Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-26
BEYOND THE GREAT OBLIVION
BY GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND
(Sequel to "Thc Vacant Worldly

The s'Eht lost Itself In pearly vRpors that
overdimmcd tho sky.
Beatrice glanced at Stern as the Paullac
sped true "a an arrow In its night out into
this strange and incomprehonsib,c vRcuity
Just n shade paler now hc seemed, ne.
spite the kera wind, n gllster OF sweat drops
studded his forehead. His Jaw was set
set hard she could SEQ the powerful max
Hilary muscles knotted there whero the
throat cords met the angle OF tho bone
And ahe understood that for tho first time
aimee their tremendous adventure had be-
gun, tho man felt shaken by this latest and
greatest OF all tho mysteries they had been
called upon to face.
Already the verge lay far behind; and
now the sense OF empty space above and
on all sides and there below was overpow-
cring
stern Easprd with n peculiar choking
sound Then all at once, throwing tho front
steering plane at an angle. no brought tho
machine about and headed for tho distant
land.
lie spoke no word. nor did she but they
both Hwrpt the edge OF the chasm with
anxious eyes. seeking place to light
II was with tremendous relief that they
both saw the solid earth once more below
them. And when, i've minutes later, having
chosen clear and ERnd.barrcn on the
verge. some two miles southwark along tho
nhyss. Stern brought tho machine 90 earth.
they felt u gratitude and n relief not to be
voiced In words
"By Joycw exclaimed the man. lifting
peatrice from the seat. ~ that isn't enough
10 shake u mans nerve and upset all hla
ideas. geological and otherwise. ia like
10 know what iS!'
Going to try 10 cross ~" Hhe asked
anxiourly: chat Ia. " there Ia any other
side3 I know, OF course that " there is
you'll hnd out some way or other 20
you oyerestlmRto mo-" he replied. "An
can do. for now, Is 10 camp down here
and try to figure tho problem out--with
your help Whatever this thing In, itS
evident Il stands between us and our plan.
Either Chicago lies on the other slde--tpro-
Vdcd OF course ms you aay. that there is
onc)--or else It's been swallowed up. ages
ago. by whatever catastrophe produced this
yRwning gulf
In either event we've got TO try to dis
cover the truth. and act accordingly. But
for now. there's nothing we can do. It's
getting late already. We've had enough for
one day. little girl Come on. let's make
the machine ready for tho night, and camp
down here and have bite to eat Perhaps
by tomorrow we may know Just what wero
up against"
The moon had risen. flooding the world
with spectral light, before the two ndven-
turors had finished their meal All during
Il they had kept an unusual silence. The
presence OF that terrible gulf there not
two hundred feet away TO westward OF
them, imposed It's awe upon their thoughts.
And after tho meal was done. by tacit
understanding they refrained from trying 10
approach II or TO peer over Too great
the risks by night They spoke but little,
and preHently--eNhausted by tho trying
events OF the day--sought sleep under the
vnnes OF the Pauillac
But for an hour. tired as no was. tho
engineer lay thinking Of the chasm. trying
IN vain to solve It's problem or 20 under
stand how they were 20 follow any further
the search for the ruins OF Chicago, where
fuel was TO be had. or 10 carry out the work
OF trying TO find some living members OF the
human race,
Morning found them revived and