Part 14 (1/2)

After ether, Betty and Amy also aran

And it ork indeed For what see sometimes with the stones, sometimes in desperation with their hands until it seeh the mountainside And still that blank wall of dirt, that impenetrable darkness, that stubborn barrier between theive way

She sank back on the dank floor of the cave and buried her face in her dirt-stained hands

”We'll never get out of here!” she sobbed ”And I' to d-death!”

CHAPTER XII

IN THE DARKNESS

Now the girls had been hungry before the accident occurred and, it being several hours since then, they were, by this time, as any one could readily see, in a rather bad state Therefore, Amy's complaint was very unfortunate and, had it not been for Betty, it irls co to death,” cried Mollie, dis too near the truth for coh my hand!”

”And , as she turned ferociously upon the still-sobbing A, A?” and a suspicious break at the end of her sentence, proved the truth of the assertion

”Girls, please don't,” begged Betty, still digging automatically at the stubborn wall of stones and dirt ”If you all begin to cry, then we ht just as well throw up our hands and say we are beaten”

It was not long after that that the girls found what they called their ”second wind” They forgot that they were ravenous, that their backs ached and that their hands were scratched and torn They worked furiously in the darkness, their goal the out-of-doors they loved so well

For a long ti very close and oppressive and that the perspiration that bothered them so was caused not alone by their exertion And when the realization did co them on to e in the atmosphere, was attested to by their increased nervousness The trairls--theytheir breath with greater and greater difficulty

In one terrible instant the girls realized what ht happen as discomfort to the aniht, it would be no longer possible to quiet them And then--and then----

”Don't you think we'd better stop and try to quiet the horses?” asked Mollie once, as the cha in the blackness behind theood,” Betty answered between clenched teeth as she scooped and dug, scooped and dug ”Better keep on working, girls It's the one chance we have”

Oh, the horror of it, the nightmare of it! The heavy air, the hideous dark, the nervous trairls spoke no longer They were beyond speech Al, scooped and dug----

Once they thought they heard voices outside, and shrilly they cried to their i ”hallo” reached them, and the only effect of their cries seeer the s nearly burst with the pressure upon theive in All except Betty, who kept on desperately, doggedly, herupon theo on any more I'm all in,” said Mollie, a desperate quiet in her voice ”My arms are like lead and uess this is the last adventure of the Outdoor Girls We have just had one too many, that's all”

”Oh, Mollie!” Betty drew in a labored breath that caught on a sob

”Please don't give up--please! I've counted on you----” she paused, jerked her head up, her attention turned on the spot where her hand still auto at the earth

She sniffed, experi the wild throb of hope that was almost a pain at her heart

”What is it, Betty, what is it?” cried Mollie, sensing soht off the dizziness that was stealing over them and leaned forward