Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-21
CHAPTER vi
rREAsuRE-TROyE

- ,rvt,u hofore had either OF them real
N Ized lust what the meaning OF torty'
eight stories might be. For All thels .n.,
memories OF this height we're asSoo'SsoS .'s
with smooth sliding elevators tuet ,''- ".
whlsled them up as though tho tremendous
height had been the merest trlhe'
NH. night however. with the broken
s.otrs the debrIs-cumbered Railways the
lurking darkness which the torch coulu
hardly hold back from swallowihB tnetii,
they came to n clear understanding OF the
problem.
Every few minutes the flame burned low
md stern had to drop on more acohol'
holding the bottle hlgh aOo'e e'' ""'~
Tong before they had oompassed the dis.
tnroe 10 tho ground floor the girl Jagged
yrith wearlness and shrank with nameIess
fears -. .,o,,,
,baIr nsth sesrned omlnous with memories
Of life that had perished there, OF death
that now reigned allsupreme
Each corner every niche and crevtce,
brenthed out the spirit OF the past and of
the mystic tragedy which in so brier tlme
had wiped the human race from earth as
"a r,other wipes the milky lips or her child
And Stern, though he said little save 10
s1IIde Beatrlce and warn her OF unusual
dlfficuIties, felt the somber magic OF the
place No poet, he; only man OF hard
and practical details, Yet he realized that
were he lowered with the faculty here lay
matter for an epic Of death such as no
Homer ever dreamed, no Virgil ever could
have penned.
Now and then. along the corridors and
down the stairways, they CHANGED on curious
little piles OF dust, scattered at random in
fantastic shapes.
These for a few minutes puzzled stern
IN stoppIng, he stirred one with his hand.
ha made
back with a stihed exclamation,
what It is7' cried tho girl startled.
Tell mel
but ne, realizing the nature OF his dis
covery-for he had seen human ineisor
tooth. gold.hlIed, there in the odd little
heap-straightened up quickly and assumed
to smile.
TITS nothing. nothing at air. he an
swered Come. we haven't got any time TO
waste, II we're going TO provide ourselves
with even few necessaries before the
alcohol's all gone, we've got 10 be at work 20
And onward. downward. ever farther and
farther. no led her through the dark maze
OF ruin. which did not even echo to their
barefoot tread
Like dishsveled wraiths they passed
soundlessly. through eerie lRbyrinths and
ways which might have served as types Of
Colertdges "cavern8 measureless TO man."
so utterly drear they stretched out in their
Ehostly desolation-
AT length, after an eternal time Of
wearinsss and labor. they managed to
make their way down into the ruins OF the
once famous and beautiful arcade which
had formerly run from Madison avenue to
tho square.
"oh. how horribe" gssped Beatrice.
shrinking, as they olambered down the
stairs and emerged into this scene OF chaos
darkness. death.
Where long ago the arcade had stretched
its path OF light and life and beauty. OF
wealth and splendor, like an spitoms OF
civilization all gathered in that CONSTRUCTED
space, the little light disclosed stark horror
Feeble as a will-o'-thswlsp In that en-
shrouding dark, the torch showed only
hints OF hings-hers fallen pillar, there
q shattered mass OF wFecSags where a
huge section OF the ceiling had fallen,
yonder a gaping aperture left by the dis
integration OF a wall
Through all this rubbish and confusion,
over and through score OF the little DUST
piles which Stern had so carefully avoided
explaining 70 Beatrice. they climbed and
waded and with INFINITE palms slowly ad-
yanced.
what We need Is more llghtl" sx-
planned tho engineer presently. We've got
10 have a bonfire here !"
And before long he had collected a con-
siderable pile OF wood. ripped from the
doorways and window casinEs OF tho ar
cade. This he set nre 70 in the middle OF
tho door.