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HAPPY DAYS
Watch Your Words.
Keep watel of your words, my darling,
ords are wonderful things;
They. are sweet, like bees’ fresh honey—
Like bees, they have terrible stings.
They on bless, like the warm, glad sun-
And Sekten a lonely life
They can cut in the bitter contest,
Like an open, two-edged knife. .
Let them pass through the lips unchal-
If thelr errand is true and kind.
If they come to support the weary,
° domfort and help the blind;
Ifa bitter, revengeful spirit
Prompt the words, let them be unsaid;
They may fash through the brain like
light:
Or fall on the heart like lead.
Keep them back if they axe cold or cruel,
Under bar and lock al
The wounds they make, ‘ny Seahting,
Are always slow to
May peace guard your i, and ever
Fr the time of your early youth
May the words that you daily utter
e the words of beautiful truth.
[This story commenced in No, 261.]
Young Frank Reade|’
And His Electric Airship;
oR,
-A 10,000 PILE SEARCH FOR A
MISSING MAN.
By “NONAME,"
Author at “Wrecked at the Pole” “Frank
r, in Cuda,” “Six Weeks in
ene Y soon, “Two Continents,” ete,
CHAPTER XVI.
IN THE CRATER,
“Hello, sky-scraper!"? shouted Small, fa-
cetiously. “We've been looking all over the
country for you
replied Frank, quietly.
m.”
‘We've got some good oad for you.
Come down and I'll give it to
“Show your good faith by -aing it to me
"at this height,” replied Fra
“Oh, come off! What are ye afraid of?
You can beat us. Come down and be friend-
iy.
“What is your news?”
“It concerns the young lady's father.”
At this Grace clasped her hands with a
little Sharp cry. She leaned eagerly for-
ward to list
“Well, what about him?”
“He is al
“Ah, thes. you failed’to kill him.”
“We never wanted to kill-him. I fixed
those bonds so he could escape easily when
we left him tied in the camp. You can
thank me for t
none of my doings. I was
working for another man. To tell the hon-
est truth, I didn’t like the Job. Now I'm
“Don’t give us any sarcasm. Come down
an’ rn tell ye where to find the missing
Frank whistled softly.
“What have you come up into this coun-
try with all those men for, Small?
“Prospecting. o
“It looks like it. There isn’t a miner in
the crowd.e Every man is a cut-throat.
You can’t fool me, Small. Easy, don’t get
excited. It will do you no good. I could
destroy you all if I chose. You came up
' here to fool me, get hold of the air-ship by
treachery,-and lay claim to all the mines
of the Forsaken, Land. Is not that right?”
“No!”
“Pshavw! You know better!”
“The gold fields ar¢ buried now.”
“I know, but they weren’t then. Now, I
know that Percival and Sam Lester are in
- this region somewhe:
The villain gasped.
o you know that?” he demanded,
“They left Readestown a month before
we sailed, and I suspected then that it was
their purpose to intercept us by coming
here, But nature has baulked you of one
purpose in flooding the mines. I am not
so foolish as you may think!”
“So ye qecme my friendship?” asked
Small, sudden
“T that we Ghall be compelled to,” re-
‘Frank blan
miss a Tonar's one thing sure;
xe) never can find the missing man withou
ow a
m1 doubt that,” jeplied Frank. “So good-
Mr. Small. you luck in your
prospecting, but Toor you are making a
mistake in coming up here so far.”
Frank motioned to Larry, who now caus-
ed the airship to rise. As it floated away
over the mountain peaks, the villains hurl-
ed savage curses after it. But Young
Frank only laughed.
“Words cannot hurt,” he cried. “Least
of all words of that sort. Well, friends,
now we must find out all about the hermit.”
“That is right,” cried Jack Haynes. “If
ou will put us down into the mouth of
that mountain cave we will try and find
him, Frank.
From their present altitude the voyagers
could look down upon the mountains and
their recesses and a wilder, more desolate
region could hardly be imagined.
What it would be like in winter it was
hard to conceive. If the aged hermit was
really the lost scientist, Harvey Ellis, and
he had lived for so many months in this lo-
cality, it was Monderful what he had found
to subsist up
The air- ship salled about, while the voy-
agers studied the topography of the region
ow.
Finally it was decided to descend at the
oot of some crags not far from where
the hermit had last: been seen. Down set-
tea nes air-ship.
d just then Jack Haynes cried:
Mtetio! there is another cave!”
is was true. The mouth of another
cavern could be seen under the crags. No
sooner had this discovery been made than
Scipio cried:
“Golly, Marse Frank, dere am another
cavern ober yender
outh of tether cave was 3 seen just
beyond. “The place seemed to be literally
honeycombed. The airship was settling
gown into a sort of depression among the
“One thing is certain,” declared Young
Frank, positively. “This is the crater of
an extinct volcano, Probably this moun-
tain is a hollow ”
‘Exactly!” cried Haynes, and the others
were agreed upon this point, even the girls
avering their opinion the same. i
was a very quiet and non-committal fel-
low, but he said:
“There is no doubt of the truth of that.”
“In that event,” said Young Frank,
“there is no doubt that the hermit makes
his home in this extinct volcano!”
7
“Just land us, and we will try a bit of ex-
ploration,” declared Haynes. -
“All right,” agreed Young Frank. “We
will land at the mouth of that cave and try
our luck.”
So down the air-ship settled into the cra-
ter.. The anchors were thrown out and
all made safe.
The party of explorers now discussed the
next and best move. y of explora-
tion was quickly made up.
It was planned that Young Frank Reade,
Jack Haynes, Smith and Scipio should go
into the cave. Larry and the two girls
were to remain aboard the air-ship.
The young Celt was, of course, anxious
enough to go also, but he never kicke:
against orders. He good-naturedly said:
“Begorra, naygur, it’s your duck this
toime, but it’s my turn next.”
“Huh!” sniffed Scipio, elevating his nose
with much contempt. “Marse Frank knows
wha’ he am doin’. He ain’ takin’ none but
’ bet.”
Larry, w
this bit of an attempt at railery.
ed up his sleeves.
“Bejabers, mebbe ye’d be afther intimat-
in’ that yez are a betther man than mesilf,
naygur,” he said, as be Spat on his hands
and edged up to the c .
But Scipio was not % 2 pit loath for a ruc-
tion as well. His eyes rolled and his eb-
ony face gleamed with delight.
“Mebbe I would, Irish!”
“Thin yez do?” -
“Suah bull , sab!”
“Begorra, I belave I kin convince yez to
the conthra
‘Huh! I don't believe dat!”
“Yez don't, eh?”
“Naw!”
There was a sound like the biff of a club
against a leather cushion, and Scipio’s
head rebounded from its contact with Lar-
with true Irish pugnacity, sniffed
He pull-
ry’s fist. But the coon only laughed and
cried:
“Hi, dar, yo” kaint Burt nobody! Clar de
track, fo” Tee a co
Then he lowered. ‘his head and dove full
into Larry’s stomach. The young Irish lad
sat down very hard and breathlessly on the
deck. But he managed to catch Scipio’s
beel ard trip
Then each rolled into the embrace of the
other, and the fun began. s hard to
say which had the best of the “argument,
when Young Prank’ appeared on the scene
and 1 separated ¢
‘Look here, you. i fotieking scamps!” he
erfed, severely. “If I catch you at this
thing again, I’ 1 tie Sour heels together and
drop you into the lake. Understand?”
Scipio turned a handspring into the cab-
n and Larry dove into the pilot house, In
a few moments they were chaffing each oth-
ry again, as good friends as ever. But al
was now ready for the expedition,
CHAPTER XVII.
- AN EXPLORING TOUR.
Thoroughly armed and equipped the lit-
tle party stepped down from the air-ship’s
deck.
They little reallzed what thrilling adven-
tures were before them. Scipio grinned
jubilantly at Larry. Frank said good-by to
e and Grace.
“Larry!” he said, sharply. “I leave the
young ladies in your care, and I want you
to protect them.
“Begorra, Misther Frank, yez kin
shure ay that,” cried the jolly Celt. “ats
mesilf as wud die fer the leddys any
fe.”
“Larry is a true knight!” laughed Kate.
“We place ourselves in his care with im-
plicit trust;” declared Grace.
Larry bow red to the dec!
“I am yez thrue slave,” “he declared, in
extravagant fashion. Everybody cheered,
and Scipio looked a bit envious. This wa:
compensation to Larry for being obliged to
remain behind,
was now-no further delay. The
exploring party entered the cavern.
k was provided with electric lan-
terns, and these dispelled the gloom of the
underground passage.
It was plain that the cavern was only
one of many which honeycombed the moun-
ain.
Undoubtedly this had once been an active
yoleanic region, and internal fires burned
in the mountains, and ge valley as well.
All things indicated tl
The explorers eater on rapidly.
The passage had many windings. At
times the roof would rise and the passage
widen to the dimension of a chamber. But
this was seldo:
For what seemed hours the party pushed
on. Then an incident of thrilling sort oc-
curred. Just as~they turned an angle in
the passage a smothered ory brought all to
stop.
. * Prank, who was in” advance,
around.
“What was that?” he ask
The explorers looked at San’ other, Then
an astonishing fact became apparent. One
of their number was missin:
Scipio and Frank and Jack Haynes were
there. But Jed Smith had vanished.
‘ello! Where are you, Smith?” shouted
Jack oudly.
There was no r
“Has anything ‘Fappened to him?” asked
Frank. “Has he not been with us right
along?”
“He was at my elbow not a moment
since,” declared Jac’
‘Golly, Marse Frank!
dat mahse’f!” said Scipio.
looked
I done remembah
The young inventor as alarmed. But
he turned abouts sayin,
“Wemust go back and find him. This is
very strange!
But just as he was about to retrace his
steps, Jack Haynes chanced to glance down-
ward. He instantly grasped Frank’s arm
and halte
“Jupiter!” he cried,
Look at tl
At the very feet of the explorers yawned
a deep black hole a little larger than a
man's body. The truth was at once appar-
not.
“What'a close call!
on very man had stepped over this hole in
unconscious safety except Smith. The thin
crust of the cavern floor had given way
with him and h~ had gone—none could say
whither.
To the center of the earth? Perhaps!.
At any rate he had fallen into the aper-
tur
“My soul!” gasped rong Frank. “He
has fallen into a fearful ti .
olly!” moane Scipio. Pupat a 00
dreftul awful! Whai we gwine do, Mateo
But ‘the young inventor threw himself
edge of the pit. All
ie shot the rays of his electric lantern
as far down into the gloom as possible. But
it could not penetrate to the bottom of the
place. :
“Hello! Hell-o-o-o!” shouted Frank into
the bottomless void.
w back from the verge sick and
faint.
“My soll, Jack!” he gasped.
afraid that's the last of poor Smith.”
Jack Haynes was very white, but deter-
mined. . He threw down a long coil of rope
which he had at his waist.
“He's my partner,” he said; “and I'll
never give him up. want you to lower
me down there!”
“What? You are going down ‘into that
lace?” asked Frank.
“That's just what I’m going to do!” de-
clared the prave young miner. “Can the
two of you h
“Certainly!” agreed Frank. “But—hello!
what is that?”
A faint sound came to the ears of the
s like a murmur, but yet
“T am
again upon the verge of the pit.
he saw that a short distance below, its
sheer deseent sloped off at an angle mak-
g a not very steep slide down into the
depths of the hollow mountain.
And on this shelving descent was a star
of light moving slowly. He instantly knew
that it could a nothing but the electric
lantern of Sm:
e young ectiorer had slid down to the
bottom of the passage and was now climb-
g back again. He at once answered
Frank ’s ha iL
“Hello, Smith!” shouted the young inven-
tor. ote bit ou hurt?”
a bit” repised ithe miner,
bit Surprised, that’s
“Wait and we'll throw you a rope!”
73
“Only a'|
“No, you had better come down.
The other explorers were an at
his statement! ‘
“What?” cried Prank, “Do you mean
that?”
“Yes!”
“But—why
“There's a ood veason for it.
the abode of your berm!
This was an astoniehing bit of news. It
is needless to say that Frank and his com-
panions were delighted, however.
“Golly!” cried Scipio. “We jes’ done fell
into good luck dat tim
we mean Jed was the one who fell into
it,” laughed Jack. “Look out and I'll let
down the rope!
The young miner took a turn with one
end of the rope about a rocky crag in the
cavern wall. Then he descended into the
pit. Frank and Scipio followed.
Down the descent they slid until they
reached its base.. The light of the lanterns
showed a circular hole, in the mountain, a
sort of den as it were. One might have
foncied bears or wolves inhabited such a
plac
But it had a far different inhabitant,
though he was not now
made of skins of wild beasts were scattered
about and hung on the rocky walls.
heap of soft coal lay in an ash pile, which
showed how the hermit found fuel in an in-
exhaustible quantity. .
‘e was something after a fashion
cosy and conifortable about the place. It
was easy to see how a man could live with-
out privation in such a
the cnplorers. flashed their lan-
erns about they saw that several passages
led from the place. Suddenly Taek Haynes
gave a sharp ¢:
He picked up a voluminous book of the
ledger type. Opening its pages, he saw
that it was filled with clear. and legible
handwriting. It seemed to be some sort of
I've found
‘a diary or journal...
And on the very first page he read that
which was a revelation. This was
me;
“Harvey Ellis!”
“Here we are at lasts cried Jack.
missing man is fow
Smith and Young. Prank looked over his
shoulder. A glance was enough.
There was no longer doubt. that the her-
mit and Harvey Ellis were one and the
e,
“The
CHAPTER XVIII.
A TERRIBLE MISFORTUNE.
Certainly the explorers had good reasons
for feeling elated that they had at last
found Harvey Ellis alive and well, at least
physically if not mentally.
For the strange conduct of the hermit
left no room for doubt that his mind was
clouded.
No doubt the shock of his terrible experi-
ence and hardships had unseated his rea-
son. But there was hope that this might
after all be only a temporary ailment.
So the explorers discussed the’ subject.
They read some of the entries in the jour-
meStrange to say they were accurate and.
ogical. On this pcint at least the her-
mit’s mind seemed stable.
“Now, what shall we do?”
Haynes.
return?”
“Certainly. we must try and communi-
asked Jack
“Ought we not to wait for him to
fon, with us. He has at once taken to
ight.”
“That is no doubt owing to the fact that
his relations with his mining companions
were of a sort to leave an impression on
his mind of an unpleasant kind.”
“Yet it is likély that by gentle means we
an n him over. At least that must be
“Certainly! We have come to, Alaska to
rescue him, and we must do
Even as they were talking ‘Scipio heard
a rustling sound behind him. The coon
turned and gave a hushed cry.
In the entrance to the cayern chamber
stood a picturesque figure. Tall and com-
manding, with white hair and beard, the
wild man of tfe Forsaken, Land stood be-
fore tl
It as a tablea
There stood the 1 missing man whose fate
had for so long remained a mystery.
He seemed to be in a sort of daze, and re-
garted his visitors in a dull and stupid
way. He i
Young Frank Reade was the first to re-
He saw at once that it was neces-
sary to act with care and Judem ent. So
be in “a low tone.
‘Leave this matter to me!”
Very quietly the young inventor made a
step forward toward the hermit. For a
moment the latter wavered.
on nen Young Frank spoke in soft, low
on You are with friends.
r. Ell
“Er—what?” exclaimed the hermit, in a
hollow voice. “Who speaks my name?
“A friend,” said Prank, quietly.
Have no fear,
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