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, y "Fresh from the Gardens" Newly Discovered Odd Specimens Life Found--Trees Grow In Darkness. Blind albino frogs with transclucent bodies, Pale gray bats and milkwhite crick- ets and beetles. Queer blind fish and crawfish with "feelers" developed as a substitute for their useless eyes, All these denizens of a land of eter- nal blackness were discovered when Iwo Interpid explorers plumbed the aazardous recesses of an immense :ave in Texas--the first humans to set foot in that particular bit of Pluto's realm, . Dr. Frank E. Nicholson, in an article sopyrighted by the Philadelphia Public Ledger Magazine writes: The spectac- alar entrance is a Gothic arch carved * ut by torrential waters in the face of & sheer cliff of honeycomb rock, some sixty feet high. The opening has long been known to the residents of Texas' famous "Hill Country," in Kendell County, but the cave was believed to extend but 500 feet. At that point a subterranean lake blocked further pro- gress, From the ceiling above the lake hung huge stalactites, reaching down and into the water; creating the as- pects of a back wall of the cave, For no one knows how many ages this dark lane with its formidable fangs of stone pressing downward from overhead; with jagged rocks be- neath its black surface, had stood guard as an ancient dragon over treas- ures beyond. Much le beyond, I concluded, upon first visiting the lake. Why? Because evidence of erosion was so strong at the entrance and in the first room as to prove that the torrents of meteoric waters which carved the gigantic open. ing must have carved more than five hundred feet before ceasing their lab- ors. Furthermore, what appeared to be the back wall was stalactitic formation that hung down from the ceiling, ra. ther than rising from the floor. Doubt- less it would be possible to duck un- der the barrier--if one didn't mind get- ting too wet. So Dr. Nicholson and his assistant decided to find out. "We stript off our outer clothing and waded into the icy, black waters. The floor was irregular, and we gyrated considerably as each step led us into deeper water." Fur- ther: : As we pushed forward the water rose higher and higher on our bodies, until it reached our armpits. We were now at the spot where the cave was supposed: to end. We felt with our hands the bottom of the first forma- tion--the tip was perhaps a foot be low the surface of the water. The plan was to dive beneath, swimming under water until we had cleared the obstruction overhead and reached the Inward shore of the lake. We were using three-cell flash- lamps which we sealed in half-gallon fruit jars, enabling us to keep them burning under water. We soon grew somewhat accustom- ed to the chilly waters, and with a deep breath dived down--not without silent prophecies as to what .might await us farther on. We progressed foot by foot. With one hand we held our light focussed upward. Now and again we found "pockets" between formations into which we could lift our heads, bring- Ing mouth above water. At last, after traveling thus about two hundred feet, they crawled out on dry land. "We flashed out lights khead, and were held spellbound at the spectacular sight which met our eyes." For behold: Ahead, the ceiling rose, the cave opened into a great vaulted tunnel, hung with literally millions of forma- tions of infinite variety, size and shape, Stalgamites, which, in the dis- tance, looked phantomlike and forbid- ding, b 1 in . Texas Cave of Animal the present day; but when the coun- try was overrun with foresi it must have been completely concealed. and loneliness in a great part of our ride. Our devious road wound down, at one time, among rocky dells, by wandering streams, and lonely pools, haunted by shy water fowls. passed through a skirt of woodland, of more modern planting, but con- sidered a legitimate offspring of the yet, no one can identify. lation to that species. Hl. cup" arrang t, which frog to cling to slick surfaces. clinging on wall or ceiling, horizontal or upside down, as it was on the floor. We found that by placing the spec) men on the lens of our flash lamp th. parent. In one alcove we found a hollow stalagmite, some three feet in diame- ter and equally high. A subterranean spring emptied into it. Pure sparkling water bubbled over the upper rim. We drank our fill, and dubbed it "The Fountain of Youth," A mile inside we came into a gigan- tic chamber, the ceiling of which is a particularly interesting example of er- osion, Eddying water long ago ground out deep, inverted bowls overhead; some as deep as ten 'feet, and from eight to twelve feet in diameter. The ceiling bears striking resemblance to that of the old Alhambra. We found a lower level to this cham- ber, with an opening that led on. It was a few feet down this passageway that we found Spanish oak and hack- berry trees defying the laws of na- ture. More than a mile from daylight, in excess of 600 feet below the surface, denied sun and rain, this growth has carried on for years. There were per- haps fifty of them. We' took specimens to William King, well-known Southefn botanist, who made an examination of the gnarled roots, the semitransparent trunks and branches and the pale green leaves, and, according to him, they exceed fif- teen years in age--though less than two feet tall, We are taugh: that the reason for trees stretching upward is that they are reaching for the life-giving sun- shine. Yet these scrub trees which have never known sun are g owing ab- solutely perpendicular, although they have sprouted from a sloping floor, -- eee. Sherwood Forest I found myself in the very heart of the far-famed forest, and, as I said before, I took a kind of school boy delight in hunting up all traces of old Sherwood and its sylvan chiy- alry. One of the first of my antiqua- rian rambles was on horseback, in company with Colonel Wildman and his lady, who undertook to guide me to some of the mouldering monu- ments of the forest. One of these stands in front of the very gate of Newstead Park, and is known throughout the country by the name of "The Pilgrim Oak." It is a ven- erable tree, of great rize, overshadow- ing a wide arena of the road, Under its shade the rustics of the neigh- borhood have been accustomed 'to assemble on certain holidays, and celebrate their rural festivals, This custom had been handed down from father to son for several genera- tions, until the oak had acquired a kind: of sacred character, . , . At u0 great distance from Ravens- head Oak is a small cave which goes by the name of Robin Hood's stable. It is in the breast of a aill, scooped out of brown freestone, with rude attempts at columns and arches. Within are two niches, which serve, it is said, as stalls. . . The cave is oversiadowed by an oak and alder, and is hardly discoverable even at There was an agreeable wildness We t forest and commonly called » g col of cal- -elde, as lights were brought nearer, The formations on all sjdes of us, We soon noted, were tinted in pastel shades of red, gray and amber, ~ Along the edges of the stream we noted living things. There were num- erous white crawfish crawling about the sand bottom of the stream, The awflsh's ancestors were crawfish, for some reason or urge which science cannot explain, left a world sunshine to live in dark recesses |t Jock of Sherwood. these quiet, partridge and pheasant would now and then burst upon the Wing, and the hare scud away before us. quest of popular antiquities, was to a chain of rocky cliffs, called the Kir- by Crags, which ekirt the Robin Hood hills. Here, leaving my horse at the foot of the crags, I scaled in a niche of the rocks, called Robin Hood's chair. : prospect over the valley of New- In riding through solitary scenes, the Another of these rambling rides in helr rugged sides, and seated myself It commands a wide | stead --Washington Irving, in "The . tion, we found a queen frog that, as In some respect: its resembles a tree frog-- but other characteristics bear no re- Its fore feet, have three toes each, and the hind}! feet four, On either toe is a "vacuum- the Apparently, it was cs comfortable i isoce. You will ere- at it was translucent, almost trans}! POISONIng ep sh The Green ' BY 8. 8. VAN DINE. der . BYNOPSIS. Philo Vance, with a hobby for solving mysteries, becomes Interested in the Greene 'murders when District Attorney Markham {is called in aftr the fatal shooting of Julla Greene and the wound- ing of her younger sister Ada. Old Tobi Greene's widow, together with five chil- dren, Julia, Chester, Sibella, Rex . 1d Ada (adopted), live in tho old Greene mansion. Police investigations reveal nothing; then Chester is found shot dead in his room. Again footsteps are found to and from the entrance of the man- sion. Ada goes to Markham's office and nforms him that Rex has not told all e knows, Five minutes later word comes that he has been shot. Vance be- comes convinced that the criminal is one of the family. The next near victim is Ada, poisoned by ixorphine. CHAPTER XXX.--(Cont'd.) , making no mention whatever «f this fore, be guided by our decision." "Of course. And is it permitted i that I see Ada?" asked Vor. Blon. Markham hesitated, and Vance an- swerad, "If you care to--certainly." He ve- turned to Drumm. "Will you be so good as to accompany Doctor Von Blon?" Drumm and Von Blon left the room together, "I don't wonder he's on wige," com- mented Markham. "It's not pleasant to learn of people being poisoned with drugs lost through one's own careless- riess." "Ho wasn't worrying as much over Ada as he was over Sibella," remark- ed Heath. "Observin' fella!" smiled Vance. "No, Sergeant; Ada's demise appar- ently bothered him far less than Si- bella's possible state of health. , . . . Now I wonder what that means. It's an inveiglin' point. But--dash it &'l!--it everts my pet theory," "So you have a theory," Markham s.0ke rebukingly. "Oh, any number of 'em. And, I right add, they're all pets." Vance's lightness of tone meant merely that he was not ready to outlin: his sus- picions; and Markham did not push the matter. "We won't need any theories," de- clared Heath, "after we've heard what Ada's got to tell us. As soon as she talks to us tomorrow we'll be able to figure out who poisoned her." "Perhaps," murmured Vence. Drumm returned alone a few min- utes later. "Doctor Von Blon has stepped into the other girl's room. Said he'd be down right away." "Waat did he have to say about your patient?" asked Vance. "Nothing much. She put .lew ener- gy into her walking the minute she saw him, though. Smiled at him, too, by 'jove! A good sign, that. Shell come through fast, Lot of resistance in her." Drumm had hardly ceased speaking when we heard Sibella's door close and the sound of descending footsteps on the stairs, "By the by, doetcr," said Vance to Von Blon as the latter re-entered the drawing room, "have you seen Oppen- Leimer yet?" "I saw him 'at eleven, The fact is, I went direct to him after leaving as | this morning; and she made no ob- "And," added Markham, "we are] be MS ai exavilriation tomakrant ah 30 o'clock." "And was Mrs, Greene agreeable?" "Oh, yes. I spoke to her about it jection whatever." A short while later we took our departure. Von Blon accompanied us to the gate, and we saw him drive off i» his car, : "We'll know more by this time to- morrow, I hope," said Markham on the way downtown. He was unwont- depressed, and his eyes were greatly troubled. "You know, Vance, I'm almost appalled by the thought of what Oppenheimer's report may " ' No report was ever made by Doc- tor Oppenheimer, however. At some time between one and two the next morning Mrs. Greene died in convul- sions as a result of strychnire poison- ing. CHAPTER XXXI. \ Friday, Dee. 3: forenoon.) Markham brought ue the news of Mrs. Greene's death before 10 o'clock the next morning. The tragedy had not been discovered until 9, when the nurse brought up her patient's morn- ing tea. Heath had notified Mark- ham, and Markham had stopped on his way to the Greene mansion to ap- prise Vance of the new development. Vance and I had already breakfasted, «nd we accompanied him to the house. "This knocks out our only prop,' Markham said despondently, as we sped up Madison avenue. "The possi- bility that the old lady was guilty was frightful to contemplate; though all along I've been trying to console my- self with the thought that she was insane. Now, however, I almost wish our suspicions had proved true, for the possibilities that are left seem even more terrible. We're dealing now with a cold-blooded calculatizg ration- ality." Vance nodded. "Yes, we're confronted with some- thing far worse than mania, I can't s.y, though, that I'm deply shocked by Mrs. Greene's death. She was a detestable woman, Markham--a most detestable woman. The world will not bemoan her loss." Vance's comment expressad exactly the sentiment I had felt wken Mark- ham informed us of Mrs. Greene's "sath. The news had of course shaken me, but I had no pity for the victim, She had been vicious and unnatural; she had thrived on hatred, and had made life a hell for every one about her. It was better that her existence was over, Both Heath and Drumm were wait- ing for us in the drawing room. Ex- citement and depression were mingled in the Sergeant's countenance, and the desperation of despair shone in his china-blue eyes, Drumm revealed only 2 look of professional di ppointment : for a central b such an agency already existed und the Finance Act, which for eighte ] years had admirably performed its 'purpose. Furthermore a monopoly of the note issues by the Government would not increase by a single dollar the amount of currency in the hands of the public unless the notes were irredeemable and recklessly emitted, Sir Charles also registered very strong ition to any pr inflation. "If there fis one fact In finance more firmly fixed than another," he said, "it is the certainty that the'un- restricted issue of paper currency cul- moreover, that we in Canada do not suffer from inadequate credit or In- adequate currency. Trade has con- tracted in volume and value to a de- gree where much less currency and credit are required for it conduct. Our banks welcome borrowers to trustees of depositors from whom their loaning resources are derived, banks ought not to len ' on any other condition," ! d|try in the Dominion. plan that would bring about currency | minates in disaster. | may point out, whom they can safely lend, and as | be devised for this, Obviously, the 'more permanent such an arrange 'ment can be made the mo:¢ effective it will be.' : - W. A. Bog, Joint J3neral Manager, dealt more particuiarly with tho af fairs of the Bank during the year, and the general trend of trade and indus Mr. Bog. in lookin, towards the future, declared that hope might rea. sonzbly be entertained of brighter days from now on. He safd, "We hi. s expe.jener' a groat contraction in our export trads, we have sustain. ed substantial rebuffs in the form of L ightened tariffs against our pro: ducts, we have -een our dollar go to a heavy discount in the United States. A ( yet with all this we nave main. i Lasseter lost himself ir 'wilds and an Afghan camel driver' found him raving with thirst clutching his precious bag. : wl Nursed back to healtu by a sure veyor named Harding, )asscte: did not dare face the desert again fcr several years, but, after years nf hesitaticn, he set out again with Harding to discover his Bonanza, but n vain. its future," plored the Bureau, and I notified you aud Doc Doremus, I got here fifteen o. twenty minutes 'ago, and locked up tke room." "Did you inform Von Blcn?" Mark- ham asked. "I phoned him to call off the exam- ination he'd arranged for 10 o'clock. Said I'd communicate with him later, and hung up. before he had time to ask any questions." Markham indicated his approval and turned towewd Drumm, "Give us your story, doctor." Drumm drew himself up, cleared his throat, and assumed an attitude calculate to be impressive. "I was down stairs in the Narcoss diving room eating breakfast when Hennessey cane in and told me the curtains had gone down in the recep- tion room here. So I snatched my outfit and came over on the run. "The butler took me to the old lady's room where the nurse was wait- ing. But right away I saw I was too late to be of any good. She was dead--contorted, blue, and cold--and rigor mortis had set in. Died of a big dose of strychnine. Protably didn't suffer much--exhaustion and coma came inside of half an hour, I'd say. Too old, you understand, to throw it off. Old people succumb to strych- nine pretty swiftly. . , .» "What about her shility to cry out and give the alarm?" "You can't tell. The spasm may have rendered Her mute. Anyway, no one heard her, Probably passed into his chief concern apparently was that he had been deprived of an opportun- ity to display his medical skill, Heath, after shaking hands absent- , briefly explained the situation, "O'Brien found the old dame dead at 9 this morning, and told Sproot to ly, here this morning. He has agred to wigwag to Doc Drumm. Then she ministered, doctor ed to ask, by remark. with what appeared to be sul ¢ tal phate chnine make an ordin'ry drink noticeably bitter?" Vv. had after the first seiz- ure, My experience with such cases has taught me--" "What time would you say the strychnine was taken?" "Well, now, you can't tell exactly," Drumm became oracular. "The con- vulsions may have been prolonged be- fore death supervened, or death may have supervened very shortly after the poison was swallowed." "At what hour, then, would you fix the time of death?" : "There again you can't say definite- ly. Confusion between rigor mortis and the phenomenon of cadaveric spasm is a pitfall into which many doctors fall. There are, however, dis- tinct points of dissimilarity----*" "No doubt." Markham was grow- impatient with Drumm's sophomoric pedantries. "But leaving all explana- tion to one side, what time Jo you think Mrs, Greene died?" Drumm pondered the point. "Roughly, let-us say, at two this morning." x "And the strychnine might have been taken as 'early as eleven or twelve?" "It's possible." vanyiow, we'll know about ; when oremus gets here," asserted Heath with brutal frankness. He was in a vicious mood that morning, "Did you find any glass or cup by which the drug might have been ad- 2" Markham hasten- way of covering up bh. Heath's 'adhering to the sides of it." . "But woul dn't a fatal dose off Vance listlessly lighted a cigarette. "We may presume, therefore, that the person who gave Mrs. Greene the citrocarbonate also administ; d the strychnine." He turned to Markham. "I think Miss O'Brien might be able to help us." Heath went at once and summoned ike nurse. Tin But her eviderce was unilluminat- ing. She had left Mrs. Greene reading «bout 11 o'clock, and had gone to her own room and had slept all nipht. She kad risen at 8, dressed, and gone to the kitchen to fetch Mrs. Greene's tea. As far as she knew, Mrs. Greene had drunk nothing before reti i g--cer- tainly she had taken no citrocarbonate up to 11 o'clock. Furthermore, Mrs; Greene never attempted to take it alone. r fi G (To be continued. -------- eee ee. Flower Hunting Thrills Asiatic mountain flowers and foli- age will beautify the bare cliffs of the peak of Snowdon, in Wales, if an ex- periment undertaken by the Alpine Gardens Society is a success. Plants imported from the hills of China and Tibet are to be grown on an area of about 500 acres, 3,000 feet up. A number of Asiatic flowers have already been naturalized in' Britain. Lord Aberconway, for instance, has a wonderful colection of dwarf rhodod- endrons, Asiatic gentiars, and Alpine primulas at Bodnant Gardens. The flowers were brought home by recent expeditions to China, Nepal and Tibet, The plant explorer today very often works hand-in-hand with the owners of large gardens, They are share. holders in his expeditions; and his spoils are divided between them and Kew Gardens, the Wisley gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, and the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edin- burgh. Thus, if he brings home the seeds of a new plant, they have be- tween twenty and fifty different chances. Hunting for new plants is 'some- times a risky business. One plant ex- plorer, on the track of a new orchid, found himself in the forest home of a cannibal tribe in Madagascar. The cannibals weren't quite sure whether to make friends or to put him in the stew-pot, and for a little while his life hung oy a thread. Bt he man. aged to save himsclf--though he had to marry the chief's sister to do it. The quest of Alpine plants involves special risks of its own, anc. occasion- ally an attempt to secure a rare speci. men growing in an inaccessible place has cost a life. SESE Nativa porters, too, occasionally go on strike for higher pay once their employer is far from civilization--or they refuse to go farther because of cuperstitious fear, One plant-hunter, deserted by his bearers, who decamped in a body during the "night, had a nightmare journey over mountains and through swamp and jungle be: fore he reached a settlement. - In spite of all difficulties; however, the work goes on--and England's gar- Sens grow steadily richer beeause of 5 Ii n sl mediate death, Lost Lode, north- 1912, "For = Arctic Queen Victoria conferred in 1857 on all who Had taken part in Arctic ex peditioris between 1818 and 1855. A 'similar medal, but of different design, 'was awarded, later in the reign, for other Arctic exped tained as high a level of gener: : well. PROSPECTING BY AIR. being as any other country, and we For years more |.asseter nursed his are among the few na'icns of the [secret, and then sot oft agein in wo.'" promptly meeting every obliga: | seafth of the lost lode at the hea. of tion, 'including war idebtedn 8s. |a well quipped expedition including These considerations should strength | a six-wheeled motor lorry and an en our confidence in our country and aeroplane, 3 : Bad luck still dogged the yuaest re aeroplane crashing and the pilot be: ing sericusly injured. party plodded on but no t be found of the lost reef. When the expedition aecided turn back, Lasseter persisted in press. ing on with one companion - and & camel. train, saying, "If I don't find the reef I won't come back." Pushing on into the wilderness where wo: yp was scarce and hostile aborigines e day strucg oamed, the prospector on. amiliar landmarks. He sent his companion back 1: tha settiement of Alice S; news and pressed on a his 'reef, pegzed out graphed it and gathered 'spe Then his two camels bolted, a seter was left alone in th ut food or water. LEFT TO DIE BY NATIVES. Realizing that his only hope lay in the truculent, hostile blackfellows of the region, Lasseter forced his come pany upon them at the risk of im. For weeks he lived with a tribe of savage aborigines, bul then they left 'him to die in the des. ert. His uast hours. of agony were' re lated in messages which were found' buried Eeneath the ashes of his camp- fires. Fired by his story many expedt - tions have since sought Lasseter's many men risking thei wer the lure of the mag: ves to ans et of gold. Now it is thought to have bean found at The Granites, 400 miles west of Alice Springs. The gold rush has started and already two large expeditions are racing . from Melbourne and 'Brisbane to stake claims, while a further Melbourne ex- pedition is being organized to race to the new gold field. -------- ie. "For Arctic Discoveries" The grant of the Polar fourteen members of the British Are- tie Air Route Expedition of 1930-31 draws attention to an award which is almost unknown to the general public, Instituted by King Edward in 1904, . when. it was awarded for Capiain Scctt!s Antarciic expedition in the Discovery, it has also been granted to members of Shackleton's expeditions of 1907 and 1914-16, Scott's last expe« dition, and the Mawson Expedition of The medal is octagonal in shape, wit, on one side, the King's head, and on the other a Polar scene with a ship in winter quarters and s edging party, There was a previous Polar medal, Ti Discoyeries," 0] ist. elatives. | -------- prin The ground prings' with fhe lone. a claind, e wilds with- hich the has Ee En to their r fe 3 the lesert and rave could tae 'He Touid photo- cimens," nd Last Medal to whicij Queen'( ons. f the explorers who figure in the recent Ii ) Captain Lemon--have died expedition for been a: Mr. Watking and since the