Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-05-27
LITERARY.
West Of Sunday. CONTINUED.

West of Sunday, Continued.
"Oh, Gee" muttered Ted in a muf-
fled whisper, @the battery has given
out"
They stood motionless for a mo-
ment, enveloped in dread darkness.
The ominous silence of the cavern was
broken at irregular intervals by pierc-
ing shrieks that echoed down the long
corridor. A faint trickling of water
could be heard, and now and then hats
tapped their clammy wings in the
faces of the trembling boys. The
whole atmosphere gave them a feel
ing of foreboding evil and mystery.
After having given one end of a ball
of Irvine to Ted as a precautionary
measure, Dick dropped on his hands
and knees and slowly started to exam
inc the floor of the cave. He had
crawled about ten feet when his IN
raised hand struck a rock. He ran
his hand upward along the rough sur
face, and then he realized he had come
to the end of the passage. He stood
up and felt a gentle breeze stirring
about his head.
Ohio" he thought to himself.
~ re must be an opening near here. .
Pc searched the darkness with anx-
| ious eyes in the direction from which
the breeze came. Suddenly in the dis
lance he spied pin point of light.
His heart leaped. "Ted, Ted," he called
softly
Ted followed the string and soon
came to the side of his companion.
what is it, Dick?"
"See that Light"
Ted nodded, and the two tiptoed
stealthily towards it. The passage be-
came so low that they were forced to
crawl on sheir hands and knees. Sew
eral times Ted's hand slipped on the
shiny floor and cold chill went down
his back. They thought that they
would never reach the light, although
it did appear somewhat brighter at
each move they made.
Finally they came to the end of the
passage and found themselves in a
sort of amphitheater lighted by an
opening in the rocks high above their
heads. In the center of this enclosure
was clump of feathery ferns en-
circling a fairy-like spring of bright
blue which ran off in a tiny stream
that playfully babbled in and out of
the stalagmites. 1t seemed as though
Nature had mixed all of her most
beautiful shades and colors into one
and then nodded them into scores of
oddly shaped forms. Overhead hung
equally beautiful stalactites. The four
walls were covered with a softly wav-
ing tropical moss of green, edged with
bright scarlet, like to castle walls hung
with gorgeous tapestries.
The boys stood there for moment
| admiring the beauty of it all. Sud
denly Dick gave little cry and fell
TO examining the floor. Ted followed
his action, for there on the cold, damp
floor of the cavern was foot print,
and close by, a large clot of blood
Their hearts thumped wildly as they
followed up the trail.
"Now what ?" said Dick when he
came to a place near the wall where
the trail stopped.
There must be a hidden passage"
was Ted's reply.
Dick set about the making of torch
by concentrating on a magnifying
glass the few bright rays of the sun.
Slowly the piece of paper he held be-
meath it began to smoke, then to
scorch, and suddenly to burst into
flame.
Taking his crudely made torch, he
searched the walls in the vicinity of
the last foot prints. Dick pushed aside
the moss just above the last foot print,
and there on the rock was another
large spot of blood. Then the boys
sounded the rock and received hollow
report.
They examined it carefully in order
to find the opening which they felt
sure must be there. Ted gave it an
upward shove and it gave way. With
hands on their automatics they entered
the newly discovered room. There sill
houetted against the Pickering flames
of his camp fire sat a mysterious look
ing man.
Ito be continued).