"Mr. Hammond, you look pretty strong--would you help steady this
railing? It seems a little shaky."
Hammond came on ahead and stood bracing the bridge, which was one of the
very few man-made structures in the cavern, while the other escorts led
the girls, one at a time, around the abrupt and slippery ledge. In
consequence of this stringing out of torches, the light was dim along
the narrow way, so that even these few steps of advance had left the
Bottomless Pit in darkness.
Suddenly there was a rapid, rushing sound in the rear; a whirring echo;
a suppressed cry, and a heavy splash far below. The ladies screamed, and
the faces of the men grew pallid with horror.
"My God! What was it? Who was it?" burst from their lips.
"Don't go back, gentlemen!" shouted the guide. "It's no use! Come on
this side here--I'll go back. First, see who is missing. If anybody is
down there, the Lord have mercy on him, for man can't help him."
Soon the trembling, awe-struck party were safe on a platform, and the
lights were bunched to their full radiance. Some one cried:
"Minnie Dare is not here!" "And, by Jove, Eldon Brand is not here,
either!" said the chorus. Then in a low tone, "Could it have been
suicide? How horrible!"
And this thought was the prevailing one, for the trials of the lovers
were well known.
Jason Hammond ran back precipitately with the guide, and in a sort of
frenzy peered far into the awful chasm. Words of blasphemy were on his
lips as he began to realize to what end his persecution had driven the
fair young creature he had sworn to win. As for Brand, he rejoiced in
his fate. Could it have been an accident? He thought not.
"No use," repeated the guide, "I can come back here and bring somebody
who will go down on a rope. But I tell you the bottom of that place has
never been found yet. We let a young fellow down by a rope last summer
in a frolic--his name was Mr. Clarence Prentice--and he pretty soon
called out to haul him up. Learned folks say a river runs down there,
and there ain't any bottom at all. Everything gets swept away with the
current. I don't know how it is, I am sure,"
Slowly the terror-stricken company wended their way back to earth, the
light of enjoyment driven from their hearts. The girls gave themselves
up to sobs and tears, and all dreaded to convey the tidings to the
bereaved families.
The men went back with ropes and grappling hooks, but nothing came of
their labors. The bodies of the hapless lovers were not found, and none
knew how they had gone over the treacherous crag into the abyss below.
Surmises were rife, but prudence chose the better part of silent
sympathy. The newspapers fairly gloated over the tragedy, and summer
visitors were divided between curiosity to look upon the spot and fear
lest they, too, might miss their footing; hence the profits of Cave
Hotel were not noticeably on the decrease.
Colonel Dare refused to be comforted, unless, indeed, he could rejoice
at the escape of the dove from the eagle's clutches. Now that the girl
was lost to him, Hammond was willing to accept terms before declined;
and the Dare ancestral home was at once put upon the market for sale.
Eldon Brand had no near relatives, but there were many to mourn his
untimely fate.
* * * * *
Some hours after the disappearance of the lovers, Stephen, the guide,
re-entered the cave with a large bundle in his arms, and accompanied by
a single tourist, a sedate man who was a stranger to the region. They
proceeded along the short route to the chapel. Adjusting the torches,
Stephen gave a low whistle, when from behind a mammoth stalagmite came
forth a young man and a fair maiden, who took their stand in the Double
Niche.
Eldon Brand had left nothing undone during his hours of preparation; and
when the man of God stood before the youthful pair, he held in his hands
the properly authenticated document which was to cement the marriage
tie in the civil courts. He had never before officiated at so unique
a bridal, and when once more on terra firma proper, he bore the secret
away to his Northern home.
Days passed and still the tragic fate of the hapless lovers held a place
in fireside chats.
Night had fallen. All was quiet in the sparsely settled neighborhood of
Cave Hotel. Stephen, the guide, with basket and torch, swiftly descended
the winding stairs and entered the grand colonnade, where the bats
still held high carnival. He pushed on, sometimes a little cramped for
space, till he reached the black avenue he had called Dan. Stooping
he possessed himself of a string that was fastened to a stake in the
ground, and followed its course through intricate windings till a light
glimmered in the distance. Whistling softly, he advanced more rapidly.
A shadow was flung upon the curtains of a doorway, and parting the folds,
a figure appeared at the opening.
"Ah, old fellow, you never forget us," was the cheery greeting.
"Not I," said the man, "I think you will find your list all made out
here," depositing his basket inside.
The room was small and irregular in shape, but good taste and
moderate expenditure had converted it into a rustic boudoir of no
mean pretensions. Cretonne hangings concealed the rough walls, and
a few small pictures served to confine their bright folds to the uneven
surface of earth and rock. The earthen floor was covered by a mat.
A couch of the light, portable kind was daintily spread. A shelving rock,
covered with a mat of Japanese print, held a never-failing lamp, and two
camp-chairs completed the furniture, which had been conveyed into the
cave with the utmost care and secrecy. A few books and a number of
papers lay scattered about. The presiding deity of the fairy bower
looked a radiant welcome for the trusty ally upon whom they were
dependent.
"You dear old Stephen! Don't you think it is time we ventured out into
the world again?"
"Why, I think this looks like Heaven!" he said, with the freedom of his
office, "I don't know what you'd leave it for."
"Yes, but you know that if it were not for your basket we should be
forced to appear. But I am learning to manage the ovens and pans. See
here," and opening an inner curtain she revealed an alcove, where a few
primitive cooking utensils were collected beside a small gasoline stove.
"I reckon your cooking don't come to much more than warming over my bill
of fare," said Stephen, with an involuntary glance at the soft white
hands, and an indulgent smile for the young housekeeper.
"Oh, but I do cook, really," she protested. "Eldon, did you ever taste
nicer eggs? And the water down there carries off all the shells and
scraps. Hear it rush along now!" and busily the stream did run to flow
into Green river, so the knowing ones said. "But," she added; "if my
father only knew. The moment we hear that that hateful man has gone
abroad we will defy all the rest. Do you know, Stephen," in a lower
tone, "we were very near being caught on the hill to-day. I was all bent
over as usual in my old woman's dress, and Eldon was limping along on
his crutch stick when--hark! what was that?"
"Did you hear anything?" asked Eldon, coming to her side, "don't be
frightened, love. It could not have been any one. You are nervous."
The young wife's cheek paled a little as she reminded him of a frightful
dream she had before mentioned.
"Nonsense, dear, we are safe as long as my bank holds out. In a short
while we will brave the world and be at least a nine days' wonder."
Hoping to persuade Minnie Dare to elope with him, after their colloquy
on the balcony the night of the ball, and thereby escape her persecutor,
the young man had not followed the cave party on the long route without
first amply supplying his purse. Stephen had suggested the strategem
they impulsively employed of temporarily disappearing into the black
corridor opposite the Bottomless Pit, after throwing a heavy rock down
the abyss to simulate a fall; and Stephen had mapped out for them the
whole situation succeeding the supposed catastrophe. Thus far they had
not lacked for comforts; and stolen visits in disguise to the upper
regions had varied their solitude and given refreshing glimpses of
sunlight.
"Eldon, I am sure I heard a noise!" again exclaimed the girl, clinging
in terror to his arm.
To appease her, the two men went out and made search. All was as
usual--unless, indeed, a shred of cloth adhering to a jagged rock had
not been there before. Stephen soon after left the pair, unconscious
that a dark shadow was following him into the upper world, there to
vanish among the shadows.
For there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed; and this
well-guarded secret, known to only four persons, was trembling at its
foundation. For her beloved father's sake the young wife was willing to
endure privation; for she reasoned that Hammond would have no motive for
vengeance if she were supposed to be lost; that her death would end the
mysterious power that threatened disgrace to Colonel Dare. Stephen was
paid well to be on guard, and his report that he had more than once seen
Hammond in the vicinity, made them exercise extreme caution and
vigilance in going outside.
At first the spirit of unrest had drawn the baffled suitor to the scene,
where he had driven the unwilling maiden to her death, for he had loved
her as well as a selfish nature can love. Gradually there dawned upon
his mind a suspicion somewhat akin to the truth. Rumors were afloat that
Stephen made nightly visits to the cave, not with exploring parties, but
alone. A young couple had been seen wandering over the hills in the
moonlight. Superstition said it was the ghosts of the ill-fated lovers.
But when Jason Hammond heard these things they startled him as if struck
with an electric shock. He did not believe in ghosts. He resolved to
watch. He, too, saw the figures at night. He saw them disappear behind
the steep ledge that leads downward into the bowels of the earth. He
drew his own conclusions.
If true, what should stay his vengeance against those who had thus
duped him? He sought his opportunity, and cautiously followed the guide
unto the very portals of the lovers' retreat. He heard the voices he
remembered but too well. He knew now where to strike. He knew, too, that
fear of him kept Minnie Dare thus hidden, as in a grave. Aye, she feared
disgrace for her father, and more than all, she feared his vengeance
against her husband--for he did not doubt that they were married.
Husband? As the word forced itself, the man ground his teeth in baffled
rage and hate. He would take care that the dreaded vengeance should be
swift and sure.
The path to the subterranean retreat was perilous to a stranger; but
having gone once, he was sure he could go again. The way was even now
familiar enough as far as the black avenue of Dan. Here the string,
placed for the convenience of the lovers, would guide him, and if his
plans should be upset, he could retreat into the other black opening
leading to the Bottomless Pit, where he now knew the lost pair had
plunged into Beersheba instead of into the chasm, the two landmarks
being exactly opposite. He had not forgotten the guide's account of
these two unexplored regions where there was "nothing of interest to
show tourists." He began to see through the plot from the hour of the
so-called tragedy. How easy, with the artful guide's connivance, to cast
a stone down the echoing ravine, then conceal themselves in the corridor
close by, extinguish their torches, and await in silence the next coming
of their assistant! He himself had been adroitly decoyed out of the way
to steady the railing of the rickety bridge. The abrupt and narrow ledge
had hidden them from view. The escape was easy. All was clear now, and
the life of the man who had cheated him should pay the penalty. Should
she continue to refuse his suit, she, too, must die. The should find
their grave in the spot they loved so well. There would be none to tell
the tale.
Armed with a revolver, he groped on, using a torch as far as he dared.
The absence of crystal formations, so thick and shining elsewhere, left
large, roomy passages easy to traverse, though there were frequent turns
puzzling to the uninitiated. As he approached the cosy bower he heard,
to his chagrin, the voice of the guide. What should he do? The odds were
too many for him. Wait till next day when his victims would probably be
alone? Risk going in upon them before nightfall? How had Stephen eluded
his vigilance? In this dilemma he crept near enough to get a view of the
interior. The sight of Minnie Brand seated at her husband's knee, his
hand caressing her flowing curls, so inflamed his wrath that an oath
burst from his lips. The sound penetrated the boudoir. It was this time
unmistakable. Minnie uttered a faint cry. The two men started up, and
snatching a torch, quickly lit it, and dashed out.
"To the inner chamber, my darling!" Eldon called back, as he threw down
the folds of the portiere and rushed headlong with Stephen.
They scoured the Short Route avenue to its full length, while Hammond,
his soul raging with murderous intent, traversed as rapidly as he dared,
the Beersheba avenue toward the Long Route opening.
"By the eternal! He's gone the other way! But he can't get out! Right
about!"
Retracing their steps they had to proceed more cautiously, but they soon
caught sight of the figure ahead, now lost, now reappearing.
"It is that blackhearted villain, who has hounded us!" cried Eldon.
"On! on!"
But the guide, true to his calling, shouted:
"Surrender, or you are a dead man! The Bottomless Pit is right ahead
of you."
The fugitive halted a moment, glanced back, then dashed on again in
defiance. At a sudden projection he tripped and fell, discharging the
pistol into his own body. The sound reverberated in a thousand echoes.
The wounded man staggered to his feet, and managed to gain the frail
bridge. Here he fell across the railing, swayed there an instant; then
as his pursuers came up with helping hands, he plunged into the abyss
below.
* * * * *
The denizens of Cave City never tire of telling how Eldon Brand and
his wife came back to the world, and how they fared in their romantic
retreat. But there was a part of the story as strange as it was
tragic. Upon dismantling the boudoir a leathern girdle was found,
which contained several hundred dollars in gold, and a letter which
ran thus:--
"I am a dying man. I cannot find my way out. I have not strength to
call, I must perish here of disease and want. I will make one more
effort, but feel that I shall fail. I have made my peace with God.
In leaving this world I leave only one enemy behind. This is Jason
Hammond, who has wronged me foully. Living or dead, I shall haunt
him. To whomsoever shall give this poor body Christian burial,
I bequeath my estate." (Here followed the location and description
of the property).
"Signed:
"DAVID HAMMOND."
The paper was almost illegible. It had been written in pencil. An
extended search was made and the skeleton of a man was found in one of
the most inaccessible recesses of the cave's many turnings. Beside the
body lay a torch and an exhausted lunch basket. Eldon Brand had the
remains reverently committed to earth.
The village gossips love to dwell upon the happiness of the brave young
lovers, of the restoration of the gray-haired father to his old home in
honor and in plenty, and of the blooming lads and lassies that sprang up
as time passed tenderly over the heads of the reunited household.