The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-09-02
DOMESTIC HELPS AND
 AIDS TO HOUSEWIVES


pulse, stopped and picked up the bIaz- ing necklace. extending it to the orans. He seemed not to notice. Wildly he thrashed about, the creatures dropping like ninepins. Backward, ever back ward, Lucille felt her way, edging through the mob as her protector clear ed passage The rock ribbed vault echoed and re-echoed hideously with the shrin squeals of rage from the orang, the gutturals of terror and pain from her assafants. Now they were fighting among themselves, tum- bling about in wild chaos of arms and legs and bodies.
 She closed her eyes against the ter Bble sight. Suddenly Lucille felt her feet slipping from under her; felt her self going down toward a ripping. musical sound; gently falling through the blackness as though she sank within a soft mattress of feathers.
 Cold waters rose up and broke her fall, closing about her and edging her gently to and fro. Instinctively she reached out. her hands closing about a narrow strip of wood. With every atom of strength in her frail body she clung, making out finally that the ob- ject was canoe. Slowly she slipped down the current until flicker of nar- row light glowed far ahead.
 The sight inspired her with fresh en- ergy. 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. A paddle encountered her fingers, and she thrust 1t out into the water. Came a crunching of wood as 1t ripped against the rocky sides of the shallow ravine. and she stared in dismay at the use less handle that alone remained to her.
 Gently, lazily the canoe floated down toward the ever expanding wedge of light Slowly, very slowly, the fresh air of the jungle met her quiverlng nostrils. And even as sbe opened her mouth. laying her throat with the in- toxicating odor that had been 60 re- pulsive to her before, the canoe was lifted up, snatehed up and whirled about in gigantic swishing circle.
 Lucille instinctiveIy thrust the bro ken shaft of paddle into the water. finding it useless. She crouchcd low. Round and round in ever narrowing circles she was whirIed, the black wa ter white now as it lashed itself into raging circles from the exact center of which rose a jagged toothed roclg@-a rock that impertrrbabl cruelty waited this dainty morsel being brought him.
 Faster, faster. in ever shortening cir cles the creamy fosm of savage waters drew the fraiI canoe toward the ugly. black rock that rose from out its cen ter.
 Round and round in the circles Of waters the frail craft sped. Then for a brief fraction Of second the circu- lar progress was halted, the canoe be ing held steady, quivering as another force seized it and tried to fight against the whirlpool Lucille held her breath. measuring the length Of time a new hope arrived in hours instead of the seconds 1t really was. Then the craft shot out of the current and continued upon its wild chase toward the rock.
 It was now a matter of but two rev oIutions at best before the end. Lu- cille saw this with eyes that fiinehed not. yet that refused to hold any dread. Something slaghed against her cheek. and her hands fnstinetivesy reached up. clutching, grasping. clinging to a thick tangle of creepers.
 The canoe whirled out from under her while she clung there, the savage .WdtcI hcdp4uS, SANAPH4A6 dL. AS4 ASc+-
 Desperation loaned her strength. For just a second she rested. then bravely reached out and clambered along the. thick vine until she saw the earth be- meath. then dropped and lay panting upon the ground, shaking with a ner- vous chill as the reaction seized her
 Loud voices speaking in English tones wakened her from the state of self pity which followed the chill. She looked up swiftly, now that the dense fastnesses encircIing her were really pregnable. fearing new enemy.
 Fate had been so kind to her and man so unkind that she realized her < chief danger simultaneously with tbe recollection of what she had to guard She clutched at the little sack, thrill ing at the rustic of the papers she had fought so hard to gain. at thought of what they meant to her sweetheart in Manila The diary told her that Hugo Loubeuue had thousands of men work ing to do his will.
 (To Re Continueo.9