Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-14
bursting magazine stunned the

ress bursting magazine stunned the
But no thunderous echoes ran on
across the hillsl And strangely the
conclusion of the first crash was In
Stantly gone-like the roar Of guns at
seal And nothing could have so COM
pletely defeated expectancy, even as
the scene of destruction dissolved as
it were in its own spreading dust!
Dynamite, eh?" said Brainaro soIt-
ly. They must have had that pre-
pared.
Then" said Phyllis, with the studio
fire, they've wiped out your nachines!"
He laughed. In his hand he had q
single bomb He did not reply to her.
but opened the cap on the little sphere
and tossed 1t off into space.
In the boulevard street OF Santa
Monica again! But now, with a back
ground in which conspicuous was the
great hole where the Bonmar had been.
On a granite block, the base Of foun-
tain, a man had leaped up and was
shouting to the crowd. They rolled IN
about him and stopped to listen. Phyl-
lis knew him; he was well known
preacher, who had once attacked
Brainard from his pulpit.
"Friends!" he began to shout. we
are freel We've been slaves! Slaves
of our sensesl But as Brainard him
self once said. liquid Life, like all
liquids, will find its level He knew"
A loud glIffaw interrupted the speaker.
'Then why not shut up and enjoy
it2" shouted ribald voice. I'VE
should worry!"
A roar of laughter went up, and
they surged away from him, like boys
out Of school! And the scene went out.
II told you they'd moralize," Brain
ard said. "Elt apparently the morallst
thinks they're through with me-"
He took from his pocket little dark
disk, of unknown substance, and held
| it up. Maybe, If they ever get the
secret of this, they'll be through with
mel" he added. what Is any one set
of buildings, or Of machines, to mel!
He laughed again with the note OF
his triumph. She could only stand ana
look at him: Helpless, as always
| there was nothing she could do.
He turned to the car. Presently he
| brought more bombs.
"Lookl" he said, and hung anotner
but to empty its record into the night.
She saw a girl in white, galloping on
| a chestnut marel Herself, in her wild
beach ride far back at the other end
of that strange night. She saw again
| and felt-the bruising branches ana
| the tearing thorns. Then she saw q
rigid equestrian statue at the edge OF a
shivering yellow highlights on its qu1v-
ering hide, the girl with white agony
of fear and love in her face.
"You took a long chance to come
there" Brainard said. What did you
| do 1t for?"
His voice was harsh. Slowly 1t
came over her that the girl who had
sat that horse-tfe girl Of three hours
ago-the girl Of yesterday-was dead.
Dead, because life had passed her by.
''That is only what was" she thought;
"all that I am have brought with
mel" Here was life now-and pres
emily it would have rushed on. What
was it-of what was 1t made? Could
| not one saddle and ride it-ride 1t In
| the one moment that was forever pres
ent, and so forever without an end?
She became conscious Of his gaze
again. He was staring at her, his eyes
on fire, his head thrust forward, his
| hands poised. But as she turned to-
ward him his mouth hardened again
and he turned to look of into the night.
"The fire is dying" he remarked. She
looked the yellow smear of fame had
sunk to a pale mist. THE flare-up is
over" Brainard sneered. Then he
| looked at her again and smiled. 1T oc-
Cured to me just now" he said, ito try
to get a glimpse of tomorrow. Funny I
never thought of it before. But If I
can set my dials ahead, like clock,
must get somethingI I've got some
thingl-let's see whatl"
He laughed briefly, and shrugged. He
was covering emotion again, holding
some impulse under iron curb. He
tossed o bomb ov-- the ledge of rock.
! For moment all was blank and still,
| and then
/ The tinkle of tiny waterfall lifted
| its bubbling voice. A sparkling trickle
dropped over the face of a rock out
there like a spray of iridescent gems.
Ferns, touched with peacock tints, half
clothed recumbent limbs of giant trees,
seated there in forest nook, cooling
weary feet in crystal pool.
! (Cotninued in Tomorrows Starr