The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-29
THE MOON METAL.
BY GARRETT p. sERVISS.

Pardon me- he whispered. ''for
keeping you so long in waiting, but
what I have just seen and overheard
was of a nature to admit of no inter
ruptiOn- He is still talking, and by
pressing your ear against the hole you
may be able TO catch what he says"
WHO is hep
Look for yourself
placed my eye at the aperture and
almost recoiled with the violence of
my surprise. The tunnel before me was
brilliantly illuminated. and within three
feet of the wall of rock behind which
We crouched stood DR.. SyX. his dark
profile looking almost satanic in the
sharp contrast of light and shadow
He was talking to one of his foremen
and the two were the only visible oc-
cupants of the tunnel Putting my ear
TO the little opening 1 heard his words
distinctly:
49, end of their rope. Well. they've
spent a pretty lot of money for their
experience. and I rather think we shall
not be troubled again by artemisium
seekers for some time to come
The doctors. voice ceased. and in
stantly / clapped my eye to the hole He
had changed his position so that his
black eyes now looked straight at the
aperture. My heart was in my mouth,
for at first 1 believed from his express
sion that he had detected the CLEAN of
my eyeball- But if so. he probably
miStook it for bit of mica in the rock.
and, paid no further attention. Then
his lips moved and l put my ear again
to the hole. He seemed TO be replying
to a question that the foreman had
asked.
IF they, do" he said. they will
never guess the real secret
NThereupOn he turned on his heel,
kicked a bit of rock off the track and
strobe away toward the entrance. The
foreman paused long enough to turn
out the electric lamp and then followed
the doctor.
Well" asked Hall, what have you
heard ?''
/ told him everything.
1T fully corrobOrates the evidence of
my own eyes and ears" he remarked,
land we may count ourselves extreme
~ lucky 1t is not likely that DR. Syx
will be heard a second time proclaim
ing his deception with his own lips. It
is plain that he was led to talk as he
did to the foreman on account of the
latter's having informed him of the
sudden discharge of my men this morn
ing. Their presence within earshOt of
our hiding place during their converse
ton was, of course, pure accident, and
so you can see how kind fortune has
been TO US expected to have to watch
and listen and form deductions for a
week at least before getting the 1nfor-
nation which five lucky minutes nave
placed in our hands
While he was speaking my compan-
up the hole in the rock When it was
closed to his satisfaction he turned on
the light in our tunnel
Did you observe he asked, that
there was a second tunnel?'
What do you say?'
when the light was on in there I
saw the mouth of a smaller tunnel en-
tering the main one behind the cars on
the right. Did you notice it?"
@-Oh, yes" I replied: 7 did observe
L. i H. hole
paid no attention to it because 1 was
so absorbed in the doctor
well" rejoined Hall. smiling, cit
was worth considerably more than a
glance. AS a subject of thought 1 find
il even more absorbing than DR.. Syx-
Did you see the track in it2''
No I had TO acknowledge; 4 did
not notice that But" ] continued,
little piuued by his manner, being a
branch of the main tunnel, l don't see
anything remarkable in its having a
track also"
ct was rather dim In that hole said
Hail. still smiling in a somewhat pro-
vcking way. but the railroad track
was there plain enough And whether
you think it remarkable or not, should
like TO lay you wager that that track
| leads to a secret worth a dozen of the
one we have just overheard
MY good friend" I retOrted, still
smarting a little. Il shall not presume
! perspicacity. 1 haven't cats eyes IN
the dark"
Hall Immediately broke out laughing,
and. sIapping me good-naturediy on
/ the shoulder. exclaimed:
| Come. come. now, If you go To
! kicking back at a fellow like that
shall be sorry I ever undertook this ad-
! venture
CThe he Continued)
Downright 1900. bv Garrett P. SerYissD