Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1930-02-20
CHAPTER XII

redwoods all the elements Of the
laboratory experiment were present
and had acted. The solution had pre-
cipitated; the crystals had formed.
From an average group OF people this
Pressure had been lifted, and the re-
actions could be examined. With the
results our great Invisible lntelli-
genees were not content. New im-
] petuses had been born, commensurate
with new desires, that fully eQualed
| those set In motion by the old Pres
/ sure, to be sure but they were In
tile main destructive. Greed. the
| ruthless use of power, revenge, lying.
anger. even the possibility OF murder,
| had been Embossed among these. peace
! full trees. The original impulses Of
construction had been overwhelmed.
The results of premature lifting OF
! any pressure that has been useful In
generating desire are always those of
degeneration and decay. alien who
the breadfruit tree.
So here the great Invisible InteIli-
gences knew that the time was not
yet.
Events ran smoothly along the plan
! laid out for them by the Pirate Chief
Burton and Davenport returned short
" TO the campfire. At suitable time
a nghtcap was proposed and drunk.
Soon after, with Burton In her tent
and Davenport deep In stupor, the con-
spirators had the place to themselves
When the light OF Burton's tent had
been for some time replaced with
silhouette of blackness. Gardiner
arose, hunted out his oyercoat. but
toned the agreement on his inside
pocket, shook hands with Grimstead
and took his departure down the
meadow.
| He carried the pocket fashIight,
and by It's aid he soon disconnected
the self-starter. Silence rushed In
upon the dying CHATTER as into vac
uum. Gardiner paused long enough
i I'D HUN LII Ou Abdl NQIlAy
had not stirred
1t was the work OF but few mo-
ments to reinstall the battery In the
other car. as 1t was IN affair only OF
four bolts and two wire connections
Gardiner turned the light switch. I'm
mediately the long pencils OF the
headlights pierced the darkness. BY
the flashlights be studied and mas
tered the control. Then, after storing
his valise under the rear deck, he
stepped aboard and threw over the
lever. The car moved slowly ahead
on the corduroy
Gardiner drove very slowly and
| carefully, easing her over the In
/ CAPABILITIES the improvised road
Even at that ii seemed to him that
/ the whole glade was filled with
enough rattles, sQueaks, impacts and
hearse, tinny vibrations to awaken
the dead AS a matter OF fact there
was very little noise, all things con-
sidered, and Grimstead, seated before
| the dying fire, nodded with satisfaction
as he heard the faint sounds OF prog
| ress.
The passage across the new laid
poles was successfully accomplished,
| and the tortuous way through the
brush. Once on the soft damp roa1
Gardiner relaxed and settled down
| comfortably
/ Ahead the shafts Of light threw
into hard, theatrical prominence the
trunks Of trees the tracery OF leaves.
the lacery of bracken and brush.
These were fiat on one plane as
though cut from cardboard Then
one by one they passed into the
penumbra on either side, and glided
by as dim ghosts. The road wound
and twisted, rose and fell, and the
light shafts swept from right to left
and up and down to reveal momen-
tarily new things. An owl, surprised
by the sudden glare, tapped heavily
across.
Gardiner experimental cautiously
| Will LIE CUulTOt. IHc uEAuuuioLu was
wonderfully responsive. He found the
engine much more flexible than any
gasoline car he hnd ever driven. For
few minutes he amused himself
bringing 1t almost to stop, and then
picking up smoothly and positively by
merely opening the throttle. The
throttle was very sensitive. Under Its
impulse, when Gardiner for the first
time stepped on It incautiously, the
light car almost jumped from under
4 him.
The mechanism was silent except
for a faint hum of the differential
gear, although. of course, there were
plenty of body squeaks and rattles.
This absence Of the regular busy
rhythm Of the gasoline motor made 1t
7. extremely difficult to estimate speed.
GARDENERS glance atfhe speedometer
dial showed him AZ pace he had not
realized However,, the car itself
was so light that She found 1t could
be checked easily by the brakes.
Gardiner settled down to the sheer
| pleasure Of driving as fast as bis