The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-11-19
.epiaere is Christinar' / asked him.


81 should liked to have sent for a
screwsariver, but probably can get one
Oh eur way back" was my answer. and
with that we drove away.
In about half an hour, proceeding BY
unfrequented roads, we came in sight Of
Kohlstein. 1t was a vast four sided
mass Of gray rock. scanned with deep
clefts and assures running horizontally
and vertically, so that it appeared to
have been, built of gigantic blocks Of
stone. 1t was considerably over one
Hundred feet in sheer height, and it
stood upon rising ground of shifting
sand. Slender trees grew here and there
cut of the crevices Of it's headlong sides
and struggled markedly along it's level
summit, outlined against tho sky. 1t
was an ideal place for robber strong
hold; impregnable, certainly, to any at
tack save that Of the heaviest modern
artillery.
"Wemust get out and walk from here, :"
remarked Mr.. Birchznore. There's only
one way of getting to the top. and that's
Oh the other side have got touch
Of my rheumatios today and hardly
think Z shall be able to do the climbing
However, that needRt interfere with
you young people, Of course, y I
I 8xchahged covert look with Kate
as helped her to descend from the car
riage. and she pressed my hand and
SMILED. admired her courage as much
as lamented the apparent lack OF it in
her father. The horse having been TN:
har1nssed and tethered where some cool
grass grew beside d stream, we struck
of across the sandy upland: Slurk car
ryiag the big basket, Mr., Birchnore
walking with a rather feeble step near
him, and Kate and in front. 1t Was
an even hotter day than yesterday. and
The tramp was weariso1ne one. by
the time we arrived st the foot Of the
Stein, we were quite ready to rest few
kninutes in the shadow Of the rock, for
GOODNESS and breath.
EMO, I can't do itl' said Mr. Birch
more, wiping his forehead and glancing
hopelessly up at the narrow white foot
path that seemed to mount almost
straight upward to the distant summit.
"Just leave me here, with few sand
witches and bottle Of hook, and shall
do very conf ortably till you come back.
It was certainly very arduous work
clambering up that ladderlike path.
and doubt whether Rates determine
ton and mind would have held out had
the motive which urged US been merely
one of curiosity. But the top was gained
at last, and we threw ourselves down ON
the dry grass to rest and to be famed
by the welcome breeze that blew there.
Slurk placed the basket in little hol-
low where some bushes kept off the di
rect rays of the sun and stretched him.
self at full length beside it.
"Now let us walk about, suggested
Kate, at length, in an undertone; 1--WE
must see what there is to be seem"
We had already arranged all the steps
by which we were to proceed to the
achievement Of our purpose and we felt
that the sooner it was ended now the
better. The surface on which we
stood, though preserving a general level.
was full of irregularities and uneven
ness: it was overgrown with low bushes
and parched grass. with perhaps half
dozen starved and meager trees. Here
and there the naked rock jutted forth
fror1s the thin soil. crumbling and
weather worn. its surface starred in
places with dry lichens. The entire
table was scarcely two-thirds Of an acre
in area: and more forlorn and uncon-
genial spot it would be hard to find, even
in tho midst of summer. The cave in
which the robbers lived was somewhere
lower down; we had passed its entrance
on our way up: but it was here proba-
bly,. that an outlook was kept over the
country, to spy out the approach Of VIC
Tins or Of enemies. 1t struck me that it
was hardly worth while to be bandit,
# one must put up with such bleak and
unattractve quarters in which to carry
on the business.
Kate and | wandered over this barren
summit hand in hand. The moment
was now very near that was to make
great change in the world for both Of
MS We felt, somehow, as if we were
taking leave Of a certain part of our
lives then. At least l remember gazing
out across the wide expanse of sunlight
country that stretched far away on
every side and wondering whether it
would look the same an hour hence
Slurk all the while lay beside his basket
and appeared to be asleep
We came to the brow of a sort of shelf
or shallow decivity, descending which
we found ourselves on a lower level by
some six or seven feet; and SO much of
the area as lay behind us ceased to be
visible. Advancing asfew PAGES farther
we paused abruptly on the edge Of q.
dark, profound cleft, which CAPPED right i
Of our feet. 1t was SO narrow that one.
might easily leap across it at its widest
part: but it was SO deep that. for, all
Chat I could see, it might descend to the
very base Of the Stein. Peering down
ward earnestly, however, my eyes, be-
coming accustomed to the gloom, could
discern what seemed to be 4 bot
ton IS j depth Of not more than twenty
eeet. 8 s
"a thing "a Do, after al!
/ ggllIuE mures q long Inspection