Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1914 — SERIAL STORY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
SERIAL STORY
= The Isolated Continent
A Romance of the Future
By Guido von Horvath and Dean Hoard
OUMTliglit, IBIS, hy W. O. Chapman in ttw United States and Great Britain. 17 SYNOPSIS.
For fifty years the continent of North America has been isolated from the rest of the world by Z-rays, the invention of Hannibal Prudent, president of the united government. A message from Count von Werdenstein, chancellor of Germany, that he has succeeded in penetrating the rays hastens the death of Prudent. Dying, he •warns his daughter Astra that foreign invasion is now certain. Astra succeeds her father as president. Napoleon Edison, a former pupil of Prudent’s, offers to assist Astra and hints at new discoveries which will make North America Impregnable. A man giving the name of Chevalier di Leon offers Werdenstein the secret of making gold in return for European disarmament. The chevalier is made a prisoner. Countess Rosiny. a spy. becomes a prisoner in the hope of discovering di Leon’s secret. She falls in love with him and agrees to Join him/In an attempt to escape. By the use pf rockets he summons a curious flyhsg machine. He escapes and sends .a message to Astra which reveals the fact that he Is Napoleon Edison. He warns Astra that the consolidated fleets of Europe have sailed to invade America. He calls on Astra the following night and explains his plans for defense. By the use Of aeroplanes made of a new substance which is indestructible he expects to annihilate the European forces. He delivers a note to von Werdenstein on his flagship demanding immediate withdrawal. He is attacked and. by destroying two warships and several aeroplanes, forces von Werdenstein to agree to universal disarmament. The countess,—who has remained in America as a guest of Astra, receives an offer from von Werdenstetin of the principality of Schomburg-Lithow in return for Edison’s secret. Edison and his assistant. Santos, go In search of new deposits of the remorkable substance, cirynith. They find it on the estate of Schomburg-Lith-ow. The countess gets Santos into her clutches. She promises to reveal Edison’s secret as soon as von Werdenstein turns over the Schomburg-Lithow estate to her. On the day of the wedding of Astra and Edison the countess and Santos flee the country.
CHAPTER XVlll.—Continued. “I am afraid,” said the Count von Werdenstein, “that he is preparing a surprise for us. I do not like his silence.” “Or is he simply enjoying a long honeymoon?” was Rositta’s sarcastic comment. But the count shook his head doubtfully. A year had almost passed when the first European aerodromone was finished and ready for its trial trip. It was as perfect as mechanical genius could make it. Count von Werdenstein had invited several “reigningTmonarchs to attend the trial flight and Suemeg rivaled the ancient Roman pageants in splendor. Only a few besides the royal spectators were allowed on the plateau near the aerodromone plant. The police compelled the' uninformed thousands who lived in the neighborhood to keep a respectful Santos Duprel’s heart beat high ..when he and Rositta stepped into the waiting machine. Rositta had decorated this first aerodromone with a gorl geous princely crown, and it glittered bravely in the morning sun. Rositta was clever and studied the aerodromone under Santos’ direction until she was expert in its control and manufacture. When they entered the aerodromone, Santos went to the wheel, moved the starting lever and the wings rose slowly, then swooped downward, causing the machine to rise swiftly and surely. Everything worked exactly as desired and the machine soon disappeared from the view of the watchers, behind a bank of clouds.
They went up and swam in the fleecy clouds that billowed in the golden sunshine. They reached an enormous height, then Santos reversed the machine, turned off the power and they slid downward. Rositta stood by his side, embracing him with one arm. In her exuberance she reached up with her free hand and pulled the lever that emptied the brass receptacle; a blinding flash came, striking dfwnward, zigzagging through the clouds, and mighty thunder echoed through space. She realized her might, and in that moment of intoxicating delight she dreamed a dream—she saw herself as the ruler of the world. “How long will it take to have twenty machines like this, Santos?” asked Rositta, eagerly. 1 “Five or six months, my queen!” . “Then, then we Will see.” Her eyes glittered strangely with a fire that was not love. * When they landed pn the spot from where they ascended, the Emperor of Germany handed Santos Duprel the parchment with the great imperial seal attached, and said: “Count von 'Duprel, I want to be the first to congratulate you." An hour later the newly made Count von Duprel was receiving the matrimonial blessing from the court vicar. The crowned heads were happy to wltness the marriage ceremony. CHAPTER XIX. l The Garden of Eden. A Napoleon and Astra kept the flight W tike Countess Roainy and the disap-
pearanee .of Santos Duprel secret Even Mrs. Edison did not know that Rositta had left. Astra patched Napoleon’s thoughtful some apprehension. At times he would sit gazing into space, entirely oblivious to his surroundings. Rositta’s flight had made him aware of the harm that could come to his beloved country. Their honeymoon had been short, as neither could be absent from their posts long. The following week Astra returned to her presidential duties and Napoleon to his aerodromone. Shortly after their return he talked' long and seriously with his wife. Then the American Eagle left the roof of the Crystal Palace and flew toward the west. He stopped at Clryne and questioned Sullivan, and found that Santos and Jtositta had left the aerodromone in Russia. So he knew that they had, by this time, perfected their plans, and the fact that Rositta signed herself as the Princess of Schomburg Lithow alone made it plain that they would try to take warfare into the air. Jerome Whistler was at the laboratory and Napoleon give him instruc-.; tions. He inspected the stock of available cirynith, then spent many hours over his drawing table, but when he was through with his work began to whistle a pleasant melody. Rolling up his drawings, he said In a low, exultant voice: “This will come as a surprise.” He called Jerome Whistler and turned the drawings over to him. It w&a an aerodromeue. . “I am glad we have enough material to do this, friend Whistler; besides, we will have enough left over for other purposes.”
Napoleon returned to the capital to report and advise Astra that he would make a longer trip for reconnoitcring purposes. He left that evening. He _visited Suemeg, and there saw what he busily at work, making the peak like an immense ant hill. He saw Santos emerge from one building and walk across the plain to another, and the knew, then, that Santos had betrayed him; that aerodromones would fight against aerodromones in God’s clear, pure air. He was sad that the man whom he had trusted so implicitly had turned traitor at the instigation of the countess. Satisfied that his surmise was correct, he turned homeward and after a short conference with Astra left again. This time he traversed the Pacific coast of the Americas. Starting from Mexico, he went southward, watching his electro-spectroscope incessantly, while he circled over the volcanic regions of thy Andes. Day after day he continued his search, going farther and farther south, always near the ocean. His spectroscope showed signs of cirynith several times, but never in large quantities.
Weeks were spent this way. From time to time he, returned to Washington, and each time he returned he stopped a few hours at Ciryne to see how the work on the new machine was progressing. He had raked through* Colombia and Ecuador with minute care and now was on the border of Peru. He continued his search with unswerving faith in ultimately finding the jjrecious metal that would enable him to build a larger fleet. He had been circling over the Andes, peering down on steep precipices, rugged slopes and snow-covered peaks where goats and llamas were the only inhabitants, when suddenly he saw* an intense greenish light glowing on his spectroscope. He slowed down, and the instrument gave evidence of a large deposit of cirynith. Not more than Wo hundred feef* below him stretched a broad snow-covered peak. A lavutic, porous, bare space was visible through the snow, on the northeastern corner, and there he found what he sought. The precious cirynith lay in heavy layers, almost perfectly pure. The deposit was not as large as the one in Hungary, but more ea -
ily obtainable, and it wwuld be unnecessary to go throughlot of i>reliminary steps before they could carry It away. > * Satisfied with his discovery, he explored the secluded spot that never before had been touched by human foot. The geological formation was of volcanic origin. It seemed as though the mountain bad been rent apart and the space left between the saw edged ridges In the course of time had developed into a paradise. The place appealed to his sentimental instincts. Re took his machine over to the meadow and ate his lunch :>r; v . *
on the green, mossy grass. He filled his cup from the crystal lake and drank deep of the cool, refreshing water. “beautiful spot!” he murmured, stretching out his arms slowly* as If extending his blessing. “I name you 'The Garden of Eden!* Then he entered his machine, flew over the cirynith deposit, filled some sacks- with the irregular, hard crystals and started homeward. His mind was filled with schemes to frustrate the European plans. The next day he took six aerodromones from Ciryene to the Garden of Eden, and they made'trips back and forth until the whole deposit of cirynith was landed on the Island cf Ciryne. The spectroscope showed that there must be more under the surface, but Napoleon knew he had sufficient for the time being, and was satisfied to leave the rest until such time as he needed It. New hangars were built on the island. The work progressed rapidly. Aerodromone after aerodromone of the new type was stored away by the expert workmen. —'•*— Napoleon's visits to Astra were liis happiest hours. He confided his hopes and expectations to her. She gave him all the sympathy and encouragement at her command. Their lives were attuned to perfect harmony. The work on Ciryne had progressed so well that Whistler was able to oversee it all without Napoleon’s assistance and one day he took leave from Astra with the following words: “1 am going to pay a visit to our excellent friend, the Count von Werdenstein, and then, when I have ascertained hie attitude toward the peace committee, I will go on a still hunt for the final preventive of war." The Count von Werdenstein’s palace was equipped with a roof hangar, as were all the large private dwellings, and the Eagle found it an easy matter to alight there without molestation. Napoleon had sent a 'graph message to the count to expect him, but did not mention the time of his arrival., The quick descent made it impossible for the observers to discern the type of machine that alighted, and the workmen in the hangar did not pay any attention to Sullivan when Napoleon left the craft. Sullivar simply locked the door and eat reading until his return.
The count was very much surprised to receive his card, as the attendants had not announced him. Nevertheless, he received him in his usual suave manner.
Napoleon saw and felt that the count was in an extremely happy state of mind, that he was no more in despair, but hopeful. “I am very glad to see your excellency drop into our circle once more.” He grasped both hands of the president of the peace committee. "The pleasure Is mine, your honor,” was Napoleon’s reply. “My call is not an official one, it is a private matter. That Is why I dropped into your home so unceremoniously." “You are welcome.” “1 thought you would be kind enough to listen to me. You remember my last visit here, when I wanted you to sell me, or to help me purchase the Peak Suemeg in Hungary? At that time I thought the place contained the crystals of cirynith, the substance from which any aerodromones are made.” Napoleon paused, and the count looked at him cautiously. “I took some samples of the crystals when I discovered ft, and analyzed them. To my surprise I found that it has not the same electro magnetic qualities that the cirynith of Ciryne has.” He paused again; still the count said nothing. ‘‘Now, lam sorry that I have troubled you in this matter, as I do not want the property, for my experiments have proved to me that the crystals are worthless for my purposes.’’ "But you are mistaken,” blurted out the count. He realized in the pame second that he had made a mistake, but, after all, what difference could it make? Napoleon smiled serenely, and gave no sign of satisfaction at having brought this information from the count. “All I can tell you is,” continued he, “that the chemical quality Is not the same, and I cannot make use of the deposit, and for this reason I do not wish to interest myself further in the property.” (TO BE CONTINUED.)
Not More Than Two Hundred Feet Below Him Stretched a Broad, Snow-Covered Peak.