The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-03-01
GODDESS
bv Herberz Jensen


 Frank" she cried with choked voice, Frank, dear. You said once you love me! As you love me, please don't go! Billy, stop him!" You don't know what you're say. ing" said Frank gently. Billy will explain why Pm going"
 I do! do know what I'm saying. love you Frank! l love you so much that Pd-Frank, I'd die if any. thing happened. Take me with you! We'll go together-"
 His heart ached. He blinked his eyes to clear away the mistiness. He was pained that her distress had brought her to confess a love he believed she did not-could not feel.
 He pressed her gently from him. He backed into the water. She strove to follow. Step by step she waded deeper. still facing him. Over his shoulder he sent a glance to Langton--a glance both helpless and full of appeal.
 Langton hobbled into the water beside them. Gently but with firm. ness he took her by the arm. Trance-like she stared at Frank who backed away toward midstream. The water swirled above his waist.
 Janice's face was dazed: pain showed in her eyes, but with Lang tons hand upon her arm she made no move to follow Frank. The water eddied under his crude life belt. He was floating.
 Swiftly the current caught him. He saw the bank and the figures of the man and girl recede. As the darkening shadow of the cavern's mouth fell upon him, he saw Janice turn her head suddenly and bury her face against the shoulder of her companion. as if she could not sup port the sight of his disappearance
 Langton lifted his hand and dropped it. It was like salute. DLACKNESS. Impenetrable black. D ness.
 The water. gurgling about him. seemed to Frank like a living in visible substance. He was conscious of a variety of sensations. At one moment he felt that he was sus- pended immovable in a void, at an other 1t seemed that he was being impelled forward in a vacuum-a swift. silent projectile-and must sooner or later crash into extinc. tion.
 He strove to unclench his aching teeth. to allow the nervous rigidity Of his muscles to relax, He won dered if be could bear for several hours this vivid expectation of an. initiating impact.
 Then suddenly he was curiously aware of a glow about him: it was at the level of his shoulders, below him. surrounding him; but 1t was not above his head. It came from the water: it was minutes before his reason informed him that these were phosphorescent glimmerings in the water.
 By counting he tried to estimate the time he had been within the cav. ern. Already 1t seemed hours. but he realized that it was probably much less than that.
 He splashed his way to the right or left until his outstretched hand would touch the side wall. He hoped to estimate the speed of his drifting by finger-tip contact with the stone.
 But 1t was slimy and chill, foul with slippery growth that brought to mind the wormy life that lived within the jungle swamp bogs. Thereafter he tried to keep in mid. stream.
 The gurgling grew louder. the phosphorescence frightened. Dim- ly he could see the tufts and plumes of glowing light as the cur. rent splashed and whirled against the dank walls.
 Suddenly he struck something that gave. Long. fingerlike tendrils raked his face. He cursed his re- pugnance and strove to claw away the obstruction.
 He was held tightly. The current seethed end swirled about him. tugging at him. Automatically he looked upward. A faint gray slit parallel with the current was above him. so close that it seemed he could reach 1t.
 Instantly he realized his situa- tion. Here was break in the cav ern roof-the beginning of cenote -and the obstruction that held him was netting of vines growing over the lip of the opening down to the water.
 He .hrashed himself loose. The tendrils were gone from about his face: the gray slit above disap peared.
 He was beginning to feel chilled. Long weeks 'u the sun had thinned his blood. The water in this under. ground stream was touched by the fsun only at the intervals that 1t ap peared from the caverns. (Copyvishf. fo34. 5, Herbert IsssssI