"Never, never, never again," he answered. "What we have here is enough for us, and if I were offered all the good that there is in this world, which money cannot buy, I would never go down into that cleft again. There was one moment, as I stood in that cave, when an awful terror shot into my soul that I shall never be able to forget. In the light of my electric lamps, sent through a vast transparent mass, I could see nothing, but I could feel. I put out my foot, and I found it was upon a sloping surface. In another instant I might have slid--where? I cannot bear to think of it!" FRANK E. STOCKTON. =HELPS TO STUDY= What happened to Clewe's automatic shell? What did he decide to do? Tell of the preparations he made for his descent. What occurred when he reached the end of the shaft? Of what was Clewe thinking so intently while making his ascent? Why did he go at once to his office? What conclusion did he reach as to the central part of the earth? What did he have to prove the correctness of his theory? Why was he unwilling ever to make the descent again? This story was written about the end of the nineteenth century: what great scientific discoveries have been made since then? SUPPLEMENTARY READING A Journey to the Center of the Earth--Jules Verne. The Adventures of Captain Horn--Frank R. Stockton. FOOTNOTE: [391-*] Copyright by Harper & Brothers. A STOP AT SUZANNE'S The author of this sketch, a young American aviator, a resident of Richmond, Virginia, was killed in battle in August, 1918. Suzanne is a very pretty girl, I was told, but the charm of "Suzanne's" wasn't with her alone, for, always, one spoke of the deliciously-tasting meal, how nice the old madame is, and how fine a chap is her _mari_, the father of Suzanne. Then of the garden in the back--and before you had finished listening you didn't know which was the most important thing about "Suzanne's." All you knew was that it was the place to go when on an aeroplane voyage. At the pilotage office I found five others ahead of me; all of us were bound in the same direction. We were given [v]barographs, altimeters and maps and full directions as to forced landings and what to do when lost. We hung around the voyage hangar until about eight in the morning, but there was a low mist and cloudy sky, so we could not start out until afternoon; and I didn't have luncheon at "Suzanne's." After noon several of the others started out, but I wanted to plan my supper stop for the second point, so I waited until about four o'clock before starting.