Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-12-04

than the HelseA fee Il Wa alive.
efsepine thiAS Win tentaclss that
seemed to b vsssA1ns up the limbs Of
the tree.
n died Andrsa with 4 premonitlon
and brought her q desperate courage,
She took on her high-hseled slippers
and climbed down several rungs OF the
ladder that led to her platform; then
seating herself and getting good
knee-grip on the limb, she leaned down
and gradually worked loose the cleat
below her. After that she took the next
above and then the next, deposit!ng
each eleat 40 abe removed 1t In her
room.
No sooner had abe finished, leaving
herself cut OF from easy access 70 the
outside world but In compensation
having established q substantial OBJ
stacle to sudden assault from below,
than she was aware az the whispering,
wheezy sound Of heavy breathing I'M
mediately afterward came to her dis.
tended nostrils an overpowerinE odor
OF gin, nauseatiIgly sweet and sour nj
the same time. She looked down into
the shadowy gloom and saw MscClos-
,er's bulk moving slowly upward, rung
b. rung. each movement as deliberate
and repulsive MS that Of giant sloth.
Gripping one Of the ioosened rleats
In her right hand. she knelt on tho
edge Of the platform and watched
breathlessly his progress. When he
came to the break In the ladder his
hairy paws CROPPED helplessly for mo-
ment only; then they embraced the
tree-tr,Ink and he begun to swarm up
the easy slant. "Waiting UP for me,
dearie?" he whispered.
Andrea suppressed an instructive
impulse TO fly before his advance, all
the more terrifying because 1t was so
deliberate. Her face went white, her
eyes narrowed, hut her lips set In a
straight line us she waited, trying her
best 10 quiet her excited breathing lest
1t betray her pitiful agitation. She
measured the distance between the
edge Of the platform and those slowly
sliding hands. Only when they got 80
close that she could see the mist Of
fine yellow hair on them did she strike
first at one and then ut the other. and
not with the edge Of the cleat, but
with the three jagged nails that pro-
truded from It's fat side.
with q below Of rage Manchester
snatched back his pierced hands, trust
ing to the grip Of his knees. Andrea
clutched the cleat tightly. leaned for
ward and struck him across the side
Of the head with all her strength. He
lost his balance and fell. She heard
his body crashing from limb to limb
until 1t landed with q terrific thud on
some platform far below. Up from the
depths came liquid stream Of curses;
he could no longer below, he was
whining with the rage that means to
kill.
Andrea sank back and covered In
the corner Of her howell. She was
through; that last blow had drained
her Of all energy and courage. she was
no longer conscious of q desire to live.
her head rang with Incredible sounds.
Hallucination tortured her and even
brought to her longing ears the far
away hum Of Trevors airpians motor.
SO vivid Was her Imagination that the
hum grew louder and louder. a. II
would have done in reality, and dnally
attained staccato roar. She smiled
~t,%e,,l1x, bnv - m u1rSv,tpad hv all the
love Of the White Man which she had
hidden under a mask Of hippancy but
which, now that hope was dead, pro
claimed itself frankly and seemed TO
be trying to rock her to comfort and
oblivion.
Suddenly a terrific ripping crash
above her head tore through her numb
ed senses and brought her staggering
to her feet. The whole monster struc-
ture Of the GAIA swayed and bent a.
though 1t had been struck by Z lorna
do. Strong limbs creaked and cracked
with reports like pistol shots and q
shower Of leaves fell with a faint
click-cllck!ng that could be distinctly
heard as II through the !nterstices Of
the general and grosser commot!on.
The roaring OF the s!rplans that she
had thought an halluc!na tion suddenly
ceased. Presently smoke. pearl-gray.
began to seep through the thatch OF
the root.
Andrea came fully to her senses and
called 10 q clear. high voice: I'm here.
White Man; I'm here, White Man."
She repeated the cry steadily at short
intervals until he shouted or answer.
Following the sound Of his voice, her
eyes caught the CLEAN Of his hunting
knife, hacking way through the
thstch and when, finally. his feet wero
thrust through the opening. she seized
and guided than to a foothold. In an
other second no was standing before
her. Even In the dim light che could
see that his face was blackened, his
eyebrows, eyelashes and mustache en-
tirely snged, his hair burnt of In
patches. "Ohl White Mani" she
sasped, throwing out both hands to-
ward him.
drop It." said Trevor shortly.
(which way to the groundT'
She showed him, he slid down the
branch until he struck the hrst cleat.
and waited there to catch her. "Coms
on, now" he said. In thirty seconds
whoevers left in this hell.hols will be
baked"
From below them and outside the
Gaia came the ululuing Of thousand
panic-stricken voices, overlain but not