Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-26
omArrER Xxx
On the Lip Of the Cham

On the Llp OF the Nhhsm
NTERY near. now. was the strange appa-
V ritlon. on. ON. swift as falcon. tho
plane hurtled Stern glanced at Beatrice.
Never had he seen her more beautiful,
About her face, rosy and full 81 life, tho
luxurihnt loose hair was whipping. Her
eyes sparkled with this new excitement.
and on her full red lips smile betrayed
her keen enjoyment. No trace OF fear was
there nothing but confidence and strength
and JOY In the adventure.
The phenomenon OF the worlds end-for
nothing else describes Il adequately--now
appeared distinctly as a Jagged line, beyond
which nothing showed. IL differed from tho
hand, Already tho adventures could peer
down upon II at an acute angle.
Plainly could they seo the outlines OF
trees growing along the verge But beyond
them. nothing
II differed essentially from n canyon. be-
cause there was no other aide Mt all Strain
his eye as no might Stern could detect no
opposite wall And now, realizing some
thing Of the possibilities OF Huch n chaSm.
no swung the Pnullac aouthward, Flying
parallel 10 the edge OF this tremendous
barrier. he sought to solve the mystery OF
It's true nature.
III go higher. perhaps I may be able
to get some notion OF e." thought he, and
swinging upwind. he spiraled till the baro-
meter showed he had gained another thou
sand feet.
But oven the additional view prohtsd
him nothing Half n mile to westward tho
ragged tree-line atll showed ms before with
vacancy behind Il. and as far aa Stern
could see to north 20 south. II stretched
away tlll the dim blue distance swallowed
H. Yet straight across the gulf. no land
appeared Only the Bky itself was visible
there. as calm and Rs unbroken as In the
zenith. yet extending far below where the
horizon-line should have been-down. In
fact, 10 where the tree-lne cut II of from
Stern's vision.
The effect was precisely that Of coming
10 the edge OF vast plain. beyond which
nothing lay save space. and peering over.
The end OF the world. Indeed Z, thought
the engineer. despite himself but what
can II mean7 What can have happened TO
the sphere TO have changed Il Ike rhis7
Good heavens what marvel--what n
catastrophe :"
Determined at all hazards to know more
OF this titanic break or fault or what
Hoever II might be. he banked again and
nov. on a descending slant Veered down TO-
ward tho lip OF the chasm
Going out over it7' cried Beatrice.
He nodded.
III may be miles deep"
you can't get killed any deadeT falling a
hundred miles than you can hundred
feet" he shouted back above the droning
racket OF the motor
And, with a fresh grip on the wheel, head
well forward. every sense alert and keen 10
meet whatever conditions might arise, 70
battle with eross-currents, "aiT-holea," or
any other worthless swirl'ng up out OF those
unknown depths. he SKINNED the Phulllao
fair toward the lIp OF the monsroas va
eancy.
verge he could see concluaively they were
not dealing with canyon like the yosemite
or like any other he had ever seen or heard
OF IN the old days.
There was positively no bottom to the
terrific thing
Nowhere any s'gn OF an opposite bank;
nowhere the faintaat trace OF land far. tnr
below. even 3 few faint clouds showed hoA1-
Ing there a. II In mid-heaYen.
The effect was ghastls. uhnsfylhs ah9
altogether terrible Not that stern feared
height No Il was the unreality Of the eH-
perienee, the inexplicable character OF this
yawninE edge OF the world that almost
oyercane him.
Only BY a strong exercise OF VIII power
could he hold the biplane TO her course re %
every instinct was TO veer, 20 retreat naeN
10 solid earth and land somewhere and once
more. at ali haEards. get the contact OK
But stern resisted an these impulses. and
now had driven the Pauillae ilehi 70 uss ~
Of the vast nothingnesa
Nov they were over
MY God I" he cried, stunned by me real
izatlon Of this thing sheer space 40
bottom anywhere
For an al once they had shot e y we're
out into e void which seemed % hola no
connection ct an with the earsn they no"
we're quitting 80.
Stern caught a glimpse Of ths taH toFess
growing Up 10 within hundred y-fes pl
the edge. then Of smaller trees, a"lnelns
10 bushes and grasses aud suents 80
and that bordersd the gap-sand sHa
rocks, barren as though some up-atAt tfoln
tina void had KILLED on vegetable CROWN
along ths very 0riak
Thea al slid back and away. The rea-
ribhed wall of the great ehaani 4nhtiefeo
and broken aa ~ some ineoncelf%ple als.
asier some cosInic eafacysn, feii a~aS ena
away. downward DINNER ana more ainl
anlu L faded aradaaiiy iHto q nlae ha-e
lhen vanished Htierly.
An4 Itsre 1e|oH ~ nqt-ipsAtel aas4
-. I..s5ssr s14elrtsa oal u fro4I 81 Waafs