Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-15

The petty strife OF the elements was
soothing to him
They are snarling like whipped dogs"
he said aloud. zone might almost fancy
her ladyship the Moon appearing on the
scene as Uranian Venus cowlng sea and
storm by the majesty Of her presence"
Pleased with the conceit, he looked stead
fly at the brilliant lumnary for some time.
Then his eyes were attracted by the strong
lights thrown upon the rugged face OF the
precipice into which the cavern burrowed.
Unconsciously relieving his tired senses. he
was idly wondering what trick Of color
Turner would have adopted to convey those
sharp yet weirdly beautiful contrasts
when suddenly he uttered n startled ex-
clamation.
by Jove!' he murmured. II never no
ticed that before"
The feature which so earnestly claimed
his attention was deep ledge, directly
over the mouth of the cave, but some forty
feet from the ground Behind II the wall
OF rock sloped darkly inward, suggesting
recess extending by haphazard computa-
tion at least a couple or yards. II oc-
CURED to him that perhaps the fault in the
interior of the tunnel had IT'S outcrop here,
and the influences of rain and sun had
extended the weak point thus exposed In the
bold panoply Of stone
He surveyed the ledge from different
points Of view. II was quite inaccessible,
from the ground level. The sailor was a
man OF action. He chose the nearest tall
tree and began TO climb. He was not
eight feet from the ground before several
birds flew out from its leafy recesses, ALL
ing the air with shrill clucking.
The devil take them" he growled for
he feared that the commotion would awaken
Iris. He was still laborlously worming his
way through the inner maze of branches
when well-known voice reached him from
the ground.
"Mr. jerks. what on earth are you doing
up there?"
"oh so those wretched fowls aroused
| your" he replied
Yes; but why did you arouse them7'
i had fancy to roost py way OF a
| change"
please be serious"
| Il am more than serious. This tree
grows variety Of small sharp thorn that
induces maximum OF gravity-before one
| takes the next step"
But why do you keep on climbingr'
1T Is sheer lunacy. admit. Yet on such
moonlit night there is some reasonable
ground for even mad excuse
Mr.. jerks, tell mo at once what you
| are doing"
Iris strove to be severe, but there wa,
| touch of anxiety in her tone that in
stantly made the sailor apologetic. HC
told her about the ledge and explained
his half-formed notion that here they might
| secure "a sate retreat IN case OF Iurtnel
attack-a refuge from which they might
defy assault during many days.
II was. he said, absolutely impossible 4
wait until the morning. He must at ono
satisfy himself whether the project wa
impracticable or worthy of future investiga
| tion
So the girl only enJoined him to be care
full. and he vigorously renewed the climb
At last some twenty-five feet from tn
ground, an accidental parting in tn
branches enabled him TO get a good look a
the ledge One glance set his heart beatin
joyously. II was at least fifteen feet 4
length II shelved back until it's depth wa
lost In the blackness of the shadows. an
the floor must be either nearly level o
sloplng slightly inward to the line OF tn
| fault.
The place was a perfect eagles nest.
chamois could not reach II from any direc
tion II became accessible to man only b,
means Of a ladder or a balloon.
More excited by this discovery than h
cared for Iris TO know. he endeavored to ap
pear unconcerned when he regained tn
ground.
WELL" she said, tell me all about IT,
He described the nature OF the cavity n
we'll as he understood II at the moment, an