The Washington times., 1912-04-09
CHAPTER VII.
The Outer World.

practical problems closing in on every
nand, he put aside his softer moods, |
his visions and desires, and-like the
scientific man he was-addressed him
self to the urgent matters in hand
THE girls safe enough alone here for
Q while." thought he, looking in upon
her where she lay, calm as child. |
folded within the clinging masses of
the tigerslSin.
II must be out and away for two or
three hours, at the very least l hope
she'll sleep till ! get back. II not
what thenT'
He pondered a moment; then, coming
over to the charred remnants Of last
nights fire, chose bit of burned wood.
With this he scrawled in large, rough
letters on a fairly smooth stretch of the
wall:
Back soon. All o. K. Don't worry"
Then, turning, he set out on the long.
painful descent again to the earth level
Garish now, and doubly terrible, since
seen with more than double clearness
by the graying dawn, the world-ruin
seemed to him. .t.s.'s ~
Strong of body and of nerve as he
was. he could not help but shudder at
the numberless traces of sudden and
pitiless death which everywhere met
his gaze
Everywhere lay those dust heaps, with
here or there a tooth, a ring, a bit of
5ewelry howing-everywhere he saw
them. all the way down the stairs, in
every room and office that he peered
into and in the time-ravished confusion
of the arcade. ...
But this was scarcely the time for re-
nections Of any sort. Life called, and
labor, and duty: not mourning for the
dead world, nor even wonder or pity at
the tragedy which had SO mysteriously
befallen. ~.
And as the man made his way over
and through the universal wreckage
he took counsel with himself
"First of all, water!" thought he
we can't depend on the bottled sup
ply. OF course, there's the Hudson;
but it's brakish, If not downright salt.
I've got to find some fresh and pure
supply, close at hand. That's the prime
necessity Of life.
What with the canned stun, and
such game as I can kill, there's bound
TO be food enough for while. But a
good water supply we must have and
Yet, prudent rather for the sake of
Beatrice than for his own, he decided
that he ought not to issue out. un-
armed, into this new and savage world,
Of which he had as yet no very definite
knowledge. And for while he
searched. hoping to find some weapon
"I've got to have an ak. first of ALL
said he. That's mans first need in
any wilderness. Where shall I find
He thought a moment. '.-.
Ah! In the basements!" exclaimed
he. Maybe can locate an engine
a afO 10 ankl Id t.aS
sort. There's sure to be tools Of some
sort In q place like that" And, laying
on the bearskin, he prepared to explore
the regions under the ground level.
He used more than half an hour
through devious ways and hard labor
70 make his way to the desired spot
The ancient stairway, leading down, he
could not find.
But by clambering down one of the
elevator shafts, digging toes and fin,
gers into the crevices in the meta
framework and the cracks in the con.
vaulted subcellar. festooned with webs
damp, noisome and obscure.
Considerable light glimnered in from
through gaping, Jagged hole near on
end of the cellar. beneath which lay
badly broken stone.
The engineer figured that this blocl
the building and come to rest only here
and this awoke him to a new sense O.
ever present peril. At any moment o
the night or day, he realized. some suci
Eternal vigilance!' he whispered t,
himself. Then, disndissing useless fears
he set about the task In hand.
By the dim illumination from abov,
he was able to take cognizance of tn
musty-smelling place, which, on tn,
whole, was in a better state of repai
than the arcade. The first cellar yield
cd nothing of value to him, but max
ing his way through low-vaulted door
he CHANGED into what must have beel
Sne of the smaller auxiliary engin
eOoms.
This. he found. contained batter,
of four dynamos. small seepage pum
and crumbling marble switchboard
with part Of the wiring still compare
At sight of all this valuable machin
cry, scaled and pitted with rust, Stern
brows contracted with a feeling akin t
pain. The engineer loved mechanism
of all sorts; its care and use had bee
his life. 'G
And now these mourntul relic.
strange as that may seem, affected hir
more strongly than the little heaps Q
dust which marked the spots wher
human beings had fallen in sudden. in
escapable death.
Yet even SO, he had no time for mus
"Toois" cried he, peerug about. tn
dim-lit vault. ."Tools-I must hav
some. Till l find tools I'm helpless"
ak In the place. but in the place OF II
unearthed a sledge-hammer. Thoug
corroded, It was still quite serviceabl
Oddly enough, the oak handle was a
most intact
'Kyanized wood, probably" refiecte
he, as he laid the sledge to one sid
and began delving into bed Of du,
that had evidently been a workbench
"Ah! And here's chiselt A spanne
too! A heap OF rusty old wire nails!"
Delightedly he examined these treai
ures. ..
They're worth more to me-" he q,
ulted, ''than all the gold between hei
and what's left of San Francisco"
He found nothing more of value
the litter. Everything else was rustt
bevond use. So. having convinced hin
self that nothing else remained,
gathered up his finds and started baC
whence he had come.
After some -quarter-hour of hard i
Dor he managed to transport everythiT
up into the arcade.
''Now for glimpse OF the out
Woridi' quoth he.
Gripping the sledge well in hand.