Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-16
BEYOND THE GREAT OBLIVION
tSequel to "Tho Vacant wOrld"O
BY GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND
ogvtight. igt6. by FraAk 4. ifun,sv Coutpauy

u"Wupour or the falls out at either side'
aS he lay there still unable to rise. he
caught gllmpsHg through tho spumc drive
glinpscs OF awlft white water that broke
and croamod "a Il whirlcd past that Ietted
hlhh that kissing, swept away. away, To
unknown depths below that narrow, slip
perry ledge
Realization " all this had hardly forced
tselt upon his daScd perceptions when II
stronger rccrudcsccnce ~ his thought about
the girl surgcd back upon him
beatrca' Beatrce!" hc gnsped, and
struggled up
on hands and knees. cropping, half
blinded, dcufoucd. no began To crawl and
ns he crawlcd he shouted the glrl's name,
but tho laundering OF tho vast tOurbillIons
ana eddics that swirlcd about the rock.
white and raNenng, drowned his voice,
Vague. yet terrible, IN the light Of tho dim
moon that filtered through tho mlsts, the
rncing Hood howled past. And In Stern's
heart, MS he now came 60 more and better
understanding, vast despair took shape.
n Hlckenng fear HurEcd up
Again no shouted, chokingly. creeping
along the slippery ledge. Through tho driv-
ing mlata ho pcercd with agoniZcd eyes.
Where was tho yawl now? Where tho
glrl2 Down thero la that insane welter
OF the mad torrent--swcpt away long since
70 annlhilation9 The thought muddened
him
Clutching a projection Of tho rock, he
hauled himself mp To his feet, and for
moment stood there. swaying. n strange.
tattered, dripping ngure IN tho dim moon
light, wounded, brenthless ana dsheveled,
with bloodshot eyes that sought to pierce
tho kissing spray.
All at once no gulped som0 unintelliglble
thlnE and staggered forward,
Thore wodged In a crevlce. no had caught
sight OF somethlng--what Il was he could
not tell, but toward II now no stumbled
He reached tho thing sobbinE with re-
aliEatOn OF hls incalcuable loss and OF the
wreckagc Of all their hopes and plans and
oil that life had meant no fell upon his
knees beside tho object
He groped about It as though blind; he
felt that formless mass OF debris, n few
shattered planks and part OF tho woven
sail, now damned into the flssure in tho
ledge. And Rt touch or all that remained
TO him. he crOuched there, CHASTITY pale
and racked with unspeakabe anguish.
But hope and the indomitablo spirit OF
the human heart still urged him on The
further end OF the ledge. overdashed with
wild Jets OF spray and singing drives OF
brine, Btill remained unexplored And
toward this now no erept bit by bit fEht-
ing his way along. now clinRlng as some
moro savage surge leaped over, now bat
Ting forward on hands and knees along
the perilous strip OF stone.
ono false move, he knew. one slim ana
and perhaps Beatrice. would whrl and fling
away down. down. into the nameless
nothingnoss OF that abyss.
Better thus he dlmly realized. better,
after ALL than 10 cling to the ledge In case
he could not lnd her. For Il must be only
a matter OF time, and no very long time at
that when exhaustion and starvation would
weaken him and when no must Inevitably be
swept away
And In his mind he knew the future,
which voiced itself in hRlf-spoken Eroan:
IF she's not there, or n she's there.
but dead-good-b
Even as he sensed the truth he found
her. Sheltered behind a juttlng spur OF
granite, Beatrice was. lying, where the
shock OF the impact had thrown her when
the yawl had struck the ledge,
Drenched and draEgled In her water
soaked tiger skin her long hair tangled
and dlBheyeled over tho rock. she lay, as
though asleep
"pead?" gaspsd Allan. and caught her
In his arms, all limp and cold. Back from
her brow he flung the brine soaked hair; he
kissed her forehead and her lips, and with
trembling hands began 10 chafe her face, her
throat, her arms
TO her breast no laid his ear, Listening
for some flicker OF lie, some promise OF
vitality again.
And as he sensed a slight yet rhythmic
q IA.
so vast a gratitude and love enEulfed him
that for a moment all grew dazed and
shaken and unreal
lie had to brace himself 10 struggle for
aelf-mastery.
beta Beta 90 ne cried "oh, my God
You liye--you llyel"
Dripping water, unconscious. 1.-THE. she
lay within his clasp now strong again.
Forgotten HIS weakness and his pain, his
bruises. his wounds, his fear All had van
a. sNaaaaua
supreme realzatlon--"She livest
Back along the ledge he bore her, not
slipping now. not crouching, but erect ana
bold and powerful, neryed TO that effort
and that daring BY tho urge OF the great
love that famed through all his veins
Back he bore her 10 the Comparative
safety OF the other end. where only an
occasional breaker ereamed across the rock
and where. behind narrow shelf that pro-
iected diagonally upward and outward he
laid his precious burden down.
And now again he called her name; he
rubbed and chafed her.
only 10Y hlled his soul Nothing else
mattered now The total loss OF their yawi |
and all rs precious contents, the wreck |
of their expedition almost al lis very start |
the fact that Beatrice ana he were nov |
alone upon a narrow ledge OF kranite Ia
ths midst 81 stupsndous cataract that
drained the ocean down 70 unknown. un- !
tbinkabis depths, the knowledge that shs
tlon. food. shelter, hre, anything AZ am |
defenssless in a wilderness such A. No
humans ever yet had faced-3al this meant |
nothing to Allan Stern.
For 10 had her and as az last her nds
twItched then opened. ana her dared syes |
Ioekaa at him a. she tried 10 sfruReis /
llp while ha restrained her as she esele- /
fneiy called nie name ana stretehed s
lr1mutqns hand y tir there % tha lAan-
4erQua hall igAt q the laiis. hs kas Is