Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-09-14

The picture shown will be for the
installment published the preceding
week and ending Thursday. the night
before.
Soon" said Tommy. you are guluE
to leave the car and 90 for a long
walk through the woods with me
You'll walk fast and not get tired
We're going to the wonderful cave
where you lived and played when you
were a little girl. and which they
taught YOU to believe was heaven"
He broke of suddenly. Then asked
her a question
DO YOU have TO do as the driver
tells your"
Yes
DO you have to believe a thing II
he tells you TO believe it?"
Yes"
Half an hour. passed. Tommy shut
of power, and brought the car to a
stand at the side of the narrow road.
Come. Celestia," he said, "and fol-
low me-"
He turned his back upon the road
and stepped off boldly into the woods.
Celestia followed him, walking as she
had been told to do with swift tire
1essness. And the Ferret followed
her.
There is no need to describe that
walk or the country through which ii
led them. It was just a walk as Tom
my had told her of, long and fast.
But it didn't tire her. 1t was for
the most part along narrow blazed
trails, but sometimes Tommy took
short cuts known to himself When
there was no longer light to see by,
they rested, and Tommy put his coat
around Celestia, and Freddie put his
over her knees. They rested there till
the moon rose, and then went on more
slowly. but no less surely, until they
came to the bold, upthrust mountain
mass at whose feet Tommy had found
the entrance to the famous cave.
And now the fact that Celestia
showed no sign of coming out of her
trance worried him immensely. What
was the use of taking her into the
cave and showing her its charm and
tinsel? Better to explore it more thor
oughly himself, but carefully lest he
get lost. so that when she came to
her right mind he could show her
through with more speed and author
ity. Once more he put his coat about
her, and told her to sit just within
the entrance of the cave. To Freddie
he gave his knife and showed him
how to cut balsam boughs for q couch
and pillow
When Freddie gets enough, he
said, he will make you a bed, and
you must lie down on it and rest.
Then he took from behind ledge
one of a number of candles which
had served him on his previous visit,
and the piece Of chalk, lighted the
former and proceeded to his work of
exploration.
Tommy had entered the cave in ig-
norance of two things. The first was
that there was another entrance to
the cave, known only to Professor
Stilliter. and the other is best told per
haps in Tommy's own words. It was
a piece of knowledge that came to
him suddenly out of a clear Sky, or
should we say a dark cave.
He stood stock still and swore twice.
Then he said to himself:
What a confounded blithering idiot
am. All had TO do was to tell her
to wake up. to come out of her trance,
to be herself, and she would have
obeyed Better late than never
though" He turned suddenly to re-
trace his steps, and that movement
saved his life.
There was deafening crash, and
the bullet which was intended for
Tommy's heart drew blood from his
hand and knocked the candle from it.
The place was in total darkness.
Then Tommy heard Professor Still
liter's voice:
Got him, by Godl"
Tommy had the sense to keep per
fectly still. He even held his breath.
Then he heard cautious footsteps, as
one who groped in the dark, and then
died away until there was no longer
any sound at all. He went down on
his knees and began to grope for the
candla