Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-08-03
The Sentry of the World.

special correspondent says-desiTing to
gel the opinion of that celebrated amateur
astronomer, Mr.. Samuel Longhorne Clemens
on the new comet, visited his house this
morning just before dsybreak. His pssa-
slonate fondness for observing celestial phe-
nomena is veil known. was confident
that should find him at his telescope In
the turret that caps the northeast corner OF
his extraordinary mansion. A few dirt cted
pebbles brought him to the window.
s'Hello!" said he. Come up but don't
wake the baby. Mind the sixth stair on
the second flight; it creaks a hades Of a
falsetto." So saying, he let down his door
key at the end OF string.
When | reached the tuuet my friend was
no longer inside. He was sitting in an
open scuttle leading 10 the roof, smoking a
cigar With both hands he grasped long
pole. When it grew light perceived that
it was boat-hook. His face had haggard
look, and his long legs hung listlessly
through the scuttleway ''You look tired,
Mark" said l. Have you been at ii all
nighti"
''All nIght?" said he, with a groan that
consisted of vowel and two consonant
sounds. ''All night" This makes the fourth
consecutive night that l haven't closed
half an eve. It's wearing on me. This
constant responsibility is undermisnlng my
constitution. My senses of duty Is as strong
as the next mans but sometimes feel like
letting 90 my grip, even if the condemned
planet slides into the revised version of
birthstone. All night Good night Some
other night"
There was degree of evaporation In
his tone which the circumstances did not
seem to warrant. "Nell," said l, ''there's
no occasion for anger. Nobody compels
you to sit up here in the malarious morning
atmosphere and early dew"
He looked for minute as If he was
going to break out with torrent of objur
gaion. Then he mastesed his wrath and
gazed down upon me with an expression of
melancholy pity.
The tail of that comet" said he, sadly
waving the end of his pole toward the nor
thern sky. SIS, according tony calculations,
trlhe over forty-two million miles long;
yet II wouldn't reach more than quarter
way through the skulls of some people that
know. Tne reckless ignorance Of man.
kind amazes me more and more the older
grow. Why don't 1 90 to bedi Yes it
would be perfectly easy and naturally
thing to 20 to bed, wouldn't it, nowf Per-
haps had better go to bed" And he
laughed derisively.
"Whst IN the name of common sense are
you driving at Clemens2" l demanded.
"Oh. nothing at all, )" he replied, with
sardonic wave of bis pole. Nothing ex-
cept that while the mad revelry of the world
goes on below, and the multitude pursues
its wonted avocatio s precisely as though
universal catastrophe was not imminent,
one solitary watcher sits up here in his
lonely tower, Drawing danger and incurring
great fatigue for the sake of his infatuated
fellow beings. There have been examples
of such devotion to duty in history, but
they are rare, and it has always been left to
posterity to recognize them. At the present
moment l fill the post of lookout to the
planet, young man. You will find set
down in the census the exact number of fel-
low citizens whose existence depends upon
my vigilance. That's all I'm driving at ! "
saw now pretty well how things Were
Will my Hicuu- Oo, " HuinOI ului, i
gravely remarked: 81 always knew your
philanthropy, Mark. Yet must say that
this last undertaking surprises me-"
He Immediately became affable and even
confidential. T. There is good deal of the
true Christian spirit of self-denial in 1t, isn't
there, now? You see, they are all wrong
about the tail. I've ciphered on that tail
until understand every inch of it. It's
absurd to suppose that the tail isn't solid,
and pretty tough, to Doyou imagine that
this comet could go bulging through space
81 the rate of two hundred miles second
without knocking spots out OF tail that
was vapor? Tie fog bank on to the rear
end of the New York and Boston four
O'Clock express, start her off eveh at forty
miles an hour, and see how long your fog
bank will travel in company with your
locomotive. Yet they ask US to swallow
this internal nonsense about the oome.'s
tail. My observations Of this fellow, and
also of Coggis's comet, seven years ago,
have convinced me that comets tails are fas-
tened on tight, andar of fibrous and dura
bic nature, like Hartford beefsteak."
"And what do you propose to do with
your pole2 asked.
"Great Cesar! he exclaimed. with
a tail forty-two million miles long, three
millions miles thick, and tough as whip
leather, whisking about in the wake of
that piratIcal craft every time she tacks
overhead, don't you see the necessity of
keeping a cool-headed and muscular man
on deck here to fend of, in case the cussed
thing whisks this WaV ~