Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-07-14

II was wondering about that. I've
flown across the cliff a lumber OF
times. but have never seen anything
of 1t. He may have wrecked 1t; taken
1t down and used 1t for some other
purpose"
NO" she said; he'd hardly have
had time for that. There weren't
many more pages to write in the jour
nal when he made that entry.
She fell then into a little abstracted
silence, which the man did not know
how to break. But presently she reused
herself and came fully back to the pres
ent, back to him.
did you succeed in accounting for
the thing you asked me about last
night, the mark on the map right here
where they built the hut afterward?"
IT didn't find anything about 1t In
the journal, but this morning, before
breakfast, when / went outside the
hut, one glance at the fact OF the clih
accounted for it fully. The clih II
split right here, from top to bottom,
by a deep, narrow fssure. The assure
is full of ice, which / suppose hasn't
melted for a thousand years. No sum-
mel that they could have in a high lat
itude like this would ever melt 1t, Ger
tainly."
The girl laughed and rose from her
place at the rude table.
WELL" she asked, ARE you ready
for my discovery now?"
She took down his pocket electric
b%ull's-eye from the shelf behind her.
held out a hand to him and, on tip
toe, led him, with a burlesque exag-
geration Of mystery, out into the store
room. AS completely mystifed In
reality as she p~layfully pretended to
want him to be, Cayley followed.
She went straight across the store
room to the real wall of the hut, the
wall that backed squarely against the
sheer surface Of the cliff, flashed on
the bull's-eye for a second. apparently
to make sure that she had chosen the
right point in he wall, then, letting
70 his hand, she stopped and picked
up a stick Of fre-wood which lay at
her feet. With this she struck pretty
hard upon the plank1ng. The sound
which the blow CAV forth was al
hollow az a drum
Cayley started. "A cavel" he ex
claimed. "a cave here!-Oh. l see.
IT'S a cold cellar they made By cutting
a hole in the ice that filled the assure.
And why do you suppose they boarded
1t up?"
The girl laughed delightedly. Evi-
IDENTIFY she had not, as yet, developed
the whole Of her discovery. She
flashed on the light again.
"Look!" she commanded.
In the center Of a little circle OF
wall which the bulls-eye now illum-
mated Cayley saw the barrel of a
rusty hinge.
"You see," she went on, f'it's q door,
and they only nailed it up the other
day. There's a nail-head somewhere
here that's quite bright. l caught the
CLINT OF 1t while ] was rummaging be-
fore breakfast, and that was what
made me look"
Cayley darted back into the living
! room, returning almost instantly with
the broken-handled pick.
In less than a minute, with q pro
testing sQuawk, the rude door swung
open, and they saw before them just
what Cayley had predicted. A rather
high, but narrow cavity, the sides OF
which we're the naked rock OF the
| cliff. but the floor and ceiling solid
Ice.
Despite the fact that the girls e1-
element over the discovery Of the
cave had, for a moment, carried Cay
ley along with 1t, he was not greatly
surprised, and not at all cast down
when, at the end Of five minutes OF
hasty exploration, it was made evil
dent to them that the ample supply of
stores which they sought was not to
be found here.
Jeanne herself would not, perhaps,
have entertained so high q hope had
she learned Of the reference to the
other cave which Cayley found in the
journal before she herself had CHANGED
upon the mouth OF this one. Az 1t
was, his theory that the stores were
| to be found in q cav vaguely situated
along the glacier, made little impress
sion upon her, she was so sure that
they had been right here, under thetr
hands.
When their investigation made 1t
| clear that whether he was right OF
not, certainly she wa wrong. she wal
bitterly disappointed. Cayley was
aware Of that, even as they stood
here. side by side, with no light to see
her face by. She said nothing. OF
very little, but he knew, nevertheless
tina. for Just this moment all the LIN
and courage had gone out Of her;
knew that the slight figure there, %
close beside him. was dropping. trem'
bling . little.
He laid . steady hand upon hel
shoulder. Almost instantly. under hi
touch, she turned to him, caught Will
both hands ut the unbottoned edges q
the rough wooden Jacket he wore, and
sobbing q little now and then. but 9th
erwise In silence, simply chung to him
He did not offer. with his arms. Il
draw her any closer, to turn what wa
. mere instructive appeal to the protsc
ton OF his strength and courage. Int
An embrace. He kept a hand on eacl
Of her shoulders, more by way Of sup
port than anything else, and waitst
. moment before he spoke.
AFTER ALL" he said at last, "wha
we've got here is just 30 much cleA'
gain, and it will be immensely va1u
able to us, though 1t isn't what We 81
pected. The fact that it Is their super
fluffy, the things they hadn't any PAL
ticular or immediate 9 for, doesn'
-ur- -A-k -u~pr1 <orrJ hopo onv IN,