Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-20
CHATTER XVI
FINDING THE BIPLASE

TNilE way up the shores OF Nnrraganaett
l. hay was fun OF experiences for them
both. Animal life revealed itself far more
abundanty here than along the open sea
some strange blight or other must lie
In the proximity OF that terrific mRSlstrom" !"
judged Stern. something that repes all
tho larger animals. hut skirtng this bay
there's life and TO spare How many deer
have we seen today? Three7 And one bull
buffalo With any kind OF "A gun, or even
revolver could have had them all. And
that blg.muzzled, shaggy old moose we saw
drinking at the pool back there would
have been meat for ua IL we had had "A
rife, No danger OF starving here. Beatrice,
once We get our hands on something that1l
shoot again" :"
The night they camped on the way. Stern
kept constant guard by the FIRE. in case OF
possible attack by wolves or other beasts
lie slept only an hour, when the girl in
sisted on taking his place but when the
sun arose. red and huge through the miHta
upon tho bay no started out again on tho
ditiicult trail as strong and confident as
though he had not kept nine hours OF vigil.
Everywhere was change and desolation.
Az the travellers came into a region which
had az one time been more densely popu-
lated, they began TO flnd here and there
mournful relies OF the life that once had
beon-traces OF man, dim and an but
obliterated, but now ana then pulssant In
their revocation OF the distant past.
Twice they found the ruins OF ylllaRea
"A fow vague holows in the earth where
cellars had been, hollows In which huga
trees were rooted and where, perhans. a
grass-grown crumble Of dislntegrated brick
Indicated the one-time presence OF a Chin
ney They discovered several farms. with
few stunted apple trees. the distant
descendants OF orchard growths. strug-
Cling against the larger forest strength,
"a a..
moss-coyered fireplace or a few bits OF iron
that had possibly been IA stove. Tor an
relics OF the other age Mournful wers
the long stone walls crumbllng down VET
Btlll discernible In places-walls that had
cost the labor of generations OF farmers
ana YET now lay useless and forgotten In
the universal ruin Of the world
on the afternoon OF the nth dav sInc,
having left their lean-to by the shore ~
Long Island Sound. they came upon a
canyon which split the hills north IN the
site OF Greenwich, a gigantic fault" ln
the rocks, richly strlated ana stratihed with
rose and red and umber a great cleft. on
the other side of which the forest Law SOM
ber and repellent In the slantng rays Of
the September sun.
by Joye. whatever Il was that struck
the earth" said Stern, must have hean
good and plenty The whole planet seems
20 be ripped up and broken and shattered
killed everybody and put an end 10 ciyllIzs-
tion. Why. there's ten cubic miles Of ma
terlal gouged out right here In sight here's
a regular Panama Canal or bigger an
scooped out IN one piece What nc deylf
could have happenedf"
There was no answer 20 the questlon
After an hour spent IN studying the fornna-
tlons along the lip Of the cleft they unads
q detour eastward 20 the shore. crossed IN
fiiord that ran into the canyon. ana again
kept % the north soon after this they
struck a railroad embankrAent. ana thia
they followed now. both because II afforded
easier travel than the shore. which now
had grown rocky and broken. ana aiso
because Il promised 10 guide them surely
10 the place they sought
Il vac on tbs sixth aay 81 their explore
tiou ihat they AZ lAli penetrated tha rulna
of pfoFaeasa Hess. ~ e He1 YORK a4eAz
n1ais $40 Hfraeig Ana sauaf1a 4efa a1