“No,” replied Mary, “I did not know that.  I don’t think we will see anything of greater interest than this at the Fair.”

“I understand,” said Ralph, “this is the third church building built on this site, where the original church stood in which the Bell was secreted.”

Mary, possessing a fair share of the curiosity usually attributed to the “female of the species,” on noticing the church door standing ajar, asked Ralph to step inside with her, thinking to find the caretaker within; but no one was visible.  A deep silence reigned in the cool, dim interior of the House of God.

One could almost feel the silence, ’twas so impressive.  Slowly they walked up the wide church aisle and stood before the quaint baptismal font.  A stray sunbeam glancing through one of the beautiful, variously-colored memorial windows, lighted up the pictured saint-like faces over the chancel, making them appear as if imbued with life.  Mary softly whispered to Ralph, as if loath to profane the sacredness of the place by loud talking, “I seem to hear a voice saying, ’The Lord is in His holy temple.’” Quietly retracing their steps, they, without meeting any one, emerged into the bright sunlight and were soon in the midst of the turmoil and traffic incident to the principal business street of a city.

The young folks boarded a trolley and in a short time reached the Fair grounds, which offered many attractions to Ralph as well as Mary.  The latter was interested in the fine display of needlework, fruits, flowers and vegetables of unusual size.  Aunt Sarah’s bread won a prize.  A blue ribbon attached to Frau Schmidt’s highly-prized, old-fashioned, patchwork quilt, showed it to be a winner.  Ralph, being interested in the pens of fancy chickens, prize cattle, etc., Mary reluctantly left the woman’s department of fancy work, and other interesting things, and accompanied him.  On their way to the outlying cattle sheds they noticed two lovers sitting on a bench.  Upon a second glance they were convinced that it was Jake and Sibylla.  Jake, beaming with happiness, said, “Sibylla vos side by me yet?” They were busily engaged eating a lunch consisting of rolls with hot “weiners” between the two halves, or, as Jake called them, “Doggies,” munching pretzels and peanuts between sips of strong coffee, both supremely happy.  A yearly visit to the Allentown Fair on “Big Thursday,” was the event in their dull, prosaic lives.

[Illustration:  DURHAM CAVE]

CHAPTER XXX.

FRITZ SCHMIDT EXPLORES DURHAM CAVE.

It appeared to be nothing new for Fritz Schmidt to get into trouble; rather the contrary.  One day in early Fall, after the first frost, he, in company with a number of boys, drove to Durham, not many miles distant from his home, in search of persimmons, the crop of which, on account of the severity of the preceding winter, old farmers had predicted would be exceedingly heavy.