Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-05
THE HOUSE OF THE
BLACK RING.
BY FRED LEWIS PATTEE
Copyright. b. HenyH & Coz
BY FRED LEWIS PATTEE.
How does she seem to be7"

How does she seem to be9'
she amt conscious yet Not much hope"
Say, les you and me SO into that cave.
That feller in tho barn says it's chuckfulI
OF money and postage stamps"
All right: we may catch that other man
Wait TIL | get that revolver"
AT that instant harsh voice rang sud
denly out of the darkness behind them
causing both men 10 jump convuls!vely
Halt there Throw up your hands Up
with 'em, or I'll shoot" Automatically
they obeyed.
Jim Far:hpS / arrest you In the name
of the law. The sheriff stepped quickly
forward and slipped on the handouts Then
Squire Harsswiek puffed into the circle OF
light.
You here. Amos7 With him? Why.
what does this nfean?"
II come down with Ms Farthing, and
I've found out some things sence I've been
here, too. Here, sheriff 1 demand an in
vestfgation right of" Amos pressed Gag
erly forward. THAT was Loney Heller that
run over the bridge with the boys. She
hid EN- IN a cave down here in the run.
There was some men in IL. and they shot
her."
"Cave7 You're raving crazy. Amos" The
squire came near and looked curiousy up
into his face.
Its Gods truth. The DOCTORS In there
now. and the one that shot Loney Is here
In the barn tied. II you don't believe It
YOU come and look at him" They followed
him into the barn. The stood sullen
and defiant and made no reply TO the sher-
ms questions.
THAT man tried to hire me. He offered
me five hundred dollars In postage stamps
| II I'd let him go. He said it was hid in
that cave"
'"Cave?" snapped the squire. THAT don't
go. I've lived here all my life. and l should
have known II there a cave
But we can prove it IN two minutes,
Squire Hartswick, broke in Jim eagerly.
It's only a few steps"
Now that's fair" assented Amos Come
on. I'm Jest dyin to see IL.
'Nosuh, it's trap"
1T amt no such thing, squire. Now you
look ahere. That Teller there Is the one
that's been dom these robberies. You can
see that by tire looks Of him. They have
got cave down there that don't know
anything about l say it's nothing moren
right that we take look at tat the OUT
side of it, If nothing more Come on.
sheriff"
That's fair assented the man. There's
no risk In dom that. Come on squire.
Now, Farthing, no monkey business. I've
got a revolver here, and I'll plug you the
minute there's foul play" The squire hest
tated a moment. then followed the trio
into the
Over central Pennsylvania lies a blanket
of limestone, five hundred and more feet
thick. Imagine from the top Of this Il
mighty layer lifted like slice from a loaf,
and behold a chaotic landscape of winding
caverns sparkling with stalagmites, huge
chambers frescoed In myriad colors-a sec
ton of a sponge, cut across an anthill-
never overcome their wonder at the lime
stone. Its vagaries are ever new and
astounding. Great streams burst out OF
the mountain gaps, wind awhile through the
alluviel. then are sucked down suddenly by
the NAV of a siuk-hole; again miles away
they burst into the daylight, boiling springs
with mighty rush of water sufficient to
turn great mills. Farmers ploughing IN
the field sink out of sight in a twinkling.
horses and all; a field as smooth as a
floor suddenly In an autumn food springs
a-leak there is sink-hole in the center.
and by night there Is yawning gulf down
which has disappeared the fertility of many
square rods of tillage: great towns have no
sewerage outlet. the whole torrent from
countless sewers being discharged Into some
sink-hoIe. Sometimes a whole field, acres
in extent, begins to settle. Down and down
II goes until 1t has become gulf with
precipitious sides. In the famous Sinking
valley there is q plot twelve acres in extent
which began to sink in 1864 and today 1t Is
chasm a quarter of a mile in depth. And
still it is pulling gradually down acre after
acre of the fertile land.
It is the country of the weathered and
grotesque outcroppings, of thin sofia
mere crust over the rock mass-of sink
holes and Ice caves and blind caverns-
millions of them unmeasured, unsuspecteI
by man.
Here we are" said Jim at length The
mouth of the cave is In that rock heap"
They threw the light of their lanterns into
a jagged fissure lying low amid the tangle
of juniper. See that big stone? Give it
d
Amos bent over and pushed the stone. It
rolled back noiselessly. disclosing a black
void.
81 swanny nowl That's mighty neat.
amt it7' He looked up at the ring OF
faces. "A Teller might hunt a week and
not find that. Les go in"
"Nosuh! It's trap. Don't you go in
there" The old man spoke decisively.
ITS a cave, all right" Amos flashed
the rays of the lantern far into the hole.
"And it's where them robbers have made
their headquarters jest sure you
stand there Come on, sheriff; II you do
your duty you'll go in"
Now, 1 don't know" he said. hesitat-
ingly.
oval. I'm goin' in whether or no. and
I'm goin' to for sheriff next fall. Here,
give me your revolver"
"Ail right, Wen go in. Amos you go
ahead; Jim, you go next. and. remember,
I've got my revolver right in my fist. At
the very first sign Of monkey business I'll
shoot yeh quick l would a RATHER.
Squire, you come on behind with your
lantern
''Nosuh. You don't catch me in there"
he snapped but Amos was already out of
sight Jim, impeded greatly by the man
acles, was following closely. Then the
sheriff crept into the narrow opening and
the squire stood alone. All was silent save
for the waters of the run, which gi5bered
and Kissed at his feet. He stood moment
undecided; then he. too, crawled in.
Go be continued tomorrow