| Show m Story SIW of O the Day Daw ill illAN F Fl AN AD VENTURE ADVENTURE IN THE BOTTOMLESS PIT J VJ J tt it was be before Core the tho branch had been built to t the Junction The Jolly crowd which together at the Colonels Colonel's had driven en n over O Tamil y front from Glasgow in the great groat Wo ite ve nS neVer carry all The Tho old hotel at the entertained a thou h gayer part party h has the e venerable white-washed white has boa n. n a a. history brilliant with aristo- aristo S reaching bac back when to tho the days I a Crit Crittenden rl henry nry Clay f was a boy bor There was r ra Sd n anu a Breckenridge r c lace laco and 1 a Wallace Wal- Wal a Lagrane a rn l a Morrison n and a c the a a. Buckner and a l Sherman to did lId him i Eldridge party Darty and the Colonel Ega Ega proud that afternoon but hurst burst forth you yu are afe nf handsome handsome lima Ilma he heIn In rapt h i enthusiastically as he gazed M Miss las admiration on the Plowing glowing face of ot ih Wallace allce Charming positively Now It if I were young like here do ld know what l' l Fd do Miss you Wallace ce Make Iak I course 11 i ro tool fool of ot yourself papa of promptly 1 his daughter r Nelll responded pretty yoU you'd kiss her hr I wouldn't trust but rest ot of us Oven even at your age If It tho the weren't around Gad girl I w wouldn't even with trust myself eight Rh Eh Pack of oC you rIght In And he f stepped d Into tho the cen ci I he halt a suddenness 01 oward hIs hla fa favorite thaE tha wll a merr merry scream from that young lady ought b BreckenrIdge Where f IJ Co Col John aUgG en are anel you you a t rl mr cx- cx e- e ef within advancing a litt e ten his your our maneuvers territory o of ot fW ta He Jo hasn't hant forgotten forgot forgot- That Tha t I haven't mv my f boy hoy bov Tt It wi was t tit at it the ho battle of oC Missionary Ridge that I t- t I- I But Nellie Nele broke broko In oj on him wIth such Buch a a J. J 4 volle oley of merry raillery In which she was joIned bY bythe utho the rest rest- that he was wa glad Slad to wa ret rethe retreat re- re review treat t tp h his the eW wonderful grounds d 1 1 ogi outside exploits the of f hotel 63 t n In and his own mind h by himself D Breckenridge observed The ng Colonel I elf lf if would you ha have been kissed about her 51 fond Critenden enden with wih Pont point pint He lie Is a as ot of her as ns of ot nn old sweetheart Yes was was rejoinder A Ait AitU A mi little U later t MiSs Morrison n proposed a JT there WI walk l in down the to Green n I river river- Its It's lovely l deep recesses of at the woods she saId J JI They were off of at once like free fancy-free I Crittenden rh Miss children and Morrison Mist Wallace lima Jima lma started precipitately down the steep step path oath path to the rivers river's bring and was forced Into a l run rUI by her own momentum force She was WW followed In her wild wid frolic b by Brek- Brek Breck- Breck her 11 thus wife who leaving vl was sM Miss glad dM Morrison to rr get n na a away and Crittenden Crit Crit- with in the rear gi The river ran swift post past pat the terminus I of ot tho the path and so loose was the soil In I Ithe the moist shady woods sol that lima Jima was not able to check her pell-mell pell lma course wa down tho the declivity by a Inn mel pel-mel foothold any any- where Hor Jor daring spirit carried carIe h her r too far At the last lat step her foot slipped from to under her and ad she he pitched bodily Into the treacherous stream A 1 piercing scream awakened the for forest t echoes and brought Miss Morrison and Crittenden hurriedly to the spot BrekenrIdge's Break Breck- Brek- Brek enrIdge's coat was already oft off of and so SG was his left lef boot But the swift current was wa swifter than he and had ha already cau caught ht Its It victim in its Is swirl swirl Crittenden did not pause in his hs mad ma race down dow the tho st steep ep but hot plunged plunge In The current drew him q on to her and he seized her dress Just as she was sinkIng sink sink- sinking In Ing beneath the W waves ves and at the moment mo moment mo ment Breckenridge BreckenrIdge jumped into the water A projecting root from Crom a l groat beech reached out a friendly hand and CrItenden Crittenden Critten- Critten den grasped desperately at it and held fast With Wih his hi manly right arm he drew his precious burden to him shifted his arm for a I firmer hold about about her waist and Ina In Ina Ina a moment more landed her and himself safe cafe fafe at the f feet et of Miss MIS Morrison e came camo out of the water He lIe le turned his face tao away avay He ito had ha not a word to say lima Ilma was all I gratitude l She tried h rS t f Itt tt J Jand her prettiest t to take the will for r the deed and make both men foci feet the tidy w were re heroes sentiments crushed Crittenden's Critenden's generous Breckenridge more than did Miss Wallace's Wallaces Vial Val laces lace's praise Tho e unlucky c young man Wd pr early ve very early JHc to c was late 1 to breakfast next morning and late to din din- nor ncr In the afternoon Col Eldridge took his young friends friend over the short route louto through the cave rhe fhe au adventure at at the th river had worn Itself threadbare and was a thing of at the east almo almost If I BreckenrIdge had lost favor in the tho tho charming Miss Wallace's Wallaces t eves S by his one moment of ot hesitation she sheL shedid Mm did f L 1 not r reveal veal it She still sti smiled upon 6 Old Tom rom the guide gide had now brought the thE to one of the most wonderful parts part of oL the he great er Now ladles and and said Old 01 Tom who had l saying the the- same thing thine at the same spot for r two twenty years dis am b r I Pit Pit Pit-no no tb i ito to t all Dat leads to hell hel Nobody ever find dc do dat pi pit no- no ito no sah Why doesn't somebody go down there and explore o lima Ilma incredulously d sl tn er Ct Razing gazing hard into 16 the lighted half lr I face c o othe of l the tho old ne negro o. o What vo yo about chile chie Die braves braves' man In die woId wold woid ud nevah nEah ven- ven down da a chile chile- Theres 1 your OUI chan change chance e Breckenridge Crittenden Critenden could not hot refrain from remark remark remark- ing The other ether Uel mi rhade de no po rejoinder lima Ilma I looked reproof at the speaker Old Tom om called caled th the she party to look down into tIm the the opening yawning before before bet ben be be- fore them t while V he sent a huge u flambeau flaring n down rw Into the d depths t s Down down e went vent the torch lorch to a I interminable distance until but a faitt gleam shone up from Crom the Impenetrable gloom into which the flambeau dam flam fam- fam beau h had plunged l Nellie ellie i lighted a newspaper news news- tr r W tB paper r and JI it into the Bottomless O I l r. r t t. t i Pit Then one of the party dropped In a aStone stone i In a spirit it C mischief to that at had not been conquer conquered d yet lima Ilma lma suddenly snatched hat and held it i over the chasm He by an e equally dexterous dexterous dexterous dex dex- movement at possessed himself himsel of something she pad ld ad been carelessly carry- carry inc Ine In her othe hand My Mv letter She gave a it l scream and made d a aMr ato de desperate t r graf gral r i to tear e It from o him i Mr Brecke ridge if I you look at t that letter she cr crl d Cl c in alarm Jill Ill never forsh for for- aLA YOU Ol von avA Quick as a a H ii Hat f sh she made another grab grabIch at the hand w Ich held the missive tantalizingly tanta- tanta tanto- tanto out o of l her reach a above the pit M h o t She caught It at t the corner but not tight tight- Iv lv enouch enouf to 1 I lold old Id it and between the two it went sal sailing down tho the bottomless chasm I There l Irr In glad Klad Alad of it i exclaimed II- II l- l ma trembling with excitement It I is safe sate there certainly What terrible secret did cUd It contain asked Miss Niss Was Vas it our your lett letter let let- t tar ter r to to- to to J s sh commended in alarm and confusion I Suppose some daring soul should descend descend descend de de- de- de into t somo some day dy and peruse that t J missive Miss Vallace Vial Val lace remarked remarK Crittenden Critenden with wih a d degree re of ot f sarcasm 1 I of ot f sarcasm 1 Then he w V f uld be welcome to fo the so- so se cret it hold Have you any serIous ob- ob to g going InS down Mr Crittenden It I Is rather than Green river I thInk Theres yo r o Critenden was the t could not nt w withhold But Old 1 T Torn J was calling them on to the beautiful SL Chamber and Crittenden Sla the Old TomCat r rushing into to the hotel it g J di W was noon of h he next day Breckenridge e I II And Mis MIsS We lace e had been missing since night they t rg retired Z O the trace r respective of ti them e rooms O could ld t the be till th guide returned with Jimas Jima's nd fO tl wih hat which it h iON had found COund at the mouth of the cavo Ii yas I they had t von von- hr in eal ealy alon y whIch means tey am lost t fo Co good AGod It h despairingly I Jt was a 10 the devious lous lanes that led le of Into unexplored and endless ute After two weary hours they y me ne on Miss Wallace sl I exhausted I an unknown chamber ana wIth her rained Another hour and J I ly y Col Col Eldridge and Old Tom appeared car car- cr- cr a body between them he It Was rl C considerably bruised but I not seriously injured And then the story all al c came me out Breck- Breck had started alone toward the cave at midnight lima Dma lma who had lain awake with a ra raping raging ng headache had ha got up to walk it I oft off of in the tILe cool night air all and had ha silently followed the young man ald I dont don't know what possessed me said lima Jima but I found Cound a lantern entered the cave cave and kept out o of sight just behind him till tl is flashed on me what he was up UI to Then I stumbled and fell and must tel have fainted away When I came to all was dark I rec recalled m my situation and al lay Jay listening to the most mournful cry I ever heard in my life lite I knew where it came from from Mr had gone down Into the Bottomless Pit but whether er er- er erAn An exclamation of terror rose from all aU Yes Yen Ye sah ladies lales and gemmen ejaculated Old Tom dats wha we foun toun him himat him him- at die of die Pit Pi I It I was a harrowing tale taie he had to tell tella tell tell- a dangling at the end of a long rope tela tel tel- a broken lantern and a fall tal and then the agony agon of soul that follows despair while waiting a living death deth And all al for that silly letter cried siy leter lma lima Jima crIe I There Thero was silence all around al lima Jima Ima said sd the tho Colonel I think that leter letter should be allowed to explain Itself Im Im Jm willing she responded Here Hero it I is said the injured Injure man throw- throw log Ine Ine onen open his vest The Colonel drew the missive from the tho envelope and and road rc aloud to that silent erinc lanterns In the ghostly light of ot the flick flick- tek- tek Cave Hotel May 10 10 18 Mr This k This morning you 9 asked me to be roe your wife p I promised Oo to dye you ou an answer before beCore tomorrow fe I night Tonight you ou let a rival save my I life while you OU stopped to pull pul off of 01 your boots When you have shown as much bravery as Mr Crittenden I will wi give you an answer You set too to high a value on our nur life for Cor an ideal Iel lover of ot a I true trUS Kentucky Ken Ken- tucky Lucky girl Very t truly yours ILMA rl u WALLACE There was a wedding at the Cave hotel at high noon the following day dav and John g rivals rival's Crittenden n radiant la was tr bride best h the man most and astonishing astonishing- gave his Iv lv affectionate embrace He lie could ap- ap bravery as well wel as be brave him hIm- self It I is the tho way of it I in Ia Kentucky |
