Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 2, Number 24, DeMotte, Jasper County, 5 January 1933 — The Everlasting Whisper [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Everlasting Whisper

By Jackson Gregory

FROM THE BEGINNING Mark King, prospector, and his partner, Ben Gaynor, share with a desperado, Swen Brodie, knowledge of a vast store of hidden gold. King is impressed by Gloria, Gaynor’s daughter. He dislikes a house visitor named Gratton. In a spirit of adventure Gloria accompanies Gratton from San Francisco on a “business" trip. At Coloma she finds her father badly hurt. He gives her a message for King. With Gratton, she goes to the Gaynor summer home, but realizes she has compromised herself by her journey with Gratton. He proposes marriage, and Gloria apparently accepts him. King watches the ceremony through a window. At the last moment the girl refuses, to utter the requisite "yes.” King enters and Gloria appeals to him for protection.' Gratton dismissed, reveals knowledge of the hidden gold. King emboldened by Gloria’s appeal to him, urges her to marry him. Really in love with him, and seeing a way out of her dilemma, the girl consents. Gaynor’s message reveals the location of the treasure, and urges King to go at once and secure it. After the wedding, Gloria asserting the necessity for rest after her trying experience, King leaves her and prepares for his trip. Next morning Gloria insists on going with him. On the journey her overwrought nerves give way, and she admits to King that she married him only to "save her name from gossip.” King, humiliated, renounces her but refuses to take her home, declaring he is under promise to her father to lose no time seeking the gold. She unable to find her way home alone, has to go with him. Gloria’s horse goes lame, and has to be abandoned. King finds the gold. Gloria resents his giving her orders. King decides to start back and return with trusted men, but finds his horse has broken away. Their food is almost gone and King tells Gloria they must start home on foot, despite a raging storm. Gloria refuses to obey him or help him in any way, and in his despair he strikes her with a rope’s end. Then he -leaves her, bitterly regretting his action. Later.- he decides he must, to save their 'lives, make his way out alone and send back a party for Gloria. He explains the situation, and leaves her. Alone, Gloria sees Gratton making a painful way through the storm.

CHAPTER Xl—Continued “But it is so easy,” she cried to him, forgetful of her own terror at mounting up here. “I have done it.” “I can't,” he said miserably. “It was all I could do to get this far. I —l think I am dying—” Again and again she pleaded with him. But he had either reached the limit of his physical endurance or. Shaken and unnerved, he had not the courage to attempt the steep climb. He lay still; his eyes were shut, and to Gloria, too, came the swift fear that the man might be dying. “I am coming to you!” she called. _ She began making the hazardous descent. She did not take time to ask lierself if she could make it; she knew only that she must. After a weary time_she came to the base of the cliffs. Gratton was not a dozen paces from her. He did not move but looked at her in a strange, bewildered fashion. Seeing that he made no attempt to move, she made her way to him. “It’s you—Gloria Gaynor!” he muttered? “But - I don’t understand.” “I came with Mark King. The storm caught us. Just as it caught you. But you must come with me; if you lie here you will be chilled; you will freeze.”

He shook his head. “I can’t,” he groaned. “I am more dead than alive, I tell you. I have been since before dawn getting here.” He cast a bleak look up along the cliffs and shuddered.. "I’d rather lie here and die than attempt it.” Once more Gloria was urging and pleading. But in the end she gave over hopelessly, seeing that Gratton would not budge. And it was so clear to her that he would perish if he lay here. “There’s a hole in thb cliffs just yonder,” Gratton said drearily. “I was going to crawl in there when you called.” Then Gloria saw for the first time the opening to that cave which in Gus Ingle’s Bible had been set down as Calve number one. It was almost directly under King’s cave, at the; base of the cliffs. “Come, then,” she said. “Let’s see if it’s big enough for a shelter.” Gratton heaved himself up w’itlV a groan. Gloria did not wait for hjm, but began the tedious breaking of a path the few feet to the hole. She could see nothing; she heard nothing. Nothing save Gratton’s hard breathing close behind her. She got a grip upon herself and made. a step forward, paused, extended her arms to grope for a wall, and made another step. There was still no sound; she breathed more freely, assuring herself that save for herself the cavern was empty. She stumbled over a rock, stopped again and called to Gratton. Only now was he entering. She struck a match carefully, cupped the tinv flame with her hands, and strove to • * what lay about her. There was a litter of dead limbs about her feet. She began gathering up some of the smaller branches, groping for others as her match burned out. It was Gloria’s hands which started the fire and placed the bits of dry wood upon it. The flames crackled; the wood caught like tinder; the flickering light retrieved much of the cavern about them from the utter dark. “Here I stay,” said Gratton. He dropped down and began warming his shaking hands. A more abjectly miserable specimen of humanity Gloria had never looked upon. He was jaded, spiritless, cowed. But' he was a human being, and she •was no longer alone! She was lifted from despair to a realm bright with

hope. King had gohe for succor; she had a companion to share with her the dread hours of waiting. She caught up a burning brand as she ha<J seen Mark King do, and holding it high made a quick survey, going timidly step by step further from the entrance, deeper into the cavern. It was much like the one so high above. Gratton eould not, or would not, climb to the higher cave; then why should they not make this their shelter? . She would have to climb the cliffs again; but she would have to do that in any case. Once up there it would be so simple a matter to toss down blankets and food and cooking utensils; a half-hour would see her camp moved from one cave to the other. Eager and excited, she began to tell Gratton what she meant to do. “Wait a while,” he urged her. “I am terribly shaken, Gloria.” Presently he said: “Do you think we are ever going to get out - of this alive?” “Yes.” Her voice rang with assurance. “Mark King has gone for help. All we have to do is wait for a few days.” His pale brows flew up. _ “King? He has gone? He has left you alone here?” Again she said: “Yes.” Gratton began plucking at his lip, striding up and down now. It became obvious to her that there had been nothing wrong within him beyond what his frantic terror had done to him. Perhaps, left alone, he would have died out" there in the snow; now, having already leaned on her, having her company and the hope she held out, he began to look his old self. “Now I’ll go for the things in the other cave.’’ she suggested. And as

an afterthought: “Now that you are feeling better, perhaps you will go up with me and help?” “Why,” he said, "Why—of course. Yes, we’ll both go.” Having seen that she had done the thing with no mishap, he was willing to do what before he could not do. “Come,” he said. “Let’s hurry.” They reached the upper cave. Her fire, though low, still burned. She put on more dry wood from the great heap King had left for her. She began to look about, planning swiftly just how easiest' to move the few belongings which must go with her. He v came forward and stood warming his nervous hands at her fire. “And you,” he said, marveling, “you actually came with a man like King into a place like this!” “I was a fool,” cried Gloria. ‘A pitiful little fool. Oh !” “You found King wasn’t your kind,” he announced. “You have quarreled!” “From the very beginning,” she replied quickly. “He is unthinkable. Haven’t I told you I was a fool? I didn’t know then quite what' men were . . . some men.”

She was not measuring every word now. She meant simply that she was determined to have done with Mark King, holding bitterly that she would go to anyone to be definitely through with King. His eyes followed her as she gathered up her few personal and Intimate possessions, comb, brush, little silken things of pale pink and blue. A faint color seeped into his usually colorless lips. When she saw the look in his eyes, she stared at him wonderingly. “What is it?” she asked, her voice puzzled. “What are you thinking?” He shrugged. “I was just thinking how superb you are,” he replied, not entirely untruthfully. For his ulterior thought had been reared upon the vital fact of her triumphant beauty. “Gloria!” he said hoarsely, “you are wonderful! And you have come to me!” Gloria met his rather too ardent admiration with that cool little laugh which had been her weapon in other days. She was not afraid of Gratton. “I came to you,” she said frankly, “because I was a woman in distress and had no alternative. You understand me, don’t you?” He hardly heard her. To his mind the situation was clearness itself. Gloria had come alone into the forest with Mark King. She had been with

him all these days and nights. Bat she and King had quarreled; tired of each other already, perhaps. Gratton did not care vyhat the reason was; he was gloatingly satisfied with the outcome. He hhd always coveted her. He came a step closer and the firelight showed how the muscles of his throat were working. Gloria’s eyes widened. But not yet did she fear. “Mr. Gratton,” she began. “Gloria!” he cried out. “Gloria.!” His hands, suddenly flung out, were upon her. She tore them away, wrenched herself free from him, and started back. “Oh!” she cried, shrinking not so much from him as from the thing she read so plainly at last'. “Surely, you do not think . . . you misinterpret. . . . my being here at all, my being with Mr. King. . . .” -> “No,” cried Gratton wildly. “I misinterpret nothing. You gave yourself to him; you saw your mistake; you hated him. You have come to me. I have always loved you; I want you.” Her cheeks flamed red with hot anger. Shp drew back from him. He followed/ his' arms out. She was amazed, for the moment shocked into consternation. Then she marked the small stature, little taller, little stronger, tha.. her own; the pale face, the narrow chest, the slender body. I "You know what I mean, what I want," he was muttering. “That sweet youngrthing innocence is all right in Its place but that place is not here alone in the mountains with a man.” “Man!” she burst out scathingly. “You, a man! Why, you wretched little beast!”,

But’ GraUon, his brain reeling with hot~fancy<came on. His arms groped for her. Gloria swept up a dead pine limb that lay by the fire and swung it in both hands and struck him full across the face. He reeled back, his hands to his face. “You beast!” she panted. “You cowardly, contemptible beast.” His mouth was bleeding. And she read in the gesture and in the man’s whole cringing attitude that danger of any physical violence from him was past and done with. An absolutely new sense of elation sang through Gloria's blood. She was fully mistress of the situation, and had found within her an unguessed strength. “Mr. Gratton," she said swiftly, “you have made a mistake. Mr. King has never offered me violence of that sort. Remember that, though we are alone and in the mountains, I am the sam£ Gloria Gaynor that you have known. And be sure that you treat me as such.”

He nursed his battered lips and stared at her. The blow had dazed him. The stick was still In her hands; a shiver ran through him. His desire went out of him. “I wish to God I had never seen you.” he groaned. She had meant from the first to take the upper hand? Now she was almost glad that this had happened. For now she was very sure of herself. She dropped the stick and wiped her hands. “We have other things to think of,” she said. She began dragging the blankets from her bed, tumbling them to the floor. “Take these,” she commanded. “I was a fool for ever leaving San Francisco,” he muttered bitterly. “You let me think that you cared for me, and now you treat me like a dog. I spent time and money trying to be the one to find gold In these infernal mountains.” Gold! He stopped at his own word, his eyes flying wide open. During these later hours, fleeing from Brodie’s men, stumbling upon Gloria, swirled away by mad longings, he had not thought of gold. But here-was King’s camp • straight here had King come after Gloria had brought him her father's message and old Honeycutt’s secret. Then the gold was here! He began looking about him eagerly. King was gone? Then not for men to bring help tp Gloria but to aid him in carrying off the gold. He began questing feverishly, shuffling about in the shadows while Gloria, busy with her plans for moving, wondered at him. Presently, he came upon the bag which King had meant to take out with him that day the horse was lost.

He went down on his knees by the sack, got a heavy lump in his hands, rubbed at it, anti finally sat back, staring up at her with new flames of another sort leaping in his eyes. “It’s next thing to solid gold!” he gasped. “There are thousands —thousands — Millions!” It struck Gloria that there was small justice in Gratton reaping any reward, having done nothing to earn it. “We have the things to move. Come, hurry.” “Why should we move, after all?” he demanded sharply. “Now that I have got up here, why not stay? King would know where to send for us, and —and those cursed dogs of Brodie’s would never think of looking up here, even if chance did lead them along the gorge. They couldn’t follow my trail if they tried to.” “Then, if we go down quickly, if we get your bag of food and put out the fire down there, and come right back up, it won’t. be very long before our tracks will be gone. Come; let’s hurry.” “Coming,” said Gratton. “Yes; we must hurry.” (TO BE CONTINUED.!

“You Beast!" She Panted. “You Cowardly, Contemptible Beast!"