The Washington times., 1912-04-24
THE TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY.
Darkness andDaWn
By George Allan England cs. FAM ssTsnt !. ny . Co,
Copyright. 1911
tThe Frank A. Munsey C


grrmted, stank, snarled, quarreled. A
mass of frightful hideousness, OF incon-
ceivable menace.
The girls first impulse was to turn, to
retreat back into the building once
more, but her native courage checked
It. For Stern, she saw. had no such
purpose.
Surprised though he was. he stood
there like a rock, head up, revolver
ready, every muscle tense and ready for
Whatsoever might befall. And though
the girl flashed thrill of admiration
for this virile, indomitable man, coping
with every difficulty. facing every peril
for her sake.
Yet the words he uttered now were
not of classic heroism. They were
simple. colloquial, inelegant For Stern.
his eyes blazing, said only:
We're in. bad, girl. They're on -
We've got to bluff-bluff like the devil"
Have you ever seen a herd of cattle
on the prairie. a herd Of thousands
er their horned heads against some
enemy-a wolf-pack, maybe?
You know then how this horde of
dwarfiish, blue, warty, misfcrmed little
horrors woke to the presence of the
Already half alarmed b. the warning
given by the one, which, near the crack
In the wall. had shifted the intruders
and had howled, the pack now broke
Into commoton. Stern and Beatrice
and a tumult. They heard a yapping
outcry. The long thin spears began to
bristlc.
And all at once, as a dull. ugly, hor-
knew the moment for quick action was
upon them.
Here goes" cried Stern, raging.
Let's see how this will strike the hell
houndsp"
His face white with passion and with
loathing hate. he raised the automatic
He aimed at none of the pack for
angry as he was, he realized that the
time was not yet come for killing IL
other means to reach the spring could
possibly avail.
Instead he pointed the ugly blue muz-
zle up toward the branches OF a maple
under which dense swarm OF the
horde had encamped and now was star
ing, ape-like, at him.
Then his finger sought he trigger
And five cracking spurts OF flame, Ave
shots spat out into the calm and misty
air of morning. A few severed leaves
swayed down. idly. with swinging
motion. A broken twig fell. hung sus-
again and dropped to earth.
Good Lord! Look at that, will you?'
cried Stern.
A startled cry broke from the girls
hps'
Both of them had expected some et-
feet from the sudden fusillade. but
nothing like that which actually re-
suited.
For, as the quick shots echoed to
stiffness again, and even before the FIRST
of tho falling leaves had spiraled to
the ground, an absolute. unbroken ST.
lcnce fell upon that vile rabble of beast
men-the silence of a numbing, paralyz-
ing, sheer brute terror.
Some stood motionless. crouchlng on
their handy legs, holding to whatsoever
tree or bush was nearest, staring with
wild eyes.
Others dropped to their knees.
But by far the greater part, thousands
on thousands of the little monstrostties,
fell prone and groVelinG. Their hide
Gus. masklike faces hidden, there they
Law on the moss and all among the I'M
dergrowth the trampled, desecrated. be-
fouled underground of Madison Forest.
Then all at once, over and beyond
them. Stern saw the blue-curlirG
smudge of the remains of the great fire
by the spring.
He knew that for few brief, all
precious moments the way might pos
sibly be clear to come and go-to get
water-to save Beatrice and himself
from the thirst-tortures-to procure the
one necessary thing for the making OF
his pulverite.
His heart gave great upbounding
leap.
Look. Beatrice" cried he. his voice
ringing out over the terrOr-StTiCken
things. Look-we'Te gods! While this
lasts-gods! Come, now's our only
chance! Come on"
4 Continuation of ThIS story VIII
He Found In TOmOTrON's
IHNue of The Times.