The Carlisle independent., 1917-03-22

rer FathefS lra9lc Death Welqneo
 Heavily on Cleo.
 floods. The road ended in a sheer precipice, and at the bottom of the precipice, forty feet below, swirled the river which had done the damage. Hope, his mind trained for emergen- cies, instantly realized that it was im- possibly to stop. The brakes would not work in time to prevent the car and it's occupants from going over the brink into the stream below. To turn the car to one side was equally impossible, for the road was bordered by steep banks, to go down which meant certain death for all of them Their only ehance-a chance in mil lion-was to keep straight ahead in the slim, slim hope that the car, now trav- cling at terrific speed, would have sui flcient momentum to clear the chasm. Tightening his grip upon the wheel, Hope damned his foot against the ac- celerator. The light car was going so fast that it seemed as though it's wheels no longer touched the ground. Hope could hear Hook screaming in his ear; out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Cleo, with blanched face and tigbt-clenched hands, beside him. Her lips were moving Now only a score of feet separated them from the brink. ten feet. five and the car sailed out into space as though fastened to the end of a mighty pen dulum. Though the flight across the gulf occupied only moment of time, to the three in the car it seemed in- terminable. And when the car reached the opposite bank it was ten feet above the level of the highway, it landed as smoothly as a leaping greyhound. Like a tennis ball it re- bounded once, twice, thrice, and then. quite uninjured, but with three white faced and shaking passengers, went tearing down the road in the direction of the distant city.
 The clock hands on the campanlfe of the Ferry building in San Francisco pointed to a quarter after six when Hope, now travelling with more re-
 
 car into Market street. He started to turn into Kearney street but stopped, at the signal of a traffic officer, to let fire engine pass. It tore up Kearney street, it's siren hooting hoarse warn ing, and he followed it. Ahead dense clouds of smoke poured from the win dows of a corner building. More fire apparatus was coming Everyone was running. A policeman halted them with peremptory hand. You cant come any farther in your car," he ordered.
 We'll have to walk the rest of the way" said Hope, but it isn't very far. Dawson's place is somewhere in the next block. By love. it must be close to where the fire is!" Pushing their way through the crowd. stumbling over the lines cf fire hose, the three made their way forward until they were opposite the burning building. So dense was the smoke. however, that the building was totally obscured. Suddenly a gust of wind blew the cur tain of smoke monentarily aside. As it did so Cleo, Hope and Hook gave 8 groan of despair. For across the face of the doomed structure, ia letters four feet high, they read: "Dawson's Auction Rooms" Even as they looked there came a rending crash and, amid a swirl of smoke and a sudden burst of flame. the walls toppled and fell in. Somewhere amid that mass of smok. ing debris. charred beyond recognition now, was the ledger containing the names of those who had purchased the precious volumes And in one Of those volumes, now no longer trace able, was hidden the secret of the sub marine.
 ere BE coNTINUED.l