Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-09


the rank. tomb-like smell of the underground
place wherein she stood.
Slowly she groped her way back to the steps.
hnd1ng the last one and feeling about for some
means of throwing back the opening The stems
beneath her feet were slippery, worn as though
the feet of thousands and hundreds of thousands
had passed that way for as many years. And al
ways about her, yet never SO close as to come
In contact with her, were the owners of the feet
that slipped and glided sure-footedly upon the
steps. Above her, that solid wall; beneath her.
steps that led down into the bowels of the earth
about her, human beings whom she could not see
In the intensity of her nervousness, she flung
herself upon the steps, giving way to racking
soos @ at the horrible fate that appeared to have
put an end to her adventures
No odds now weirdly situated, how dreadful
one S Predlcament, encounter with human beings.
lnimlcal or invisible though they be-s calculated
to rouse ones combative spirit Lucille rose
swiftly her brain in whirl, her pulse numhed
as curlousy claw-like hands-but human hands
sought out her wrists, drawing her down the
steps, silently, with undertaking purpose but
never harshly Realizing the futility of resistance
her utter helplessness Lucille numblv allowed
herself to be conducted down the long fight A
Verltable army seemed to before and
about her, judging from the footballs. The hands
upon her wrists were cold unhealthy, hairy, vet
the sounds of the voices of her captors were the
harsh gutturals of deaf mutes, incomprehensible
yet human
Her knees jolted almost from under her as
she reached out and finally found no downward
step. Round devious, black passages, through
rockvaulted aisles, some so close the sides
brushed against her. she was hustled. She had
given herself completely up to her guides She
knew, with heavy despair that only accident
could enable her to find her way back to the
steps through all the turns they had made. Quite
abruptly she felt her eyes blinded, as the mantle
OF blackness was flung aside. For moment she
could not see, then, becoming accustomed to the
transition from darkness to comparative light,
she looked with shudder of terror upon the
hairy, dwarfed ms-shapen creatures who sur
who obatto ~, +ba
turals of mutes; creatures whom the perpetual
darkness had paed to fsh-like pallor; crea-
lures whose hydrocephac heads were always
bent far forward as though the sense of hearing,
had been given them in treble value because of
the blindness with which the subterranean life
had afflicted them, blindness so complete as to
make itself evident to her without even seeing
the white sightless pupils that bulged at her
through the hairy name upon their faces.
Sick with the EMBELLISHMENTS of the sight,
Lucille lifted her eyes, at shrill chattering note
IN the gutturals a note that was strangely fa-
lnlllar, even welcome. Anything would have been
welcome to her ears as against the repulsive
noises made by the mutes. She stared wonder-
lngly at the enormous carven' statue of malign-
ant faced man, a man with mighty torso and
gigantic arms, whose head lowered far
above her and whose forehead and neck and
arms were loaded with blazing rubies. The alien
sound that drove tn mutes crouchng back came
from the gigantic statue. And then Lucille saw
that huge orang outang squatted complacently
in the palms of the idol, his beady eyes blinking
wonderingly at her, his wrinkled, old d-mans face
puckered curiously
AS though their fear had subsidized, the UNDER
ground creatures more closed in upon Lucille.
Some impulse made her dart toward the orang
as though for protection. The foul creatures were
about her, clawing at her with their horrible un-
certain paws, like giant bats The monkey seemed
suddenly to waken to the situation. With n
shrill note of rage he leaped from his squatting
posture and snatched the necklace of rubies from
about the idols neck, finging it squarey into the
center of of
them back for a moment With shrill squeals the
orangs hairy paw plucked jewel after jewel from
the idol. hurting them at the creatures with the
speed of bullets. Again and again he drove them
back from her and Lucille constantly fought her
way closer to this strange protector.
Her heart sank as she saw the creature had
no more missiles. She caught flash of hairy
arms and body as he leaped toward her, his huge
round arms failing about him, dropping the sub
terranean inhabitants at every swing. Lucille
guided by some impulse, stopped and picked up
the blazing necklace, extending it to the orang
He seemed not to notice. Wildly he threshed
about. the creatures dropping like nne-pins.
Backward, ever backward, Lucille felt her way.
edging through the mob as her protector cleared
passage. The rock ribbed vault echoed and re-
echoed hideously with the shrl squeals of rage
from the orang, the gutturals of terror and pain
from her assailants. Now they fighting
among themselves, tumbling about in wild chaos
of arms and legs and bodies.
She closed her eyes against the terrible sight.
Despite herself she almost succumbed to a feel
ing of faintness from the nausea which the crea~
lures hideous sightlessness inspired within her.
And still the orang fought on, jibbering wildly.
Suddenly Lucille felt her feet slipping from under
her; felt herself going down toward rppling,
musical sound; gently falling through the black
ness as though she sank within soft mattress
of feathers.
Cold waters rose up and broke her fall, clos.
ing about her and edging her gently to and fro
lnstinctively she reached out, her hands closing
about narrow strip of wood. With every atom
of strength in her frail body she chung, making
out finally that the object canoe. Slowly
she slipped down the current until flicker Of
narrow light glowed far ahead.
The sight inspired her with fresh energy. She |
drew herself up, carefully balanced the canoe
against her weight then slipped into the bottom
and lay there, exhausted She groped about as
the sides of the subterranean cavern expanded
the light grew broader. paddle encountered her
fingers and she thrust it out into the water Came
a crunching of wood it ripped against the |
rocky sides of the shallow ravine and she stared .
in dismay at the useless handle that alone re-
mained to her.
Gently, lazily the canoe foated down, to-
ward the ever-expanding wedge of light Slowly,
very slowly, the fresh air of the jungle met her
quivering nostrils, sweet to her now in COMPARE
son with the unwholesome odor of the UNDER
ground world from which she had so miracu-
lously escaped And even as she opened her
mouth laving her throat with the intoxicating .
odor that had been so repulsive to her before,
the canoe was lifted up, snatched up and whirled .
about in a gigantic. swishinp circle