Show 0 IN IX A CA CAVE F Short stor story by br Violet Boulden grade pupil in My Myton ton public school After Aftel a wearisome da day in the school room during which the in instructor instructor instructor in- in had been beener er very exacting demanding demanding demanding de de- manding an unusual amount of math 1 I betook m my wear weary self home and after supper r sat myself down to write a story called In a Cave but it seemed I 1 couldn't collect m my thoughts and nd while trying to gather them I heard a roaring noise followed followed followed fol fol- lowed b by a sharp rap at the door Imagine my mr surprise when s g git it I found Virginia standing there all flushed with excitement H Her r first words were Violet come ta take ie iea a ride in my mr aeroplane father bought me one a month ago and Ive I've learned to run it Go of course I would She produced suitable apparel for flight and I donned them and awa away we went After we had risen high above e the he little city of Myton 1 ton we could 3 11 doors and windows being opened and I crowds gathering in the streets to toI witness the unusual sight only fr fra f Ir r ra a moment and then we were gone After a delightful cruise of or an an hour or so I reminded Virginia that we must return for I had Lot yet ct finished that stor story But she only laughed and said Why Ihy Violet tots tins is only Friday evening and I t have planned that you and I wIP wU take talc a trip to Los Los' Angeles and back by hy nine o'clock Monday mornin morlin Do Donot Donot Donot not say one word for I have ha provisions provisions provis pro ions and e cr every thing needed Did I object Well I guess not I Even though I knew I 1 get an E in English and looks of disapproval from the instructor Monday morn morn- ing Did you ever take an aeroplane trip O The wonder and delight Over mountains valleys towns rivers and cities we new Hew lov hn In n the moonlight Once we hit an air pocket and arid fell three hundred feet I gasped gasped gasped gasp gasp- ed and clung frantically to Virginia but our little machine righted and went on We crossed the Utah line and were flying over the vast Nevada desert We noticed that the cactus and desert desert des des- ert shrubs could be seen more plainly and beautiful streaks of red and gold were shooting across arross the eastern sky We gave a gasp of amazement as a great ball bat o of fire seemed to come up out of ol the desert and the beauty and awe of the desert lay below us On and on we flew fiew flying higher so we vre could go so over the tops of the mountains which were now to be he seen In the distance Just Justas as we were going over one of or these dizzy heights I heard an ominous grinding cracking noise Virginia went white to the very lips and In terror ejaculated Violet Do you know what's happening One of the wings of ol our aeroplane is breaking under the strain and If it we make a asale safe sale landing well we'll be lucky Land Landwe we did after what seemed interminable interminable interminable able hours of falling When I came cameto cameto cameto to bruised and shaken and the breath knocked out of me a huge painted uncivilized savage be bending ding over me met my dazed and bewIldered bewildered bewildered ered gaze I sprang to my mr feet In terror terrol but he grasped me b by the arm armand armand armand and held me t tightly hUy His attitude was was neither friendly nor nor unfriendly He gazed at me in wonder My ly frantic gaze took tool In the broken aeroplane aeroplane aeroplane aero aero- plane and Virginia who was giving gl shrill little shrieks of defiance and at the same time with the aid of her free hand trying to box the ear i of bt f her who seemed bewildered and did not know whether to return the compliment or not but finally with a grunt and a shake he released ed her hel knowing she could 1 not trot es es- es- es cape On looking g around the first crowd of savages savages savages sav sav- thing we saw was a roved ages men women and children The next we saw were towering walls of rock roch hundreds of feet high enclosing a beautiful little lithe valley In the tho center cen ceu- center ter tel of ot this as the Indian village In Inthe Inthe Inthe the western side was a magnificent arch of colored rock apparently built in the side of the mountain It was a wonder of architectural skill We Ye were gazing at this in wonder when we heard a shout and whirling whirling whirl whirl- ing beheld a savage whose attire marked hm PS liS one of Importance in the tribe tritt running toward vard us us As Ashe Ashe Ashe he approached he ho knelt lt on his knees facing us with clasped hands He kept and jabbering to iii followers and then repeatedly p pointed to m my red redhead head and then at the sun suu from which wo we gathered he meant I was the Sun Goddess His Ills goal gestures concerning Virginia we could not but she ebe seemed to b 16 equally l The savages formed in tit a a. circle aroun around us us' us Kneeling kissing the dust and and chanting Then they brought a sort of conveyance with a purple and arid gold top in which they placed us Eight of the savages shouldered it il and bore bote us toward the nr arch 11 in the mountains The crowd followed singing and shouting praising so it seemed I will not try to describe our feelings Arriving at the arch they touched some sonic kind of secret mechanism a huge slab in the arch slid back and we were ushered into the most magn magna place I have ever seen Been It now dawned upon me that we were in a huge natural cave cage which the savages used as a n temple The rich tapestries were Wele embroidered in gold and and precious e st stones stones' les were wrought l t Into lino all an au kinds Kinus 01 of peculiar peculiar mero- mero and images of all sorts and des Floor coverings eo The like Ive I've never seen After they had hud gone through peculiar ceremonies they led us through an opening into another apartment and I felt m my red redhair redhair redhair hair slowly rise on end at the terrible terrible terri terri- ble hIe spectacle I beheld A monster so hideous that human imagination I could not conceive of or it stood In the rear of the room His mouth opened opened opened open open- ed and shut automatically showing Hames flames of fire Its eyes eres shone in the semi-darkness semi with a baneful malignant malignant malignant ma ma- red glare When his mouth opened the arms outstretched in a I gesture so compelling and h hypnotic that some of or the savages had even been known to ascend the steps and leap into the flaming mouth of ot the demon The They offered human sacrifice sacrifice sacrifice fice to this hideous idol whom they worshipped especially when the they had done something which might arouse his wrath tho Imagine my relief when the old medicine man led us back into the outer temple They Ther then dressed us in beautiful embroidered embroidered embroidered em em- broidered garments Mine were gold colored Virginias Virginia's was silver Next a crown bearing a sun was placed on my head and on Virginias Virginia's a big silver star They The gave us some wonderful fruits and a beverage beverage beverage bever bever- age that equaled the Nectar of the Gods While we were eating a great crash of thunder seemed to rend to-rend rend the cave It was followed by another and another The savages came running from every direction their faces terror stricken QS as the storm in all its fur fury burst upon the valley valle- I hope t t. t is never see or witness anything so terrible again It was night by now and the heavens were lit by br a lurid red glow The rain fell in ill torrents and the wind roared and howled oyer overturning turning the Indian huts blowing down the trees and causing death and destruction everywhere The They gathered us with appealing begging us to stay the fUr fury of the storm The crowning climax was reached d' d when a craSH 01 of thunder tore away the magnificent arch arche We e were powerless powerless powerless pow pow- erless and their reverence and adoration adoration adoration ado ado- ration turned to anger and vengence vengence ven- ven gence for tor they ther had i decided we were evil spirits and had brought the storm The anger of the hideous idol had to lo be appeased for he alone atone could help them The cold sweat stood in great beads upon m my brow when I saw their evident intention They snatched us up and bore us to I Ithe the monster My red aar ma made le me nie methe the great offender so without a moments moment's moments moment's mo mo- ments ment's h hesitation a great savage as as- tended the with me to cast me mein mein in the fiery mouth of the demon The air was resounding with the cries of the savages Every step I 1 could feel it growing hotter and hot hot- ter I tried to scream In a very agony of terror but my tongue clove to the roof of my mouth It was so hot my face seemed on fire The fiery monster opened his mouth to receive me as the savage flung me from him with the tile force of a catapa cata- cata pa pault lt An awful crash on my forehead forehead fore fore- fore I head and I awoke with a tI piercing shriek to find a shoe laying on my pillow pUlow It was thirty seven a a. a m. m The heater at the side of my bed was red hot My little brothers were engaged ed in a a- a spirited discussion over the ownership of or a pair of overalls O One I had hold of one leg of the overalls o I and the other had the other leg Their angry filled the theair theair theair air and if the overalls had not nol been Never Rip thy would have parted in the middle for sur sure During the tug of war one reached reach reach- ed down grasped a shoe hurled it at atthe atthe atthe the other missed him and hit me and saved sayed me from the fier fiery monster Only a n dream and the stor story still un- un finished 0 O m my 0 D |