Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-01-21

/
gas, the bottled-up poison of the ages.
A horde of pigs, running wild over
| the island-placed there, no doubt, by
/ Chinese fishers-had met the same
/ fate whilst intent on dreadful orgy.
Then there came a European, who
knew how the anhydrate gas, being
heavier than the surrounding air, set
/ tied like water in that terrible hollow.
He, too, had striven to wrest the
/ treasure from the stone by driving
/ tunnel into the cliff. He had partly
succeeded and had gone away, per-
haps to obtain help, after crudely reg
| istering his knowledge on the lid of
tin canister. This, again, probably
/ fell into the hands of another man,
who, curious bur unconvinced, caused
| himself to be set ashore on this desc
| late spot, with a few inadequate
stores. Possibly he had arranged to
be taken off within a fixed time.
! But a sampan, laden with Dyak pi-
rates, came first, and the intrepid ex-
plorer's bones rested near the well,
whilst his head had gone to decorate
the hut of some fierce village chief.
The murderers, after burying their
own dead-for the white man fought
hard, witness the empty cartridges
searched the island. Some of them, 1g-
norantly inquisitive, descended into
the hollow. They remained there. The
others, superstitious barbarians, fed
for their lives, embarking so hastily
that they took from the cave neither
tools nor oil, though they would great
ly prize these articles.
Such was the tragic web he spun, a
compound of fact and fancy 1t eX-
planned all perplexities save one. What
did "32-1" mean? Was there yet an
other fearsome riddle awaiting solu-
ton?
And then his thoughts flew to Iris.
Happen what might, her bright pic
ture was seldom absent from his brain.
Suppose, egg-hunting, she had STUN
bled across this Valley of Deathi How
could he hope to keep it hidden from
her? Was not the CHASTITY knowledge
better than the horror of chance
ramble through the wood and the
shock Of discovery, nay, indeed, the
risk of catastrophe?
He was a man who relieved his
surcharged feelings with strong Ian
guage-a habit of recent acquisition.
He INDUCED in it now and felt better.
He rushed back through the trees I'M
til he caught sight of Iris Industrious
ly kneading the sage pith in one of
those most useful dish-covers.
He called to her, led her wondering
to the track, and pointed out the fatal
quarry, but in such wise that she
could not look inside it.
! ''You remember that round hole we
saw from the summit rock?" he said
''Well, it is full of carbonic acid gas,
to breathe which means unconscious
ness and death. 1t gives no warning
to the inexperienced. It is rather pleas
ant than otherwise. Promise me you
will never come near this place again"
Now, Iris, too, had been thinking
deeply. Robert jerks bulged large in
her day-dreams. Her nerves were not
yet quite normal. There was catch
in her throat Us she answered.
"I don't want to die. Of course |
will keep away What a hOrrid island
this is! Yet it might be a paradise"
She bit her lip to suppress her tears
but, being the Eve in this garden, she
continued
"How did you find out? Is there any
thing-nasty- there?"
Eyes, the remains of animals, and
other things. 1 would not have told
you were it not imperative"
"Are you keeping other secrets
from me?'
"Oh quite number
He managed to conjure up smile,
and the ruse was effective. She APP
piled the words to his past history.
81 hope they will not be revealed so
dramatically" she said.
"You never can TELL he answered.
NH ho+
morning. They returned in silence to
the cave.
at wish to go inside, with lamp.
May II" he asked.
Certainly. Why not"'
He had an odd trick of blushing,
this bronzed man with gnarled soul.
He could not frame satisfactory re-
ply, but busted himself in refilling the
lamp.
MAY I come too?" she demanded
He flung aside the temptation to
answer he- in kind, merely asserting,
with an explanation of his design.
When the lamp was in order he held
it close to the wall and conducted a
systematic survey. The geological
fault which favored the construction
of the tunnel seemed to diverge to the
|
the rock exhibited the marks of per-
sistent labor. The stone had been
hewn away by main force when the
dislocation of strata ceased to be help
| full.
His knowledge was limited on the
subject, yet jerks believed that the
material here was hard limestone
rather than the external basalt.
Searching each inch with the feeble
! light, he paused once, with an ex-
clamation.
What is it?" cried Iris.
"I cannot be certain" he said,
doubtfully. would you mind holding
the lamp whilst I use the crowbar?"
In the stone was visible thin vein,
| blush white in color. He managed to
break off fair-sized lump containing
a well-defned specimen of the for
eign metal
/ They hurried into the open air and
examined the fragment with curious
eyes. The sailor picked it with his
knife, and the substance in the vein
came off in laminated layers, small,
/ brittle scales.
"Is it silver?" Iris was almost ex-
cited
81 do not think so. I am no expert,
but I have vague ideal have seen
He wrinkled his brows and pressed
away the burrows with his hand, that
physical habit of his when perplexed.
81 have it." he cried 1T is anti
mony"
Miss Deane pursed her lips in dis