The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-03

 THE LADY OF THE HEAVENS.
(Continued.l

| "Nothing but to die," she answered, "to die together; and, dear, that should not be so hard, seeing that for so long we have thought each other dead
 apart" .,oa "after living through so much and be- | ing led so far, to die at last and go | whither we know not. before our time. Rachel looked at Noie, who sat op- posite to them. her head rested on her hand. Have you anything to say, Sister ?' she asked.
 | that I have found upon the stones, and she produced a small bundle. Let l us boil it and eat, it will keep us alive for another day"
 What is the user" asked hachels | unless there is more"
 There is no more" said Noie. "for the leaves of wonder tree are deadly poison, and here grows no other living things. Still. eat and live on, TOT l wait g. message"
 "A message from whom?" asked Ra- chel.
 It was promised to me by Nya before she passed. and if it does not come. then it will be time to die" ] So they made fire and boiled the moss till 1t was a horrible. sticky sub stance, which they swallowed as best they could. washing it down with gulps of water. Still it was food of a kind, and for a while stayed the gnawing empty pains within them; might be more for the others. That night was even hotter than those that had gone before, and dur ing the day which followed the place became like a hell They crept into the cave and lay there gasping, while from without came loud cracking sounds, caused, as they thought, py the trees of the forest splitting in the he CI became densely overcast. although no breath stirred; the air was thicker than ever. to breathe it was like breathing hot steam In their restless and to their surprise saw dwarf standing upon the top of the wall It was Eddo, who called to them to come out and give themselves up
 What are the terms? ?' asked Noie-
 ''That thou and the Wanderer shall die by the White Death. and that the Inkosazana shall be installed Mother of the Trees" was the answer
 ''We refuse them," said No1e. Let us go now and give us food and escort, and thou shalt be spared. Refuse. and it is thou and thy people who Will ole by that Red Death which Nya prom ised thee.''
 That we shall learn before to-mor- row." said Eddo with a mocking laugh, and vanished down the wall.
 As he went a hot gust of wind burst upon CneIl, cduSlHS tIS lOACSt to rock and groan. Noie turned her face towards it and seemed to listen.
 What is it?'' asked Rachel.
 "I heard a voice in the wind. Sister" ed has come to me"
 What message?" asked Richard listlessly.
 "That I will tell you by and by Chief" she answered. Come to the cave, it is no longer safe here. the hurricane breaks"
 So supporting each other they crept back to the cave, and there Noie made fire. feeding it with the idols and precious woods that had been brought thither as offerings. Richard and Ra- chel watched her wondering for 1t seemed strange that she should make nothing to cook Meanwhile gust sue ceeded gust, until tempest of scream ing wind swept over them, though no rain fell. Soon it was so fierce that the deep-rooted Tree of the Tribe rocked above them, and loose stones were blown from the crest of the great wall
 Then of a sudden Noie sprang up, and seized a flaming brand from the fire; it was the limb of a fetish made of some resinous wood. She ran from the cave swiftly, before they could stop her. and vanished in the gather ing gloom. to return again in few moments weak and breathleSs.
 Come out, now" she said, "and see a sight such as you shall never behold again" and there was something so strange in her voice that. notwith, standing their weakness, they rose and followed her.
 Outside the cave they could not stand because of the might of the hurricane. but cast themselves upon the ground, and following Noie's out stretched arm, looked up towards the top of the mound. Then they saw that the Tree of the Tribe was on fire. AL ready its vast trunk and boughs were wrapped in flame, which burnt furious Iy because of the resin within them, while long flakes of blazing moss were being swept away to leeward, to fall among the forest that lay beyond the wall
 ''Did you do this?" cried Rachel to Noie.
 Ave, Zoola, who else?'' That was the message which came to me. Now my office is fulfilled, but you two will live though I must die, I who have destroyed the People of the Dwarfs, who was here that I should destroy them.
 Destroy themi" exclaimed Rachel. "What do you mean?"
 'I mean that when their Tree dies, they die. the whole race of them. Oh! Nya told me. Nya told me-they dle as their Tree dies. by fire. To the Wall. to the Wall now and look. Fol low me-"
 Forgetting their hunger-bred weak ness in the wild excitement of that moment, Rachel and Richard struggled hand in hand, after Noie's thin. eth ereal form. Across the open space they struggled. through the furious buffetings of the gale, sometimes on their feet. sometimes on their hands and knees till they came to the great Wall where a stairway ran up 1t to an outlook tower. Up this stair they climbed slowly since at times the weight of the wind pinned them against the blocks of stone till at length they reached it's crest and crept into the shelter of the hollow tower Hence, looking through the loopholes in the ancient masonry, they saw fearful sight The flakes of burning moss from the Tree of the Tribe had fallen among the tops of the forest parched almost to finder with drought and heat, an6 fired them here and there Famed by the screaming gale the flames spread rapidly, leaping from tree to tree. now in one direction, now in another as the hurricane veered, which it did continually, till the whole green forest became a sheet of fire, an a9 ct