Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-07-17
"All here p exclaimed Dewolfe look

"All herel" exclaimed DeWolfe look
ing up, but as If even the pallor Of
Smallwood had faded out completely,
the book collectors counselor had
gone; he had closed the door noiseless-
ly as If the paleness of him not only
was for the sight but for the sense of
hearing as well.
Peter pushed the third copy Of the
rare volume upon which he had put
his hands under the arc Of the bronze
lamp.
"The way presents no obstacles to
progress save the sand which is loose
| for the feet of horses" Father Carlos,
| the Jesuit explorer, had written. "This
region Of fine sand blown by winds
| from the Mesa begins at the valley
that we have called the Dry Cup and
| by me is so marked upon the drawing.
Thence it runneth straight north for
| distance of one hundred and five.
Here was found a vast mound, some
| of our party saying below a great rock
was to be found. The course from this
| mound is northwest; one we have fol-
lowed by great good fortune like
miracle, there being only impossible
clefts in the plain to the right and to
the left and only one entrance into the
Great Cleft, where Is the ruins of the
city-part upon the level ground and
part upon the southern wall of the
Mesa"
Peter turned to the map drawn so
quantity by the painstaking priest
nearly two centuries ago, Test others
unAuided by the hand of God become
| lost"
At the end of twenty minutes of
study DeWolfe stood erect and drew
In deep breath. These pages then
were those which Parmalee had sought
and found, the same as those which
he had torn out of the book; they had
been associated with some strange
call. Was the call to that region or
was the call something that followed
his search for this quaint old volume
and it's possession?
To Peter it appeared now that one
more piece of material was needed to
fill the pattern. He had been reluctant
to seek this piece but now there was
too much confirmation to allow any
thing to stand in the way.
He could not wait; he took his hat.
The evening was now filled with moon
light, so clear, upon white cloud banks
on a purple velvet sky, that 1t invited
all to walk leisurely under spell of
silvery calm that even transformed
the rectangular prisms Of the city and
the deep streets between. Peter knew
nothing of the moon; he pursued one
end. blind to all else.
After hurrying on foot for two
blocks he succeeded In stopping an
empty taxicab that was Gathering
southwark on the avenue.
"Take me there" he said to the
driver, putting card in his hand.
The car turned about as if it had
forgotten something uptown and after
ten blocks on the asphalt, swung
through cross street to the car
tracks upon which 1t purred like
brush on velvet until it turned around
uOSpltdl Oll d COIASA anu 4OuAu q
block of old-fashioned brownstone
houses.
Up the long steps of one of them,
Peter climbed, looking for doctors
sign, and finding it there he rang the
bell.
The man he had come to see met
him in typical doctors office with its
mingled and vague impressions of
milky glass slabs, nickel instrument
trays, the vicious appearance of a
harmless nose and throat apparatus,
books bound in dark red, scattered
medical journals folded twice length
wise, the sound of water dripping into
a washbowl behind a white door and
the faint smells of ether and aristol
powder.
Peter gave no inspection to the man
who received him he began abruptly
by stating his name.
The professional man, acting from
habit, nodded, put on his glasses, took
out card case and said in carefully
nurtured tone of sympathy:
whats the matter?"
Nothing is the matter" replied De-
Wolfe, I'm not ill. took chance
on finding you on Sunday evening. /