Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-30

CHAPTER NNIN-tContlnucdl
CTERN lay back. stil faint and sick with
- the shock u tho fall and with the pain.
humiliation and cScltcmen, ot this capture.
Vet through Il all he rojolced that the Girl
and he had escaped with lfc and we're both
stll sound " limb and faculty
Even tho loss ~ the machine could not
destroy all his natural enthusiasm or XIII
/ hts Hatisfactlon IN this great Rdycntur,ng,
his Joy AT hAyitW found, after all, a rem
nnnt ot the human race once moro.
Men, by tho Almighty" thought he.
ptcrlng kcculy az such as no could see
! through the collinE upiraiing wroaths of
INST that arose from tho black water into
the dun Rlr Men White men. too
Given such stock 10 work with--proyded
l get the chancc-who shall say anyth!ng's
impossible II only there's some way out
u this Internal hole. what may not hap
pcnc'
And. "a no watched, no thrilled with
nasceut pride with consciousness OF a trc.
mendous mission 10 perform n scrso that
herc-hero IN tho actual living ticsh--dwclt
tho potcutlulitca OF all hia dreams, OF all
the many deep and noble plans which he
and Beatrice had laid for regcnernted
world
Men they certainly were, white men. Cau-
cnsiaus, oven Ike himself Despite all
changes OF superficial character. their huild
and cast Of features bore witness that these
I
less and buried sea. were the long distant
| descendants OF Americans
Americans. 40 help mo" no pondcrcd
as the boats drew onward toward what
goal he knew not "Barharians, yet Amer
| icanB silu And with half "A chance nt
| them, God wen work miracles yet sho
| and :"
Again he raised his voice. calling 70
| Beatrice:
"Dont bo afraid. little grill They're cur
| own people after al--Americara, -
At sound OF that word n startled cry
broke from tho lips Of Stcrn's elder boat
man, IA cry which. taken up from boat 10
boat drlfted duly through tho fog.
| trnveraed tho whole fleet ~ strange. slow
moving craft and lost itself In the vague
gloom.
"Merucaansl Merucaans'" tho shout
arose. with other words whereof stern
knew not the meaning; and closer preSsod
| the outlying boats The engineer tclt
| thrill run through the strange mysterious
| folk
They know their namo. anyhow Hur-
| rahl" ne oxuited God II We had the
| stars and stripes here l wager n million
they'd 10 mad about III Remember9
| You bot they'll remember when ] learn
| their lingo and tell them Few things
| Just walt till get n chance nt en- thath
| all
| Forgotten now his bonds and all his
| pain. Forgotten ovCn the pcElAous blNH"''"'l.
| Stern's great vision OF reborn race hhi
| swallowed minor evils. And with a sud
| dan glow OF pride that somO OF HIS own
| race had still survived the vast world
| catastrophe, no cheered again, eager rs
81" suddenly no heard the girls voice calling
Something ahead. AllRn--land. maybe.
| A big light through tho mist =
| lie wrcnchcd his head tride up ana
Il WN.u.N NEHl q a IN
| Ain, vet ateady glow was beginning TO shine
and on each side OF Il there auetched u
| line OF other smaller blue-green liEhts,
! These. haloed by the vapor with the most
beautiful prismatlo rings, extended In an
| irregular row high above water level
| Iower down other lights We're moving
| slowly 70 and fro, gathering for the most
| part at a point toward which the boa''
| were headed.
"A settlement, Beatrice a town. maybe
Al lnst--men, mem" he cried,
Then with the suddenness characteristics
| Of nh that drew near in tho fog the shore
lights grew rapidly bigger and more bright.
The rowers lay back on their paddles a.
| n sharp word OF command from one OF
| the oarsmen In Stern's boat
cam. a grating. a sliding Of keels on
pebbles. The boat stopped. Others came
| rp 10 land From them men began clam
| berlng 80. ,.,,t,..
rose as the hoatmen mingled with thona
| ,yho hearing torches. now began gathering
about the two canoes "he'' ''et $50
"WeH we're here. anyhow wherever here
isr' exclaimed the engineer. iey' you
| fellows let me loose. will youf what kind
OF a way is this TO u.'' S''''s'''
''AT ,T,,yn ~ the men waded through the
| y,otar tepld as new milk, 10 where stern
| lay st-bOund, lifted him easlly anu car
| Red him ashore. Black though the water
| was. stern saw that Il was eieaT' ~ lhe
| torch-llght struck down through T. ne could
| distinguish the clean ana sahuy o"''on'
| shining with metallic lnster.
A. ,hs tone lowered. darkness seemed 10
gain through the mista; us rising broushs
| a clearer light But what ihs phenomenon
- stsrn could not tell For the source
~ - faint difused Illumination that
vsrbsrated through the yapor was hidden
| Il seemed 10 be n huge ana nuctuat'ng glow
| IN there somewhere beyond the fos-curtaln
| mar yelled whatever land this strange
weird place might pc .,,n,f,.. -.
.,,,d by, pesrlng with bent bTowa. Just as
Dants described the lost souls In Hell peer
| Ins al Virgil IN the eternal night dream-
creyy they seemed. Even though stern
ssIt ,hs vigorous muscles OF the pair who
| no,,, mad borne him up 20 land ne could
sssrca realize their living entity.
sste.tricai Beatrice D. he called Are
! 90, au right? Don't mind about me-iust
| iook out Tor yourself II they hurt you Ia
Srn All right. I'm eomlngl" He heard
~ voice. and then he saw the girl her
- Unaided she had clambered from her
| host ana now. breaking through the
| tbronT she sought % reach him. But
lands held her back and words Of hard
command rose from score OF lips.
stern had only time 10 see that she was
a. vet uuharmed when with quick slash ot
4 blade somebody cut the thongs that bound
rhen ne vas pushed forward, away from
the aim and ghostly sea up an ACTIVITY OF
smooth black pebbles All wet win mist
IlmpIng stlflly, BY reason o. hla eramped
muscles he stumbled onward. while an
about him and behind him-as about the
| eirl who foll0wed-cams the throng of
| fhese strange people
Thelr squlnting. pinkisb eyes and pallid
faees showed ghastly ~ the tofeh-giare.
- murmurlng among themselves N tneif
| fneomprehansible YET stransly familiar
fansnie. they climbed The slope.
E.cn then. even there On fnat ankneNu
ksae6 besids a. unchaEisd se4 - tae oql-
/ lon of the fafhQlnlesa sefssI atsza taf4-At