The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-02-24

TO the track ana pointed out the fatal
quarry. but in such wise that she could
not look inside it,
"You remember that round hole we
saw from the summit rockT' he said.
"Well, it is full of carbonic acid gas, to
breathe which means Inconsistencies
and death. 1t gives no warning to the
inexperienced. 1t is rather pleasant
than otherwise. Promise me you will
never come near this place again"
Now, Iris, too, had been thinking
deeply. Robert jerks buiked large in
her day dreams. Her nerves were not
yet quite normal. There was catch
in her throat as she answered:
II don't want to die. OF course l
will keep away What horrid island
this is! Yet it might be paradise"
She bit her lip to suppress her tears;
but, being the Eve in this garden, she
continued:
How did you find out? Is there
nything-nasty-in there?"
Eyes, the remains of animals and
other things. would not have told
you were it not imperative"
"Are you keeping other secrets from
meT'
"Oh, quite a number"
He managed to conjure up smile,
and the ruse was effective. She APP
piled the words to his past history.
81 hope they will not be revealed so
dramatically" she said
"You never can tell" he answered
They were in prophetic vein that
morning They returned in silence to
the cave.
II wish to go inside with a lamp
May r. he asked.
"May come too?" she demanded.
He assented, with an explanation of
his design. When the lamp was in or
der he held it close to the wall and
conducted Il systematic survey. The
geological fault which favored the con-
struction of the tunnel seemed to di-
verge to the left at the farther end.
The "face" Of the rock exhibited the
marks of persistent labor. The stone
had been hewn away by main force
when the dislocation of strata ceased
to be helpful.
His knowledge was limited on the
subject, yet jerks believed that the
material here was a hard limestone
rather than the external basalt. Search
ing each inch with the feeble light, he
paused once, with an exclamation.
"What is it p cried Iris.
II cannot be certain" he said doubt
fully. would you mind holding the
lamp while I use crowbarW
In the stone was visible thin vein,
blush white in color. He managed to
break off fair sized lump containing
well defined specimen Of the foreign
metal.
They hurried into the open air and
examined the fragment with curious
eyes. The sailor picked it with his
knife, and the substance in the vein
came off in Illuminated layers, small,
brittle scales.
"ks It silverT' Iris was almost ex-
cited.
IL do not think so. l am no expert,
but We vague IDEAL have SEEM
He wrinlled his brows and pressed
away the burrows with his hand, that
physical habit Of his when perplexed.
II have It," he cried. 1T is anti
mony."
Miss Deane pursed her lips in dis
dain. Anthony! What was anti
m6ny?
$50 much fuss for nothing" she said
at is used in alloys and medicines
I,
He threw the piece of rock contemp.
tuously among the bushes. But, be-
ing thorough in all that he undertook
he returned to the cave and again
conducted an inqufsition. The silver
hued vein became more strongly mark
ed at the point where it disappeared
downward into a collection Of rubble
and sand. That was all. Did men
| give their toll, their lives, for this? Sc
it would appear. Be that as 1T might
he had more pressing work. If the
cave still held a secret it must remain
there.
Iris had gone back to her sage knead
ing. Shouldering the AK, he walked t
the beach. Much debris from the steam
er was lying high and dry. 1t was an
easy task for an athletic man to reach
the palm tree, yet the sailor hesitated
with almost imperceptible qualms.
"a baited rat trap" he muttered
Then he qulckened his pace. With the
first active spring from rock to rock
his unacknowledged doubts vanished
He might find stores of priceless utll
ity. The reflection inspired him
Jumping and climbing like cat, In
two minutes he was near the tree.
He could now see the true explana
ton Of its growth In a seemingly i'm
possible place. Here the bed Of the
sea bulged upward in small sane
cay, which silted round the base of 6
limestone rock so different in color ant
formation from the coral reef. Ma
ture, whose engineering contrivances
can force springs to mountain tops
managed to deliver to this isolated ref
uge sufficient supply of water t.
nourish the palm, and the roots, firmly
lodged in deep crevices. were well pro
iected from the waves.
Between the sailor and the tree In
tervened a small stretch of shallow wa
Ter. Landv ard this submerged saddle
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