Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-22
BEYOND THE GREAT OBLIVION
By,GEoRGE ALLAN ENGLAND
COPYRIGHT. 1915. sy Fruak 4. MaAsey compaav
(sequcl to "Tho Vacant worldly

man was worthy OF her most profound. in
dlsgolubln love
Far down beneath them now tho forest
sped away TO the southwark Tho gienm OF
the river, dulled by tho sunless sky, showed
hero and there through the woods which
spread their unbroken carpet 60 tho horizon.
imponetrabto and nllcd with nAmeieas
peris. ~ thought of how he was cheating
thom NIL. Stern smiled to himself with grim
satisfaction.
Good old engine ." he was thinking. ns
no let her out another notch some day
III put you In n boat and we1i 20 cruising
With you. there's no limit TO the possrhul-
tiea Tho world Is really ours now, with
your help"
Behind them now lay the debrla OF Paw
tuckct stern caught glimpse OF ruined
building crumpleh-ln Rna tank with an
elm growing up through tho stark riba Of Il.
tumble OF wreckREo, all small and toy-
liko. there below: then tho plane Ewooped.
and all lay deep buried In tho wilderness
again.
"a few minutes now" he said 10 him
self, and wen be across what used 10 be
the line and be spinning over Massaohu-
sotts This certainly beata walking nil hoI-
low whow." as tho machine iurched for
ward and took an ugly drop. lie ierked the
rising plane lover H0vagely. "Stll tho same
kind OF unreliable air SEQ that we used
to havo thousand years ago :"
For few minutes tho biplane hummed
on and on in long rising and failing Giants.
like swallow sklmming the surface OF a
lake. The even HtRccato OF the exhaust.
echolesa in that height and vacancy, rippled
with cadenCcB like n monster moving ma
chine, And Stern wRa beginning 10 con-
slider himself as good as In Boston already
was beginning to wonder where the best
place might be 20 land, whether along the
Bhore or on tho Common. where, perhaps,
some open space Htill remained--when an
other formidable air-pookot dropped him
with Aickening speed,
Ho rlghted the plano with wrench that
made her creRk and tremble
I've got To take a higher level or
lower" no thought. Something's wrong
hero, that's cortainl"
But as he shot the blplane sharply up
ward. hoping to find ealmer lane glance
at the aSy showed trouble impending.
over the gray background OF wind clouds
a fns-Bhraddsd drive was beginning to acud.
Tho whole east had grown black Only far
on to westward did little patch OF dull
blue show and even this was cloHlng up
with singular rapidlty. And, though the
motion OF the machine made this hard 20
estimate. Stern thought 10 seq by the lateral
drift OF the country below that they were
being carried westward by what-to Judge
from tho agitation OF the treetopa far below
must already bo n considerable gale,
For a moment the engineer cursed his
foolhardlness in having started In face OF
such a storm as now every moment threat
ened 20 break upon them
II should have known" he told himself.
that II was suicidal TO attempt flight
when every indication showed n high wind
coming My Internal impatience, as usual
We should have stayed safe In Providence
and let this blow out before HtaTting. But
It's too late"
But was TT Had he not time enough left
20 make n wide sweep and circle back
whence he had come7 He glanced az the
girl. II she showed fear he would return
hut on her face he saw no signs OF aught
but confidence and 10Y and courage And |
AZ sight OF her his own resolution strength
ened once again.
why retreatp'' he pondered. holding the |
machine 20 her long-aoaring rise. We must /
have made a good third OF the distance AL
q half In ton or nfteen
nIuutaa more We ought 70 sight the blue OF |
the big bay No use In turning back now
And as for aIiEhtinE and letting the storm
blow over. that's impossible. Among theas
forests ID would mean only total wreekage,
Even II we could land, We naver could start
again. Not the only thing 20 90 Is to hold
hsr 10 Il and plow through, storm or no
storm. / gieas the good old Panillae can
stand the racket, right enouEhF
Thus FOR a few moments longer he held
he plana with her noae 20 the northeaat-by-
north. his compass giving him direction
lshlIe far FAR below, the world SLID BACK
md away Ia a vast green carpet of sway
ng trees that stretched TO the dim' dun
horizon
stern could never afterWard recall exactly
,osy o. when the hurricane struck them.
% stunning vas the blow that hurled IT,
elf shrisking. IN q tumnlt OF mad cross
,urrents air maelstroms and frenzled
shirts. All across the sky 50 oyeFpoweTins
he chill tempest that burst from those inky
,louds 80 sudden the darkness tnat zen.
he alinginE hali yolleys that iaahea ana
aelted theua, that any clear perception OF
heir might became impossible.
: All ~ man knew was that direction and
.onlroI had been knocked clean from his
,aads. that the world had suddenly van
shea In = black drive of cloud ana hail and
gIld-VhlppinR vapor; that he 40 longer
.nsu north from south, Or east from west
,t,f .hat-sfruzKllng nov even 10 breathe,
~ wlth slek feara for the safety of the
ri hszlds hina-he vas aKhting, wrenehins,
graz4linn sglth the motor and the plants
Nd radders. 10 keep the machine from up-
Inaina. from turning turtle IN mlaair, from
fielIr@ her nose under an air-leyeF ana
IWoop. iFtllag over ana over duHn.
own. i. shattered rocket, % daah hsr-
elf 10 pistas on the waiting earth below.
The nrst furious onset showed the en-
.inasr ha could not hops 70 head up into
kzf s.seIans and live. He swung with Il
asfes5ra. ana nog, driving aero4a the SKY
- s aIameni = cloudWreck. rode On the
rzsl of the sz4af storm. as iaeser aersanl=
s. - asaansa at Ihe sHE4ekias alnd
ID Hza4FIss aaaaI aaf = aEuf Dia sha
= = naEs hIza Ha4Hs - eaaIa pes tzl1
s. Azmza zeIsa aaaia a4Fe eeaH azsaIe