Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-18

OF hluA blue IN the distance, yet pchutuut
with their promise OF salvation
stern understood. then. what must have
happened He saw that the upalllng OF the
abyss whatever might have caused Il, had
nung them forth; he perceived that the
temporary food which had taken place be-
fore once more another terrific down-drRft
should pour into the gaping chasn, had
cast them out, ioatcd BY their raft OF
planks even as match-straws might be
hung and noated on the outburst Of a gey-
ser
lie understood: he knew that. fortune
favorinE, life stlli hcckoned there ahead
And In his heart roeolve leaped up.
Life Life " he cried. "oh. Beatrice.
land w
but the girl stli clroied by his arm.
lay aenseless. Allan knew he could make
no progress In that manner. SO by dlnt Of
great labor, he managed TO draw her some
what on 20 tho float and there 20 lash her
with loose end Of cordago In such wise
that abe could breathe with no danger Of
drowning
lie summoned all his forces, and now
began to swim through the smooth tides,
which. warm with some grateful heat vast
" unlike the usual ocean chill stretched
lastly rolling away and away to that far-oft
shore.
That day was iong and bitter, an agony
or toll, hope, despair. labor and struggle.
and the girl. rcvvinE. shared Il toward
the end Only their frau raft fenced death
away, but 90 long aa tho huoyant planks
held toEeiher they could not drown
Thirst and exhaustion tortured them but
there was no hope Of appeal 20 any help.
In THIS mhnloss world there could he no
rescue Here, there, few guils wheeled
and screamed above the food and once n
school OF porpoiAes, Flistening ns they
curved their aiming backs In long leaps
through the brino, played past. Allan and
.ne slrl envled tho creatures, and renewed
their nght for life
The south wind favored and what seemed
landward current drow thom on Their
own strength, too In spite OF the long fas,
and tho Incredible hsrdships. held out we'll.
ror now that eiviilHetIon was thing OF
thc oollVious past. they shared tho vital
forcas and the very powers OF Mother Nat
uro hersalt And. like two favored children
wnv 10 land
Night found them utterly exhausted and
soaked TO the marrow, yet alive, stretched
out at tull length. inert, upon the warm
nAnds OF virgin beach There they lay.
Hupine' above hlEh tide. whittier they had
draggcd themselves with terrible exertIon
And the stars wheeled overhead and down
upon thom the featured moon won
dorod with her pailld CLEAN.
Firclcss, foodlesa and WITHOUT shelter. un-
protected IN every way. poageHslnE nothing
now save Just their own bodies and the
dragEled garments that they wore. they lay
and slept In their supreme exhaustion
they risked attack from wild beasts and
from anthropolds. sleep to thom was now
the ono vital. Inevitable necessity,
Thuu the long night hours passed and
strength revived In them up-welllnE like
fresh tldea Of life : and once more n new day
graycd the east, then transmitted 20 bright
gold and blaEoned It's inuignia nil up the
eastern sky.
Stern woke hrst dRzsd with the long
sleep, toward midmornlnE A little while
he lay rs though adrnRm. trying TO realize
what hnd happened but soon remembrance
knitted up the fabric OF tho perII and the
close escape. And arising atlnly from the
sand. he stretched his splendid muscles
rubbed his eyes and stared about him.
A burning thirst was tormontlnR him.
His tongue clave TO the roof OF his mouth
no found, by trial. that ne could scarcely
swallow.
water" CAPPED no. and peared at the
deep green woods which promised abundant
brooks and streams.
but before no stArtes on that quest he
looked to see that Beatrice was safe and
sound, Tho girl Etlll slept nendlng above
her he made sure that she was resting
easily ard that Sho had taken no harm.
But the sun. no saw, was shining in her
face.
That won't do at all" he thought; and
now with double motive he strobe on UP
the beach. toward tho dense forest that
grew down to the limo OF shifting sands
Ten minutes and he mad discovered u
spring that bubbled out beneath moss
hung rock, spring whereof no drank tll
renewed life ran through his vigorous body
And after that he sought and found with
no great labor a tree or the aams species
OF breadfruit that grew all about their
bungalow on the Hudson.
Then. bearing brauChea ~ Fruit N
huge, fronded tuft OF t.ie giant fern-trees
that abounded there he came back down
the beach to the Aleepng girl who stll
lay unconscious IN her tiger skin, her heavy
hair spread drying on tho sands, her face
buried In the warm soft hollow OF her arm.
Ha thrust the stalk OF the fsrn-tree
branch far down into the sand, bending Il so
that the thick leaves shaded her, Ha ate
plentifully OF the fruit and left much for
her. Then he knelt and kissed her fore
head lightly. and with = smile upon his
lips set on along the beach,
a rocky point that rose boldly against the
morning, quarter mile to southwark. was
his objective.
''whRteyers 20 be seen round here can
be seen from there" said he I've got
my Job cut out for me. All riHht--hers we
are. stranded, without q thing TO serve us
no tools, weapons or implements or sup
plies OF any hnd-nothlng but our bare
hands 10 work with. ana hundreds OF miles
between US and the place we call home. NO
boat. no conveyance Rt all, Unknown
country full OF God knows what perils ."
Thinking he strode along the fine. smooth
even sands, whore never yet a human foot
had trodden For tho FIRST time he seemed
20 realize Just what this world now meant
a world devoid OF others Of his kind While
the girl and he had been among the ruins
Of Manhattan, or even on the Hudson, they
had felt some contact with the past but
here Stern's eye looked out over a world as
virgin as on the primal morn. And vast
loneliness assalled him, a yearning almost
insupportable, that made him olench his
fists and raise them 20 the impaAslye
empty sky that moeked MIN with lts deep
and azure calm.
But from the rocky poInt. when he had
scaled its height, he saw far on 10 west
ward rising column OF vRpor which
for 4 while diverted his thoughts lie
recognized the column, even though no
could not hear the distant roaring of the
cataract he knew lay under Il. And, stand
ing erect and tail on the topmost pinnacle.
eyes shaded under his level hand, he studied
the strange sight
yes. the foods rushing In again, down
that vast nhasm," he exclaimed 'Trhe
ehasm that nearly proved q grave to us
A nd A. ka