Catoctin clarion., 1900-12-13

ing it in front showed plainly "nere
feet of come sort had recently trampled.
And there the trail ended
/ turned in amazement to Sam What
on earthv
IN earth, you mean, he said slowly.
sharing my astonishment; :hey must
be in there, but how did Dora ever get
up spunk enough to 60 into such denT
ITS Annie returned glumly, YOU
never saw such girl. She would
make nothing Of crawling into a volca-
ma
Sam, who had been studying geology
examined the rocky entrance. Lime
stone he observed, with a wise nod.
Just the formation for caverns. May
be it discovery, Walt, a cave like
the one your Unclo Joe told US about
going into up in Ell Dorado nty.Big
thingl Hallool You in therel Will you
let anY one in without ticket?
thought heard faint, whlrring
reply from within. sounding like, who,
who. arr re you|
1t had queer sort Of ghostly echo to
it, Notwithstanding the bright daylight.
Sam turned his flushed freckled face to
me, and grinned a. my awe stricken
look.
Let's go in, any way!' he said, and
plunged into the dusky opening. Itol.
lowed him, and saw him disappear ar
round o sharp turn in the tunnel as
quickly as if door had closed behind
him,
'Halloo, Waltz heard him cry, and
then, as | rounded the turn, | echoed
his shout. For the low, narrow passage
had at step expanded Into wide and
lofty cavern, chilly and gloomy. As
We stood staring, we could see here and
in the rocky walls black holes like the
galleries in mine, seeming to lead
away into the heart of the mountain.
half expected to see some sort of hob
goblin spring out from one Of the dark
mouths.
Say, SAM l whispered, we are on
the wrong track, sure. The girls cant
possibly be in here
Hardly had I spoken when We were
startled by peal of silvery laughter
seeming to come ftom the rocky ceiling
overhead. Il echoed an re echoed and
died away in faint, quaverins moan
that was blood curdling. Of course
neither Sam nor | was scared, but as
the impish laughter was almost instant.
ly followed fly a mocking little shrek
that WAS positively fendlsh | am afraid
We came very near turning on ON
tracks. However, Sam had good lung;
Of his own, and he managed to below
What's the matter with you in there?
1t was something like shouting into
an empty hogshead, and made our ears
ring. But voice replied, and in spite
Of the echoes | recognized it as that o
Annie:
Come on in and see.'
v knowr cried Sam, springing for
ward; there another room like this il
beyond one Of those tunnels. They r'
in there
He darted boldly into one OF the pas
sages, and keeping his red head in sigh
ran after him. For few rods it wa
dusky, then black as night, and ther
we grouped our way around anothe
sharp corner, and stopped, bewildered
blinded by dazzling splendor.
Imagine great chamber, nearly
square in shape, say forty feet each way
and varying from ten to twenty feet IL
height; the ceiling one large sheet o
mother ot-pearl, like the inside Of {
hugh sea shell; hanging from the CLEAN
ing, rainbow tinted ceiling, dozens o.
sparkling crystal trees and shrubs EN-
crusted with diamonds; the walls sof
lustrous blue, like a new-laid robin
egg, veinei with glitterng lines of sill
yer and gold; the floor like spotlesi
milk-white glass, and, in the center. ;
sort Ct throne about half as high as al
ordinary table, and exactly resembling
polished white marble.
As near as | can describe it that was
what we saw. and perhaps our eyes
more especially mine, did not bulge
but perhaps, too. they did!
Upon the throne like pair Of prin-
cesses, between them handful of blaz
ing pitch knots, stood Annie and Dor'
laughing at US. We could hear th'
ghostly echoes Of their merriment re-
sounding in the outer passage.
Sam was the first to recover his wits
could hardly help thinking that the
gorgeous room was veritable treasure
house, the silver and gold and jewell