The Washington times., 1912-04-05
By GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND.

two children in some dread and un-
familiar attic, an understanding leaped
between them.
Then. womanlike instinctively as she
breathed. the girl ran to him. Forget
ful Of every convention and of her dis
array, she seized his hand. And in a
voice that trembled till 1t broke she
cried.
What is It? what does all this
mean? Tell me-"
TO him she clung
Tell me the truth-and save NE. Is
It real?"
Stern looked at her wonderngly. He
smiled a strange, wan mirthless smile.
All about him he looked. Then mis-
lips moved, but for the moment no sound
came.
IL made another effort, this time sue
cessful.
There, there" said he, husldly, as
though the dust and dryness of the
innumegable years had got into his very
voice. There. now, don't be afraid.
Something seems to have taken place
mere while--we'Ve been asleep. What?
What is 1t? / don't know yet. I'll find
out. There's nothing TO be alarmed
about, at any rate"
eous desolation.
yes. | see. But no matter. You're
alive. I'm alive. That's two of us, any
how Maybe there are lot more. Wen
soon see Whatever 1t may be, well
win
He turned and trailing rags and
streamers of rotten cloth that once had
been business suit, re waded through
the confusion of wrcckagc on the floor
to the window.
II you have seen a weather-beatcn
scareerow fapprg in the wind, you
have some notion or his outward guise.
No tramp you ever laid eyes on could
have offered 50 preposterous an ap.
pearance.
matte. ,&sty hair; His tangled beard
c>"1-ova. raturally rather light. had
i.roan to q heavy thatcn above his eyes.
Save thac nc was not gray or bent,
and that he still seemed TO have kept
IL" resilient force OF vigorous manhood,
Won ty.!eht have thought him some in
crcdihly ancient Rip Van Wrinkle come
To Nfo upon that singular stage there
III the tower.
But little time gave he TO iatrospec-
ton or the matter of his Own appear
ance With one quick gesture lie swept
away the shrouding tanSle or webs
spiders and dead flies tnar obscured tue
window. Out he peered.
Good heavens" cried he, and started
back a pace.
She ran to him.
What is IT, she breathlessly cA-
claimed. e.. ..........
"Why. don't know-yet But this Is
something big! Something universal!
It's-it's-no, no. you'd better not look
II must know everything Let me
Now she was at his side, and, like
him, staring out into the clear sun
shine, over the vast eNpanse OF the
4 moments utter silence fell. Quite
clearly hummed the protest of an I'M
prisoned fly in a web at the top OF the
window. The breathing OF the man
and woman sounded quick and loud:
"AlI-wrecked! cried Beatrice. But
Wrecked? 1t looks that way" the
engineer made answer, with strong
EFFORT holding his emotion in control;
why not be frank about this? YOU'D
better make up your mind at once to
accept the very worst. L see no signs
| Of anything else
The worst? You mean
II mean just what we see out there.
You can interpret it as well as J."
Again the silence while they looked
with emotions that could find no volc-
ing in words. Instinctively the engineer
passed an arm about bout tne n, Irish'eheu
And the last thing l remember.
whispered she, was iust-just after
| you'd finished debating those Taunton
bridge specifications. ! suddeniy mi ,,,t teltI
thought I'd close my eyes and rest, and
! then-then--
She nodded
Same here" SAID he. what the
Gc4cc cen have struck us? Us and
eveIybody-and everything? Talk about
your problems! Lucky I'm sane and
| sound and--and--'
| he did not finish. but fell once more
to studying the incomprehensible pros
Their view was toward the east out
over the river and the reaches OF what
had once upon time been Long Island
City and Brooklyn. As familiar scene
! in the other days as could be possibly
| Imagined. But now how altered an as
pecL greeted them!
ITS surely all wiped out. all gone,
! gone into ruins" said Stern slowly
| and carefully weighing each word
mo halIucinatlou about that" He
swept the skyline with his eyes, thai
now peered keenly out from beneatt
those bushy brows. Instinctively he
He started with surprise; .,
whats this?" he cried. Why, /
I've got a full yard of whiskers. Ny
good Lord! Whiskers on me? And
He burst out laughing. At his beart
he plucked with merriment that jan
gled horribly on the girls tense
nerves. Suddenly he grew serious
For the nrSt time he SeeIneu 10 llh
clear notice of his companion's dis
"W$Ty. what time it must hav
been! cried he. Here's some calcula
ton all cut out for me, all right. But
you can't go that way, Miss kendrick
lit won't do, you know. Got 70 haV
something TO put OH. Great Heavens
what a situation
He tried to peel off his remnant Of
coat, but at the merest touch 1t tor
to shreds and fell away. The girl re
strained him.
Never mind" said she with quiet
modest dignity. "Ny hair protects m
Very well Tor the present. If you and
are all that's left of all the people 4
the world, this is no time for trifGs.'
A moment he studied her. Then h
nodded and grew very pale.
"Forgive me-" he whispered, laying
hand on her shoulder. Once. more h
turned to the window and looked out.
'iSo,. then. it's all gomez" he quer1e6
speaking as to himself, only a sky
scraper standing here and there? An
the bridges and the islands-all changed
mot a sign Of life anywhere: not
sound: the forests growing thick anon
the ruins. A dead world if-if all tn
world is like this part OF II! All deaC
| sa We YOU and me"
/ In silence they stood there. strivin
!. TO realize the fun import Of the catas