RIVEN ASUNDER. OR, BERYL GRAYSON'S ORDEAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8391, 3 April 1907, Page 2

RIVEN ASUNDER. OR, BERYL GRAYSON'S ORDEAL.

'' By JuHa Edwards, „■ ■ of'»:■/.(. LiH?* Jl Wot-," "*Wi«, the Jiostlw/:' "l>reltu*t of All," "Stella Sicilian," "I.aim Jirai/tow," <•''<:•

A 1-.OVANCT3 01? TEE *A • FBANCISCO DISABTEft.

CHAi'T.3R XXV. —Continued

ToT'i;'-: fi,;v '.von 1 were unheeded by lu-'i' .vi.''i-'i. - thougl- ■ vouched Arthur PrcrfU >..:i.'.n-.. I:'h onward flas.ii in .(iiswp. - of'tr.j ef.W.c".-\* v.-arnins that). .v:is« K" ; -«ur :'.'=o ; I ei--haps the man in thD a-utonii/oilo cud not uud rstancl; in view of what "quick, i-jpyen-.-d it would ccem that the mur.-iriK of the soldier's words Jiad no:; i ;oun understood. t "Loi-!:i" whirpared Kwyl, running forward a few steps In her excitement. '"There is another automobile ' with soldiers coining from around the A Wi'vnirc- was called to the second . car. -'feed Cross!" flung l«ck the driver oi ! that, machine, and the soldieis fell back merely pointing toward the tottering wall. • A collision between the two oars, coming from opposite directions, and with the menacing wall between them. Pernod inevitable. A deep silence settled over the people who were watching. Not a cry went up becuuso of a threatened calam-1 ity; every beholding eye had looked' upon t=o many accidents that it had becoma inured to such spectacles. A shout wept up from the driver of the Red Cross car, when, doubling, around the corner of the wall, he saw the other vehicle approaching. The driver of each car flung himself

desperately upon the steering-wheel. 'Presence of mind averted a head-on collision, the Red Cross automobile skurrjing across the front of the Preston car; but the front wheels oi the latter machine jolted heavily against the roar wheels of the former. '. There was merely a tremendous jar, and the cars rushed onward. . "The wall! The 'wallI" shouted the men in the Red Cross car. Arthur Preston gazed up at the' tottering mass lowering over him. The wall had stood there for hours, swaying on ita foundations; would it, 'by some "uncanny working of fate, 1 fall in that supreme moment? Then, while all eyes appeared to be following the rapidly separating automobiles, Beryl saw something. ' "that had apparently escaped the others. Mrs Preston had been thrown j from her seat, and was lying with-, out sound or movement, upon the , littered asphalt of the street. Arthur Preston, his faculties absorbed by the danger of the swaying wall, did not realise that his aunt had faljen out, and that he was speeding away from her. ■ . Then, under the impetus of an ex- , plosion near at hand, 1 the huge wall of brick shook' more ominously than before. The soldiers did not,'seem .'• to realise the awful p'rddicahient of , i Mrs Preston, who lay' at the very ' s '"'"'Mae of the tottering ruins. 'With'a despairing cry, Beryl dashed forward, her little feet, flying across the debris-rstrewn thoroughfare. Tonita would have seized her, had she not been so quick; theMexi- ■''. cana called wildly for' the bravej, girl, to return; and then, seeing , (that she was bent upon siskiifg her, , life to rescue the woman who* had ,; treated her so*'cruelly, Tpnita pfeii•gesd after her. l ''

CHAPTER XXVI. ,'. - A BRAVE DEED. Beryl, when, she saw the awful dan- ' ■'N' Mrs Preston, had : thought only that she was Neilfs mother; and that, notwithstanding I l ' her cruel pride, heir life was dear to ' -her son. Tonita, on the other hand, r, thought only of Beryl. ' , !' .''." The ; homeless . people, standing' 4 the^-edge; of the. little park,: .. gazed with : horror-stricken eyes at ! the tragic scene. Two lovety young girls were hurling themselves into what seemed like certain The smoke-blackened wall shivered arid surged,' now forward, now hack; ' every moment it seemed as though it \ must precipitate itself into the thoroughfare. 1 _ Men who had looked with calloused hearts upon the threatened collision of the automobile now gave vent td hoarse cries of fear and warning; women screamed, and the - soldiers, si. realizing when too late that a woman had fallen from one of the vehicles, /. stood gazing in mute helplessness at ': the fluttering, flying figures of the, girls. . Beryl was first to reach the pros r < trate form of the unconscious woman., ' She,called to Mrs Presjton wildly; but of course, no answer could come from those proud, silent, lips which !', had wourided the rescuer so keenly the evening before. * Beryl stooped to clutch the limp ■-" form and drag it to'safety. At that 1 moment Tonita came breathlessly, to tier side. There was no tfme'for * words Tonita, realised what must be done, and promptly lent her willing, aid- 'Between, them the two rescuers* ~ vdra'gged their uncojtscous burden from : ';'V the dangerous spot. They were al- , \mofit out of the zone of peril when a soldier dashed in, caught Mrs Preston in his arms, and staggered to the 1 «dge of the park. Nor was this accomplished an inatant too soon. The soldier had ; not yet laid the rescued woman on 1 the sward at the edge of the refugee . camp whan there came a frightful crash, and the bricks and stones of the wall deluged the street. A small '!■ hiliof masonry covered the very spot Where Mrs Preston had been thrown from the automobile! ]',■ > "A heroic deed'!" cried the hand- !' some young officer v who had been Overseeing the distribution of supplies. He bad leaped from the wagon . and had dashed to the place where -Beryl, and Tcnita, weak and faint - .after their brave task, had sunk i< upon one of the park benches. i "And to think,'' spoke up agray-

haired man. trembling with excitement, "that ;.tho work shouid have been left to two frail girls'." " Who are they?" came from every -side. "Dues anv one know who they are?" This question, naturally, could hol bo"i<.t:sv/ered. Hurdiy any two of the refugees had had much acquaintance with'each other up to the time their lots had been cast in that small park; so it was not to be supposed that they would know the names of two wanderers who had reached the camp after nightfall. i The young officer bent over the girls and foifered them a tin cup of water. • „ "You saved the woman's lite, said he, his eyes glowing with admiration. "But for your quick work the woman would have been buried under an avalanche of masonry. I should like to report this, if you will give me your names." The'red mantled Beryl's face..... ?> "Please say nothing about it, sir,'.' said Beryl. 'We do not wish to have our names known." "Do you know the woman whose life you saved?" , "1 know who she is, that - is all. She is Mrs Burton Preston, of Denver. The automobile from which she was thrown belongs to Mr Arthur Preston, of Nob Hill." "Ah, then you are friends of the family?" queried the officer, struck by the influential names he had just heard. ,

"No, we are not friends of the Prestons,"answered Beryl. "We would not be friends of Mrs Preston's if we could!" spoke up Tonita warmly. The office;- looked at'the Mexicana with a faint smile. j "And yet," he murmured, "you both would rjsk your lives for her." "How is she?" asked Beryl. "Is she very badly hurt?" Some of the women among the refugees were ministering to Mrs Preston. At this question from Beryl one of them looked around. "No, she is not severely hurt," said the woman. "She was stunned by her fall from thenar, but will quickly recover." "lam thankful for that," murmured Beryl, thinking of Neil. 0 is more than kind to these people who are born with gold spoons in their, rfiouths," said Tonita, who had no kindly feeling whatever for Mrs Preston. "Yes, blessings are always showered upon those who do not need them." The young officer seemed amused at the beautiful Mexicana's display of temper. "Hello!", tie. exclaimed suddenly, ( looking up one'of jfche streets. "Here comes' the Preston automobile back again. It must have gone around the block.'.' He stepped out into the street and met the car as Arthur Preston halted it close to the place where the' women were working over his' aurit. "Where is my aunt, the lady was With me?" cried Arthur Preston. His face was blanched, aridhteap-. prehensive eyes, were on the heap of debris at the place where the wall had fallen. ' ' ' "Didn't you know that she was: thrown from the car?" demanded the' officer. '

"1 did not not dream of such a 1 thing!" cried-Arthur Preston. "My aunt, man!" he implored. "Tell me—tell me the worst!" "Your aunt fell on the very spot where that mass of masonry now lies," said the officer. not meet a horrible fate is.due entirely to the daring of two young girls. At the risk of their own lives they rushed forward and dragged your aunt to safety." ■ ' "<"And -|s my auntvfilive? Where is' "she?"- ■»■'..- ■ '' .' The crowd parted so that he could see Mrs Preston and those about her. down from the machine and h|ujfried to his aunt's side. "She's reviviri', sir," said one of the women, who, with her rough, toilhardened hands, was chafing the delicate temples of the rich Mrs Preston. "She'll be" able to talk to ye in a minute, sir," An expression of intense relief crossed Arthur Preston's face as 1 he turned away. mistake" he exclaimed, addressing the office!*, "I did not hear the soldiers* warning until I was past the danger-line, and it was better than to go on than to turn back. That othef automobile came upon me with the swiftness of a thunderbolt, and I had no idea my aunt had been thrown from her seat by the car. She did riot utter.a. single cry—l am certain of ,that. If she had I would have discovered at once what was wrong." Tho next moment he seemed to think of the two girls, and what they •had done. . (To be Continued).