Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-08-07

conferences with his men Of science and
inventors, but I shall try to make you
understand how it all came about.
1T was long time ago. 200 years
back, I suppose, that one Of my ances-
tors discovered little isolated island in
the Atlantic ocean. He was forced in q
storm to land there with his ship and
crew to make some repairs to his vessel
In wandering about over the island he
discovered narrow entrance to a cave,
and with two or three of his men he be-
gan to explore it. When they had gone
for a mile or two down into the interior
Of the cavern, which seemed to lead
straight down toward the center Of the
earth. they began to find small pieces Of
gold. The farther they went the more
they found, till at last the very cavern
walls seemed lined with it
"They were at first wildly excited
over their sudden good fortune and were
about to load their ship with it and re-
turn to Europe at once, but the better
Judgment Of my ancestor prevailed.
He explained that if the world were in
formed Of the discovery Of such an In
exhaustible mine Of gold the value
of the precious metal would decline till
it would be worth little more than some
grosser metal, and that if they would
only keep their secret to themselves they
could in time control the finances of the
world. So, acting on this suggestion,
they only dug out few thousand
pounds and took part Of it to Europe
and part of it to America and turned II
into money.
''Then, to curtail my story, they
elected my ancestor as ruler, and, with
ahips loaded with every available con.
senience that inexhaustible wealth could
procure and q colony Of carefully cho-
sen men, they returned to the island.
AFTER the men and their families
had settled in the great, roomy mouth
Of the cavern my ancestor supplied him
self with several strong men and food
and lights and sought to explore the en-.
tire cavern.
To their establishment, they found
that it was practically endless. When
they had gone down about 80 or 70
miles below the sea level, they found
themselves on q vast, undulating plain,
the soil of which was dark and rich,
with the black roof of the cavern arch
ing overhead like the bottom of great,
inverted bowl. And when they had
Travelled about ten days and reached the
other side my ancestor calculated that
the cave must be over 100 miles in d.
ameter and almost circular in shape.
But what elated and surprised them
most was the remarkable salubrity of
the atmosphere. In all parts of the cave
1t was exactly the same temperature,
and they found that they scarcely felt
any fatigue from their journey, and
that they had little desire to eat the
provisions with which they were sup
piled. Indeed, the very air seemed per-
meated with subtle quality that gave
them strength and energy Of mind and
body.
Finally, when after q month had
passed and they returned to their anx-
ious friends. these people overwhelmed
them with ordinations of surprise over
their appearance. And in the light of
day the explorers looked at one another
In establishment, for in the dim light Of
the lanterns they had carried they had
not noticed the great change that had
come over them. They had all become
the finest specimens Of physical health
that could be imagined. Their bodies
had filled out; they were remarkably
strong; their skins shone with health
ful color and their eyes sparkled with
intellectual energy, and their minds,
even to the humblest burden carrier,
wee astonishingly acute and active.
my ancestor was a remarkable man.