Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-28
BEYOND THE GREAT OBLIVION
by GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND
opgrigAi. fsis. bp FraHk 4. us.,,,, r,,,,,,,
(Sequel to THE Vacant Worldly

forth last, eonvulslvo bark aud grew
silent
The whirliuE screws hummed a lower
no;e, then ceased their song and came
to tcst
The machine iurched forward. swooped.
spiraled, and with slckeninE rush, q
naillng tumult Of the stays and planes,
plunged into nothlnEneas!
Had stern and tho Elri not been securely
strapped TO their seats they must have
been precpitated into space by the violent.
crratc dasheS. drops, swerNCs and ruahes
OF the uncontrolled Pauliac
For a moment or two, instlnctlvely. de-
spite tho knowledge that Il could do no
good stern wrcnchcd at the levers. a
thousand confused. Wild terrible lmprcs-
slonH Hurged upon his consciousness
Swifter. swiftcr dropped tho plano: and
now the wind that seemed TO rlso had
grown to be hurricane Its roaring In
their ears was dcafcning They had TO
nEht even for breath itself
beatrice was leaning forward now, ahei-
terinS her face In tho hollow OF her arm
Had she fRintcdF Stern could not tell
lie stlll was flghtlnE with the mecha nlsm
striving to bring Il into Rome control But
without headwny. Il defied him And like
a wounded hawk. dying even as Il struE.
glod the Pauillac staggered wildly down
the unplumbed abyss,
How long did tho nrst Wild drop lRs,7
Stern knew not Ha realized only that
after "A certain time, no felt IA warm AenHa.
ton and looking, perceived that they were
now punginE through vapors that sped
upward-so II seemed--with vertlglnous
rapldily.
No sensation now was there OF falling
All motion seemed 10 lie In tho uprush-
ing Napors. dense and warm and pale violet
In hue. a vast and rhythmic splraling had
possessed the Paulllac. Az you have seen
a failing leaf turn In air, 30 the plano cir
cled boring with terrific speed down, down,
down through the mists. down into the
unknown
Nothing to he seen but vapors No solid
body, no land no earth to mark their fail
and gauge IT, Yet slowly. steadily, dark
ness was shroudlnE them And Stern
breathing with great dlfhculty even In the
shelter OF his arms. could now hardly
more than SEQ as pale blur tho white
face OF the girl beside him
The vast wings OF the machine, swIrllng
BwooplnE. plunglng down loomed hugely
vague In the deepening shadows Dizzy.
sick with the Tnonstroua caroming through
space deafened by the thunderoua roar.
ing OF the updraft. stern was stlll able
10 retain enough OF his scientific curiosity
TO peep upward. The sun! Could he still
sec Il?
Vanished utterly was now the Elorioua
orb There. seeming to circle round and
round In drunken spirals. he beheld a weird.
dlnused. angry-looking blotch OF Iight.
tinted huS different from any ever seen
on earth by men And invoiuntarlly. nj
sight OF this, he shuddered
Already with the prescionce OF death full
upon him, with a numb despair c!utohing
his soul. he shrank from that CHASTITY.
hldeous aspect of what he knew must be
his last sight OF the sun
Around the girl no drew his right arm
slle felt his muscles tAuten as he cIasped
her TO him Useless nov. he knew any
further struggles with tho aeroplane It's
speed. It's plummetlke drop checked only
by the huge sweep OF its parachute wings
S'crn knew now u must fail clear 10 thu
bottom Of the abyHs-lf bottom there were,
And III not-what them
stern dared not think All human CON
,epts have been shattered by this stupen |
ious catastrophe The sckly and unnatural |
rue or the rushing yapors that tore and /
Slated the planes confused his sensea
md, added 10 this, a sitting. numblnE gas |
eomed dnused through the inchoats void
He tried 20 speak. but could not Against
he girls cheek he pressed hiH own. Hers
gaH cold
In vain he struggled 10 cry out. Even
iad his parched tongue been able TO voice
! sound the bowling tempest they them.
elves were creating as they fell would have
whipped the shout away and drowned Il IN
he gloom
In siern's ears roared dronlng as Of