Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-27
A CRAZY MOON.

supper. 1t was in October, the evening
was somewhat dark. Mr. Gabarit accel-
Grated the heat of the digestion through
the fire Of an enormous pipe, from which
he drew methodically at regular intervals
big clouds Of smoke; he went to and fro,
with a slow and wise step, keeping his
head straight, in obedience to an old
habit of interro eating the sky, in order
to know what the weather was to be; he
saw, beyond the surrounding hills, a
luminous globe ascending in the dar k
heavens
There is the mOon!" said he, with the
calm satisfaction of n man saluting an
old acquaintance.
And as he reached the end of his gar.
den he made a round about face, econ
menced his promenade with the same
slowness, and continued to look above
him.
The mOOnf Well, yes, the moon. What
is more natural than 20 see the moon ris.
ing on the horizon; or course there is
nothing very astonishing in that. 1t il
its business, il it not, for this heavenly
body to roll like that in the nOctural firm
amentg and Mr.. Gabarit knew it, being g
sea captain and an amateur astrOnOmlst
in his moments of leisure. 1t Is justly the
reason why, that, by a vague instinct, in
repeating this familiar word, "moon," "e
had subliued it with mute interroga
tion-"What, the moony' Only three
days ago its last quarter had disap
peared. Was it not little soon for its
temperance? What tn e deuce does thai
meant
Mr. Gabarit had arrived at the end OF
his thought and Of his garden in the
same time. He turned around, still look
ing at heaven, and-if his pipe did not
fall on the ground it is that the excess
of his stupor caused him to close his
mouth more firmly. He remained immo-
bile. nailed to the spot, the eyes dilated,
asking himself if he was not insane, as
the moon, which two minutes before he
had seen emerging scarcely above the
black line of the hills, was now in the
middle of the celestial vault And what
a mOonl A moon formidable, prodigiOus,
big as one of those giant pumpkins that
the neighbOring farmers bring To the
market OF La Ferte-under- Bell
At first Mr. Gabarit thought that he
had dullness of sight; he rubbed his
eyes to conjurate this optical Illusion.
But hardly had he ceased the operation
when his stupor was changed into a
fright. The luminous globe seemed now
to shuttle under the gloomy ceiling OF
heaven. Ii was running with such swift
ness that the eye could not easily follow
it in its course. Then it described a sharp
curve and stopped. Again, as if it had been
taken with vertigo, it allowed itself to fall
toward the earth, threatening 1t with a
sudden crushing; all al once, without a
transition, it went again in the air with 8
vigorous spring, scaling the most sublime
nights of empyrean. Without any doubt
the moon danced in heaven!
The ex-sea captain remained as petri-
fed, as annihilated at the sight OF this
improbable phenomenon. Hastily he
left his garden, ran into the unique sire ct
of La Ferte- uder Bell, opened furtively
n door under which a ray of light was
passing and found himself in the back
room of the drug store Of Pharmacist
Cruchot, the only man supposed TO have
his eyes open at o'clock p. m. in the gen
eral dowsiness of the peaceable and SOM
nolent city. With the scientist was the
Hon. Mr.. Melon, mayor of La Fsrte- under
Bell, with whom he defended with
heroical desperation the remains of a
shaking tower and the honor of an un-
fortunate queen on a dirty chess board
What is the matters" exclaimed both
players simultaneously, seeing the fright
ened countenance of their co-Citizen Cab,
arit
What is the matter. my friendsia an
swered the eX-sea captain as he regained
his breath. There is that the moon has
become crazy! Come and see it!"
Grassy The moOn?" The mayor and
the pharmacist looked at each other as
men who had the same thought-It is he,
this poor Gabarit, who had become crazy!
The old tar caught the look.
mo, my friends. | am not crazy! And
| repeat it is the moon which is crazy.
Come out with me only a moment. You
shall see that as well as did myself"
The accent of his voice expressed such a
firm conviction that the two chess players
rose, crossed the store, and went into the
street. There they remained, their mouths
wide open. Gabarit had said the truth.
The moon ZigZagged in heaven. Phe nom
enon highly improbable, yet visible, stupe-
fying, incredible, whose the annals of me
teorology had never mentioned the appa-
rition.
The heavenly body of the night, extra
ordinarily drawn near the earth, as one
would judge by the size of its diameter,
danced a fantastical jig in the back
ground of armament. 1t went up and
down, dived, then reascended, giving the
most evident signs of a yerti ginous de-
rangement
at is the end of the world cried Hon.
Mr.. MelOd, with a strangulated voice.
Suddenly the luminous globe made
supreme dive on the horizon, behind the
~ ha hills nd
no more.
The three friends stayed at the same
place, painting, the eyes fixed on the black
line behind which they had seen the moon
vanishing.
One, two, three, five minutes elapsed
The moon did not show itself again.
"lt has foundered in the infinite" said
POLITICALLY Pharmacist Cruchot.
Let us go in, gentlemen" replied the
mayor of La Ferte- under Bell.
They re-entered the drug store; when
they were seated in the back room they
deep silence.
Gentlemen" said the ex-sea captain,
"we have witnessed a fact unknown until
the present time in the history of this
world. How to explain this overthrow of
the laws of natures | can not"
Neither l." sadly sighed Pharmacist
Cruchot.
"In regard to me-" continued Gabarit,
mo matter how familiar | am with as
Economical cues tions, humbly avow my
incompetency. Scarcely do dare to risk
this hypothesis, viz: The moon, through
an unknown cause, has deserted forever
our planetary system, and We have as
sisted to the tragical peripetious of its de-
parture AS what will follow, let US wait,
gentlemen, until the newspapers bring to
US the the opinion of savants, who can
not fail to be moved by such an extra
ordinary phenomenon, admitting" added
he, with a mournful tone, that we are to
receive the newspapers any longer, and
that our planet itself is not carried away
IN Vue MnLrIwInu Ol an universal cata
olysm"
On those big words, full of wisdom,
but also full of incertitude, the three
friends separated and went to bed
The next day they met and read the
newSDapars Nothing No allusion