Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-24
iois DD aee: 4 Lircri0h'. hc,' Ne
CHAPTER \\Il Continued

CHAPTER \\Il Continued
CSrIlI. absorbed in these reflections Una ana
- her companions under NarNa's Lead en-
tered the great court Of the palace ma o'
course. had grown familiar with The strange
features to be found in this hal, "' h'ar>'''
but the Others. cntc-ing t for the first 'h',
wer. amazed al what they saw there ~
Leighton this feeling Of wonder reached us
highest pitch. The shatterrg oil one s'i''''"
bci'ef after another that lie had 'NPet'e"''
ever since entering the cave 'et' "''''
true somewhat callous to ne" hPrese'"''
But this apathy. If it can he cane" '''''
melted away as he stood Rcneath 'ne
white dome that scared IN flashing INES "''''
,neu. Looking up at the huge ban o' "'e
suspended Just beyond the apex OF tl'a "o'''''
f,r a moment he remained ~petcheHs' l"0''
| turning 10 his companions he VOICE" nv
.cstasy that comes VITA some nheNp't'e"'
! epoch-making discovery
DO you know what that is" he deh'a"deu'
No one did. Miranda shrugged us S"'"'
| ders and turned his attention ostehta''"us's
elsewhere as II noatng balls OF 'r"'Nilnh
| uhi+a flames used to illuminate ca\es' Nc''
matters of ordinary experience WIN "''' @
| ,ndra,y's mouth was opened quite as "lue az
his eyes as he stood staring hp"dru a. w ~
curious illumination II "ouId ne sP''""'"
! sa,.iny of candle power. he thought. more
| than enough for the whole Nlliase II ,Ies
MD only manage to take 10 back with lheiil
! :, Rvsdale But, even II II Wer" S""l'
| CROUCH. it wouldn't be possible 10 carr! !"
! one OF theis trunks. since Wou'u We s",e ,S ~
,at thines Sn fire. This objection was made
| by Mrs. QuaEIe' anu see'"'N
! enough .l.t, ching ON
earth went on Leighton needless III il,S
.f,r ,1.tFs .4IAIl .
! connanions . have often thouSht that
somner or later something like this would be
| discovered. H. .,,,,
"It Is impossible to estimate It's Na'ue'
| Why, all the billions of dollars 'nal t"e'e "lt
| in the world today could not pay 10Y 1t a.
| the present market prices ,,.
| Tn. calm assurance with when this
astir,ate was given shattered Mtranda's pose
of studied indifference
| what is IT," he asked SHARPLY
"Radlum -
nh. silence that followed was c,o1uent OF
! the mingled incredulity and delight WIN
| which so staggering an announcement was
! r.caiyed Leighton, fascinated with his sun
| ,,,t nroceeded TO explain things. lauch as II
/ ns were AT home again In hrs laboratory
! working out a particularly novel experiment:
and expoundng' his various theoileS o!
nhvsics OF course. he had ho'hhS out
,heorv 20 go on since lie had never seen,
hcard of or believed possible such Il huge
Ass of radium as tniS that hung above
them And because it was 50 uhpeheNapN
huge. the others refused at first to take II
for what he said it was But he insisted t,,ai @
~ could be nothing else Radium II was--and
i,b This as his basis OF fact he quickly
buIt up an imposing theory that he used TO
,xplain more than one matter th"t Deiofe
had puzzled them. r.,
This Immense globe OF radum. he believed
| e., ,ba first u ace, was the parentbody OF All
,he tnfnitesinal particles OF thus remark
able substance that had recently been iound
ao'' Iissaro,t rarts Of the world. The
| ,nvstarious properties OF radium. he sa'd
we're only dimly understood as yet by
nhysicists who had eXperlnented win H.
Apparently It was mineral; but as II re-
yeaied constant and amazing activity.
| throwing out n force that so far had ba'led
| araIvsis there were those wlo held that 1t
was a living. or, better yet life-giving
substance. The existence OF this immense
| hodv of radium here, in the center OF the cave,
| axnlained TO the satisfaction or Lelghton'
| o,,,ch Of the strange phenomena they had
seen Here, obviously. was the source OF the
soft diffused light that had puzzled them
ever since they passed tnrough the condor
| CAT. and It was to this center or energy
| tnat they must attribute the increase in
| huoyancy and physical we-beng experienced
! the further they penetrated into THIS suoter'
rsnean world. The peculiar CROWNS, also
baIf vegetable, half mineral that had given
t%a snnearance of groves and gardens TO GER
toin nortions of the cave through which they
travelled were undoubtedly due to TINS mar
yelous force, occupying the same re e'atiNe po'
sition toward subterranean life that the sur
did TO the outside world OF nature more
rar leighton firmly believed that tht
Supremacy of radium as the life-slver in thi,
na,a involved the existence, as they would
| discover, OF other phenomena having stil
more subtle even psychic quantles, NarNi
| erunted significantly at this observation an6
Tina confirmed the truth of II by relating how
, | the floor OF the court where they sere stand
/ | ing had only short time before reflected |
.tA nH
,he outside cave by means of which the!
had been able TO follow Leighton's approach
TO the palace and watched the collision o
. his party with that of Raoul II was throug
J this peculiar Photographic power OF radium