Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-24

of Cave, 327 yards from mouth. on south
wall, feet 6 inches from floor. The other
where? Where?" cried Beatrice. A por-
ton of the record was gone 1t had
crumbled even as they read.
Easy does it, girl! Don't get excited" !"
Allan cautioned, but his face was pale and
his hand trembled as he sought to steady
and protect the parchment from the breeze.
Together they pieced out few of the
remaining words. for now the writing was
but pale blur, momently becoming DINNER
and more dim.
- Cathedral on known as
Storm King River crypt
under this was agreed on
never returned but may possibly
signed by us on this 18th day
They could read no more. for now the
record was but disintegrating shell in the
girls hands and even they looked the
last of the writing vanished as breath
evaporates from a window pane
Allan whirled toward the rre, snatched
out a still glowing stick and in the sand
traced figures.
Quick! What was that7 1oe-11-a West
Forty"
Forty, %, north" she prompted.
How many seconds? You remember"
mo" Slowly she shook her head Five.
wasn't it?"
Eagerly he peered at the record, but every
trace was gone.
"WelI no matter about the seconds" he
Judged "Ill enter thee data on our diary,
in the Pauillac. anyl We can remem-
her the ruins of Del zAd Medicine Bow
Range: also the cathedral on Storm King.
Put the fragments of the parchment back
into the case, Beta. Maybe We can yet
preserve them, and by some chemical means
or other bring out the writing again. As 1t
ISL guess we've got the most important
facts enough to go on, at any rate"
n klah H1 d. Nl,A
golden cylinder and once more screwed on
the cap. Allan got up and walked to the
aeroplane where among their scanty effects,
was the brief diary and set of notes he had
been keeping since the great battle with
the Lanskaarn.
Writing on his fish-skin tablets, with his
bone stylus dipped in his little stone jar
Of cuttleash ink, he carefully recorded the
geographical location, Then he went back
TO Beatrice, who still sat in the midmorn-
ing sunlight by the fire. very beautiful and
dear to him.
"If we can find those records, Beta, we'll
have made a long step toward solving the
problem of how to handle the white bar
barians the Merucaans, down there In their
village by the sunless sea, 500 miles below
Riound. They aren't exactly what one
would call an amenable folk, at best. We
need their history. even the little of It that
the records must contain, for surely there
must be names and events in them OF great
value in our work of trying to bring these
people to the surface and recivilze them"
"Well what's to hinder our getting the
records now2" she asked seriously. with
wonder In her gray and level gaze.
.sThat, for one thing"
He gestured at the abyss.
.It's a good six or seven hundred miles
wide. and we already know how deep It is
I don't think we want to risk trying to
cross Il again and running out of fuel en-
routel Voplaning down to the village Is
quite a different proposition from straight
away flight across!"
She sat pensive moment.
.srhere must be some way around" said
she at last. otherwise party OF sur
yiyors couldn't have set out for Storm King
therei"
THAT'S 50. 700. -remembsrs Nevsr