 evident that their sleep has lasted through centuries, and that during this unconscious lspse, the city lias been destroyed by some great catastrophe. They seem to be the only survivors of the Inhabitants of the western continent. They clothe themselves primitively and subsist on food which has wlthstood'the ravages of centuries In glass Jars After a time a troop of malformed eavases appears. They storm the tower and ft des perate battle ensues. Stern and Beatrice escape, finding a refuge In a ruined mansion on the Hudson After a time they set sail for Boston In a boat which Stern has built. lie hopes to find the telescope f tho llarrd University by which, to verify his discovery of tho earth'a churned relations with It" astral neighbors. They reach what was once the city of Providence, where thov find rnslv firearms, still serviceable, and an aeroplane which Stem repairs. In nn eipedltlon of exploration In the machine they are drawn Into a terrible abjes, where the sun never shines, and are captured by strange people and condemned to death, In a great battle Stern uses his firearms and repels his captors' enemies, thus gaining their friendship. After many further adientures Stern and nestrlce escape from the abyss In tho aeroplane and regain the land of the nun THE STOKY TIICS FAlt Once more on earth Allan and Heatrlce bury the patriarch who was their friend In the abss and who ercompanled them to the old world, only to die at the first touch or the sun. Around the patriarch's neck Is a chain and small locket which contains In structions where lo find the records of the lost civilization. The paper crumbles as they read but the two giilhrr enough to direct them. They start for their old home on the banks of the Hudson only to find It occu pied bv th'o horde The benst-savages de stroy the building whll Al an and Beatrice are attacking from the l'aulllac. In despnlr they mnke for Worm King, the mountain which Is the slEht of tho great Oethle Cathedral Here It Is that some of the records nre stored (rilAPTI'K IV Continued) AI.TjA.V laughed and cut off power In the old days not for ten thousand dol lars would he hae tried so ticklish a de scent, but now his mettle was of sterner stuff and his skill with the machine devel oped to a point where man and biplane seemed nlmost ono organism. With a swift rush the Paulltan coasted down. He checked her at precisely the right moment, ns tho sand seemed whirling up to meet them, swerved to dodgo a flro blastcd trunk, and with a shout took the earth The plnne bounced, creaked, skidded on tho long runners he had fitted to her, and with a lurch came to rest not ten yards from nn ugly stump dead ahead. "Made It, by heaven!" he exulted. "Hut a few feet more and It wouldn't have been well, no matter. We're here, anyhow. Now, supper and a good sleep. And tomorrow, tho cathedral '" He helped the girl alight, for she was cramped and stiff. Presently their camp fire cheered tho down-drawing gloonr, as so trmny other times In such slrango places. And beforo long their evening meal was In course of preparation, close by a great glacial boulder at tho end of the sand barren. In good comradeship they ate, then wheeled the biplane over to the rock nnd under the shelter of Its wldcsnreadlng wings made their camp for tho nlKht. An hour or so they pat talking of many things their escape from tho abyts. tho patriarch's death, their trip east again, the loss of their little home, their plans, their hopes, their work. Beatrice, seemed to grlovn more than .Stern over the destruction of tho bungalow. Po much of her woman's heart had gone Into tho making of that nest, bo many thoughts had centered on a leturn to It once more, that now when it lay In ruins through tho spiteful mischief of tho Horde, she found sorrow knocking Insistently nt tho gates of her soul. Hut Allan com forted her as best ho might. "Never you mind, llttlo girl"' said he bravely. "It's only an Incident, after all. A year from now another and n still more beautiful homo will shelter us In some more secure location, And there'll bo hu man companionship, too, about us. In a year many of tho folk will have been brought from tho depth''. In a year mir acles may happen even tho greatest one of all!" ... Her eyes met his a moment ny me runny fire-glow and held true. "Yes." answered she, "oven the greatest In the world!" A sudden tenderness swept over him at thought of all that had been and was still to be, at sight of this woman's well-loved face Irradiated by the leaping blaze her face now Just a little wan with long fatigues and sad ns though with realization, with fome compelling inner senso of vast, Im pending responsibilities. Tin mthcred her In .his strong nrms. he ill en her leldltig body close, and kissed her gently ' "Tomorrow'" ho whispered. "Do you realize It?" "Tomorrow." she made answer, her breath mingling with his. "Tomorrow Allan o.no pag of llfo forcer closed, another opened Oh, may It bo for good may we be very' strong and very wise1" Neither spnko for the space of a few heatt-beats, while the wind made a vague, melancholy music In the Bentlnel tree-tops and the snapping snarks danced upward by the rock, "Life, all life Just dancing sparks then gone" said Beatrice slowly. "And yet yet It Is good to have lived, Allan. Oflbd to have lighted tho black mystery of the universe, formless nnrt enmess ana in scrutable, bv een so brief a flicker!" "Is it my little pessimist tonight?" he asked. "Too tired, that's all. In the morn ing things will look different. You must smile, then, Beta, and not think of form less mystery or or anything sad at all. For tomorrow Is our wedding day." He felt her catch her breath and tremble Just a bit. "Yes, I know. Our wedding-day, Allan. Surely the strangest since time began, No friends, no gifts, no witnesses, no minister, rro "There, there!" he Interrupted, smiling. "How can my little girl be so wrong-headed? Friends' Why, everything's our friend ' All nature Is our friend tho whole life-processes is our friend and ally. Gifts? What need have we of glftB? Aren't you my gift, surely tho best gift that a man ever had Blnce tho beginning of all things? Am I not yours? "Minister? Priest? We need none! The world-to-be shall have got far away from such beyond Its fairy-tale stage, Its weak nesses nnd fears or tne unKnown, wnicn alone explain their existence. Hero on Storm King, under the arches of the old cathedral our clasped hands, our mutual words of love and trust and honor these shall suffice, The river and the winds and foreit, the sunlight and the sky, the whole Infinite expanse of 'Nature herself shall bo our priest and witnesses. And never has a wedding been so true, so solemn and so holy as yours and mine shall be. For you are mine, my Beatrice, and I am yours forever' A little sllenet, while the flames. leaped higher and the shadows deepened In the dim aisles of the nr forest all about them.. In the vast canopy or evenipg any cluster ing star-points hnd begun to shimmer. Redly tho camp-fire iigntea man anu woman there alone together In the wild. For them there was no sense of Isolation nor of loneliness, She was his worm now, and he hers. .... . Up Into his eyes she looked fairly and bravely, and" her full lips smiled. "Forgive me, Allan!" she whispered. "It waff only a mood, that's all. It's passed now It won't come back. Only forgive me, boy!" "My dear, brave girl I" he murmured, smoothing tho thick hair back from her brow. "Never complaining; never repin ing, never afraid!1' "Afraid? How could I be with your' Their lips met again and for a time the glrl'a heart throbbed on his. Afar a. ta-plf a weird, tremulous call drifted down-wind. An owl, disturbed; in Its noo i,,mii nuest. hooted uoon the slope above to aatwardj.and acrotmttw' darkening .flky the old days when there were cities on the earth and ships upon tho sea. The Are burned low. Allan arose and flung fresh wood upon It, while sheaves of winking light gyrated upward through the air. Then he returned to Beatrice nnd wrapped her In his cloak. And for a long, long time they both talked of many things Intimate, solemn, wondrous things together In the night. And the morrow was to be their wedding day. t CHAPTKIt V. The Search for the lteeord. MOnNINO found them early astir, to greet the glory of June sunlight over the shoulder of Storm King. A perfect morning. If ever any one was perfect since the world began soft airs stirring In the forest, golden robins' full-throated Bong, tho molody of the scarlet troplo birds they had named "fire-birds" for want of any more descriptive title, the chatter of gray squir rels on the branches overhead, all blent, under a sky1 of wondrous azure, to tell them of life, full and abundant, Joyous and kind. Two of the squirrels had to die, for breakfast, which Beta cooked while Allan quested tho edges of the wood for tho ever- present berries. They drunk from a fern embowered spring a hundred yards or so to south of their camp In tho forest, and felt the vigorous tides of llfo throb hotly through their splendid bodies. Allan got together the few simple imple ments at their disposal for tho expedition his a'x, a torch made of the brown weed of tho nbyss, oil-soaked nnd bound with wire that fastened It to a metal handle, nnd a skin bag of the rude matches he had manufactured In the vlllago of the folk "Now then, en tnnrchr!" said ho at length. "The old cathedral and the records are awaiting a morning call from us and there arc all tho wedding preparations to make as well. We've got no time to lose!" She laughed happily with a blush and gave him her hand. "Lead on, Sir Knight!" sho Jested "I'm yours by right of capture nnd conquest, ns In tho good old days!" "The good new days will have better and higher stnndards," he answered gravely. "Today, one ago Is closed, another opened foe all time." Hand In hand they ascended the barren spur to eastward," nnd presently reached the outposts of the forest that rose In floso-rnnked majesty, over the brow of Storm King. The going proved hard, for with the warmer climate that now favored the coun try, undergrowth had sprung up far more luxuriantly than In the days of the old time civilization; but Stern nnd Beatrice wero used to labor, and together ho ahead to break or cut the path they struggled through the wood. Half an hour's climb brought them to their first dim sight of the massive towers of the cathedral, ilslng beyond the tangle of trees, majestic In tho morning sun. Soon after they had made their way close up to tho huge, lichen-crusted walls, and In tho shadow of tho gigantic pile slowly explored round to tho vnst portals facing eastward over the Hudson "Wondeiful work, magnificent propor tions and design," Stern commented, as they (.topped at last on the broad debris-littered steps nnd drew breath. "Brick nnd stone have long slnco perished. Even steel has crumbled. But concrete seems eternal. Why, tho building's virtually Intact even today, after tea centuries of absolute aban donment, A week's work with a force of men would qulto restoto It. Tho damage it's suffered Is absolutely Insignificant. Con THE IVORY CHILD By H. RIDER HAGGARD Aulhnr nt "Startr." "Kino Solomon's Mines." CHArTtin XX (Continued) "And had better not Inquire, Lady Ttag- nail, since In this world most changes nre for the worse " "I agree and shall not Inquire. Now I hnve spoken to you Uko this hecauso I felt that I must do so. Also I want to thank you for all you have done for mo and George. Probably we shall not talk In such a way again; as I am situated, tho opportunity will be lacking, even it the wish Is present. So onco more I thank you from my heart! Until wo mpet again I mean really meet good-by," and she held her right hand to me In such a, fashion that I knew she meant mo to kiss It. This I did very reverently and we walked back to the temple almost In silence. That month of rest, or rather tho last three weeks of It, since for tho first few days nfter the battle I was quite prostrate, I occupied In various ways, among others In a Journey with Hnrut t,o Slmba Town. This we made after our spies had assured us that the Black Kendah were really gone somewhere to tho southwest, In which direc tion fertile and unoccupied lands wero said to exist about three hundred miles away. It was with very strange feelings that I re traced our road and looked once more upon that wind-bent tree still scored with the marks of Jana's tusk. In tho boughs of which Hans and I had taken refuge from the monster's fury. Crossing the river, quite low now, I traveled up the slope down which wo hnd raced for our very lives and came to the melancholy lake and the cemetery of dead elephants. Here all was unchanged. There was the little mount worn by nis reel, on wnicn Jana was wont to stand. There were the rocks where I had tried to hide and near to them some crushed human bones which I knew to bo those or tne untortunaio .marui. These we burled with due reverence on the spot where he had fallen. I meanwhile thanking God that my own bones were not being Interred at their side,- aa but for Hans would have been the case If they were ever interred at all. All about lay the skeletons of dead elephants, and from among these we collected as much of the best Ivory as we could carry, namely about fifty camel loads. Of course, there was much more, but a great deal of the stuff had been exposed for so long to sun and weather that It was almost worthless. Having sent this ivory back to the Town of the Child, which was being rebuilt after a fashion, we went on to Slmba Town through the forest, dispatching pickets ahead of us to search and make sure that it was empty. Empty u wan mum-u , Ucc did I see such a place of desolation. The Black Kendah had left It Just as It stood, except for a pile of corpses which lay around and over the altar In the mar i.. -.,-.. orhrn the three camel men were sacrificed to Jana. doubtless those of wound ed men who had died during or after the retreat. The doors of the houses stood open, many domestic articles, such as great Jars resembling that which had been set over the head of the dead man whom we were commanded to restore to life, and other furniture lay about because they could not be carried away. So did a great quantity of pearn and various weapons of war, whose owners, being killed, would never want them again. Except a few starved dogs and Jack als no living creature remained In the town. It was In Its own way as waste and even mora Impressive man ;ne srv.jr..u . phants by thw lonely lake "The curse of the Child worked well." said Harut to me grimly. "First, the storm ; the hunger: then the battle; and now the misery of flight and ruin." "It seems so," I answered. "Yet that course, llk others, came back to roost, for If Jana is aeao ana n p.ui ", '. V"t are the Child and many of its people? What will you' do without your god, KarutV WV,'-. ,,. nf nni- a ns and watt till the f Heavens send us anotheV, as doubtless' they Will in moir ww .-. .-.-. " I wonder whether they ever did and, If ao, what form that new divinity put on. I slept, or rather did not sleep, that night In the hi guest house In which Marut and I s)a been ( Imprison durinc our A Sequel to "Beyond the' Great Oblivion" By GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND crete. A lesson to be learned, Is It not, In our rebuilding of tho world?" Tho mighty templo stood, In fact, almost ns men had left It In the long ago, when tho breath of annihilation had swept a withering blast ovef tho face of the earth. The broad grounds and driveways that had led up to the entrance had, of course, long slnco absolutely vanished under rank growths. Grass nourished In tho gutters and on the dothlo flnlats; the gargoyles wero bearded with vines and fern-clusters i the flying buttresses and mulllons stood green with moss; nnd In tho vegetable mold that had for centuries accumulated on tho steps and In the vestibule for the oaken doors had crumbled to powder many a bright dowered plant raised Us blossoms to the sun. Tho tall memorial windows and the great rose-window In the eastern facade had long since been shattered out of their frames by hall and tempest. But the main body of the cathedral seemed yet an massively Intact as when tho master-builders of tho twentieth century had taken dpwn the last scaffold, and when tho gigantic organ had first pealed Its ".ntis Deo" through the vaulted apse. Together they entered tho vnst silent space, and awed despite themselves gazed In wonder at the beauties of this, the most magnificent templo ever built In the western hemisphere. Tho marble floor was covered now with windrows of dead leaves and plne-spllls, nnd with tho litter from myriads of blrds'-nests that sheltered themselves on nchltraves nnd c-nllerles nnd nn tho lofty capitals Of the fluted pillars, which rose, vlstnllke. a hun dred feet above tho clear-story, spraying out Into. a wondrous complexity of ribs to sustain the marvelous concreto vaulting full two hundred feet In air. Through the shattered windows broad slants of sunshine fell athwart the walls and floor. Swallows chirped nnd twittered far nloft, or winged their swift way through the dusky upper spaces, passing at will In or out the tnulllonrd gnp.s whence nil the painted glass had long slnco fallen. An air nf mystery, of long expectancy, siv-med brooding everywhere ; It seemed almost ns though the spirit of the past wero waiting to receive them waiting now, ns It had waited n thousand years, patiently, Inexornbly, untiringly for thoe to come who should some day reclaim tho hidden secrets In the crypt, onco more awaken human echoes In tho vault, and so redeem the world, "Waiting!" breathed Stern, ns If the thought hung pregnant In the very air. "Waiting all these long centuries for us! For ou, Beatrice, for mo! And wo nre here at last, wo of tho newer time ; and hero we shall be one. The symbol of the pillars, mounting, ever mounting townrd the Infinite, the hope of life eternal, the ma Jesty and mystery nf this great temple, welcome us ! Come !" Ho took her hand again and now In silence they walked forward noiselessly over tho thick leaf-carpet on the pavement of rare marble, "Oh, Allan, I fcel'so very small In here!" she whispered, drawing closo to him. "You and I, all alone In this tremendous place built for thousands " "You nnd I are tho world today I" ho answered very gravely; and so .together they made way toward tho vast transept, arched with a bewildering lacery of vault ings. All savo the concrete had long vanished. No traces now temalned of pews, or rail ings, altars, pulpits, or any of tho fittings of the vast cathedral. Majestic in Its naked strength, the build ing stood In light nnd shadow, here banded 'Shr." rH my mind every event connected wjth them. Once more I saw tho fires of sacrifice flaring upon the altar and heard the roar of tho dancing hall that proclaimed tho ruin of the Black Kendah ns loudly ns tho trumpet of a destioylng angel. Very glad was I when the morning camo at length nnd, having looked my last upon Slmba Town, I crossed tho moats and set out homeward through tho forest whereof tho stripped houghs also spoke of death, though In tho spring theso would grow green again. Ten days later wo started from the Holy Mount, a caravan of about a hundred camels, of which fifty were laden with the Ivory and tho rest ridden by our escort under the command of Harut and our threo selves, But there was an evil fate upon this Ivory, ns on everything else that had to do with Jana. Somo weeks later In the desert a great sandstorm overtook us In which w barely escaped with our lives. At the height of the storm the Ivory-laden camels broke loose, flying before It Probably they fell and wero burled beneath the sand ; nt any rate of tho fifty wo recovered only ten. Ragnall wished to pay me the value of the remaining loads, which ran Into thou sands of pounds, but I would not take the money, saying that It was outside of our bargain. Sometimes since then I have thought that I was foolish, especially when on glancing at that cotllcil to his will in after days, the same which ho had given me befoto the battle. I found that he had given m,o beforo tho battle, I found that ho had set mo down for a legacy of 10,000. But In such matters every man must follow his own Instinct. The White Kendah, nn unemotional people especially now when they wero mourning for their lost god and their dead, watched us go without any demonstration of affectlon,or even of farewell. Only those priestesses wno naa attended upon the per son of Lady Ragnall while sho played a divine part among them wept when they parted from her, and uttered prayers that they might meet her again "In the presence of the Child.'' The pass through the great mountains proved hard to climb ,-as the foothold for urn iineis was Dan. nut we managed It 1 ?,:-' J.. "' lno way on t. pausing a little while on their crest to look our last for ever at the land which wo had left where the Mount of the Child was stlli dimly visible. Then we descended their further slope and entered the northern desert Day after day and week nfter week we traveled across the endless desert by a way known to Harut on which water could be found, the only living things in all its vast ness, meeting with no accidents save that of the sandstorm in whloh the Ivory was lost I was much alone during that time, since Harut spoke little and Ragnall and his wife were naturally wmnn.i ,, i i. other. ' " "" '" "'-" At length, months later, we struck a little port on the Red Sea. of which I forget the Arab name, a place as hot as the Infernal regions. Shortly afterward w - ."'J luck, two trading vessels put In for water one bound for Aden, In which I embarked en route for Natal, and the other for the port of Suez, whence Ragnall and his wife could travel overland to Alexandria. Our parting was so hurried at the list, as U often the way after long fellowship, that beyond mutual thanks and good wishes we said little to one another. I can see them now standing with their arms about each other watchlns- ma rllMmr,r Con cerning their future there Is so much to tell that of It I Bhalt say nothing; at any rate here and now, except that ady Ragnall wao right She, and I did not part for the last time. ' Aa I shook old Harut's hand In ' ,,. n he told me that he was going on to Egypt and I asked him why. "Perchance to look for another god. Lord Maeumazana," he answered gravely, "whom now there Is n'o Jana to destroy. We may speak of that matter If we should meet again." . Such are some of the things that I "re member about, this Journey, but to tell the truth, I paid little attention to them and many otheri. For oh I my heart was eore because of Hane. , k -' with strong sun, there lost In cool nurnla shade that foiled the eye far up among thl hanging miracles of the roof. At the transept-crossing they 8tdn amazed; for hero the fluting, ran un flvi hundred feet Inside the stupendous central spire, among n marvelous filigree of win dows which diminished toward thg-toD lacework as of frost-patterns etched Into the solid substance of the flecho. "Higher than that, more massive and more beautiful the buildings of the future shall arise," said Allan slowly after a pause. "But they shall not serve creed or faction. They shall be for all mankind for tho great race still to come. Besutv shall be Its heritage. It right r And loveliness shall crown tha watting woria As with a garland of Immortal Joy! orM "But come, come, Beatrice there's wnrir j v v. ..u .W.U...O. Bui we muitn t stand here admiring architecture and dreaming dreams while those records are still undiscovered. Down Into the crK we go, to dig among the relics of a vanished age!" ''The crypt, Allan? Where Is It?" "If I remember rightly and at the time, this cathedral was bultt I followed ths plans with some care the entrance Is back of the main southern cluster of pillars over there at tho transept-crossing.' Com. .... Beta. In a mlnuto wo can see whether thousand-year-old memories are any good or not!" Quickly ho led the way, nx and torch In hand, nnd ns they rounded the group of massive buttresses whence sprang the nil lars for the groin-vaults aloft, a cry of satisfaction escaped him, followed by a word of quick astonishment, "What Is It, Allan?" exclaimed the girl. "Anything wrong? Or " The manfBtoort peering with wide eyes" then suddenly he knelt and began pawln over the little heap of vegetable drift that had accumulated along the wall, "It's here, nil right," said he. 'There's the door, right In front of us but what I don't understand Is this!" "What, Allnn? Is there anythlnf ' wrong?" "Not wrong, perhaps, but devilish pecul iar !" Speaking, he raised his hand to her. The fingers held nn arrow-head of flint, "There's been a battle nere, that's' sure." said ho. "Look, spear-polnts shattered!" He hnd already uncovered three obsidian blades. Tho broken tips proved how forci bly they had been driven against the stone in the long ago. "What? A " His fingers closed on a small, hollow shell or goiti. "A molar, so help, me All that's left of some forgotten white man who fell here, at the door, a thousand years ago!" Speechless, the' girl took the shell from him nnd examined It. "You're right, Allan," she answered. "This certainly Is a hollow gold crown. Any one can seo that, In spite of tho patlni that's formed over the metal. Why what can It all mean?" "Search me I Tho patriarch's record fave the impression that this eastern expedition set out within thirty years or so of the catastrophe. Well, In that short time It doesn't seem possible there could have tie veloped savages fighting with flints and so on. But that thoro certainly was a battle hero nt this door, and that the cathedral was used as a fort against some kind of In vasion Is positively certain "Why, look at tho chips of concrete knocked off the Jamb of the door here; Must have been some tall mace-work where you're standing. Beta! If we could know tho complete story of this expedition, Its probable failure to reach New York, Its entrapment here, tho siege and the Inevit able tragedy of Its end starvation, sorties, repulses, hand-to-hand fighting at the outer gates, In the nave, here at the crypt door, pernaps on tne stairs and In the vaults be low then defeat and slaughter and extinc tion what a tremendous drama we could formulnto I" Beatrice nodded. Plain to see, the thought depressed her. "Death, everywhere" she began, but Allan laughed. "Life, you mean!" he rallied. "Come, now, this does no good, poking In the rub bish of a distant tragedy. Real work awaits us. Come !" Ho picked up the torch, and with his primltivo but serviceable matches lighted it Tho Bmoko rose through the silent air of tho cathedral, up Into a broad sunlit zono from a tall window In the transept, where It writhed blue and luminous. A single blow of Allan's ax shattered the last few shreds of oaken plank that still hung from the eroded hinges of the door. In front of the explorers a flight of con creto steps descended, winding darkly to the crypt beneath. Allan went first holding the torch high to light the way. "The records I" he exclaimed. "Soon, soon we shall know the secrets of the past!" CnAPTKB VI Trapped! SOME thirty steps the way descended, ending In a straight and very narrow passage. The air,' though somewhat cbllL was absolutely dry and perfectly resplrable, thanks to the enormously massive founda tion of solid concrete which formed virtually one solid monolith 600 feet long by S50 broad a monolith molded about the crypt and absolutely protecting It from every out side Influence. "Not even the 'Great Pyramid of Ghlzsh' could afford a more perfect hello, what's this?" Allan aopped short, (taring downward at the floor. Ills voice re-echoed strantely In the rostrlcted space, "A skeleton, so help me I" True indeed. At one .side of the passat', lying In a position that strongly suggested death In a crouching, despairing attitude death by starvation rather than by violence a little clutter of human bones gleamed white under the torch-flare. "A skeleton the first one of our van ished race we've ever found 1" exclaimed the man. "All the remains In New York, you remember, down In the subway or In any of the buildings, were Invariably llttlt piles of Impalpable dust mixed with eolnf, j and bits of rusted metaL But this lt' J absolutely Intact I" 1 "The dry air and all'' suggested Beat-Sa rice. Rtern nodded. "Yes." he answered. "Intact, ', He etlrred the skull with his foot ' In Btantly It vanished Into powder. "Just as I thought." said he. "No chanee to give a, decent burial to this or any other ..." .. . ... V.M. numan remains we may come acru - & The slightest disturbance totally dlalntHiM gratea them. But with this it's oinerw ,y He picked up a revolver, hardly ru. a alt ka tan na as feamt ',f "Cartridges ; look r cried Beatrice, point ' Tliat's an Ava eiMa m rnflP!" Lying In an Irregular oval, that p!' , lold nf a. vanished cartridge belt a atrial k.' of cartridges trailed on tho concrete flr'.,.sgai "H-m-m-m I Just for an experiment, i-q seel" murmured the engineer. Already ne naa supped in a ennrgc. -aj "a,..,. T.f Hee " t-e, r-stltloned, SJHUilSSI nnlntlnw ,4n, Iia aa,(r ,,11fu1 trlCflf. Flame stabbed the half-dark and V uin-tnims uciuiiaiiuu tuns in wier -- .-4 TBI . "WhAt rtn von fhlnlc of thfttT" CTlWfcJ Stern Exultantly. 'Talk about your mlrH clef. A thousand years and- M ) I1n I-rirA o-rn nnd him hv hfl ami ix nffjt afAmaosara! A fellaVlaV YlH lt&Tt ThesKst of the Bkeleton had vanished. its place now only a few handfula of J"J Ay on mi noor. , . ' "Well, 1'ir be-i-" tho main excUto "Eyen that does the trick, eh? ";'. would be a Joket now, wouldn't it, if! records should act tha same way? T on, Beta ;' this J all very lnterestlnf.l It isn't retting us anywhere. wj tn h nt wnrlf !' . ..-'. --w - .. .. ,1 ii 1 f I f tJ r I a l wimni i.sno amumMw m. - 'rr1-"; ,i L . .i... y, ..,.-..?. ().,. .JU&L.' xv v-y-iv . . ,v. ...j&j&k' ',. V IPOHTiMVM) TOm0M6 orraaai sen aaaivru ., KM stQ aMJITH. o - - ,- .1 " .'T. .. , ' - ' '"" - v" vw m VSJ.i i .V,
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers