Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-04-04

that OF the earth. A well-known for
mula enables US to compute the We
locity body would acquire in falling
from an infinite distance to the earth
or any other planet whose size and
force of gravity are known. The same
formula, taken in the opposite sense.
Of course. shows how fast a body must
start from planet in order that it may
be freed from its control. The formula
is " 2gr., in which 'g" is the
acceleration of gravity. equal for
the earth to 80 feet in a
second, and ''r' is the radius of
the attracting body. On Menippe 1
knew "g" must equal about one
twentieth of a foot, and ..r'' 81, $50 feet.
Like flash applied the formula while
the giants muscles were yet tighten
ing for the kick; 81, 680x KS, 1913.
the square root of which is fraction
more than Sc. Fifty-six feet in sec
ond, then, was the critical velocity
with which 1 must be kicked off in
order that 1 might never return. I
perceived at once that the giant would
be able to accomplish it. turned and
shouted up to him:
'.Hold on, have something to say
to you."
1 dimly saw his mountainous face
puckered into mighty wrinkles, out of
which his eyes glared fercely, and the
next moment l was sailing into space.
I could no more have kept a balance
than the earth can stand still upon its
axis. I had become a small planet
myself. and like all planets. I rotated.
Yet the motion didn't make me dizzy,
and soon became intensely interested
in the panorama of creation that was
spread around me. For some time,
whenever my face was turned toward
the little globe of Menippe I saw
the giant, partly in profile against
the sky, with his back bent and
his hands upon his knees, watching me
with an occasional approving nod of
his big head. He looked so funny
standing there on his little seven by
nine world, like clown on a perform
ing ball, that, despite my terrible stu
alton. L laughed aloud. There was
no echo in the profundity of space.
Soon Menippe dwindled to point,
and / saw her inhospitable inhabitant
no more. Then watched the sun and
the blazing armament around, for there
was at the same time broad day and
for me. The sunlight. being
no longer diffused by an atmosphere,
did not conceal the face of the sky, and
could see the stars shining close to
the orb of day. I recognized the vari-
Gus planets much more easily than I
had been accustomed to do, aud, with
a twinge at my heart. saw the earth
splendid in the sunshine. 1 asked my
self: ''How in the world can I ever
get back there again?" Then I smiled
to think of the ridiculous figure cut,
out here in space, exposed to the eyes
OF the universe, rotating, gyrating,
astronomer, an
animated teetotum lost in the
sky. 1 saw no reason to hope that I
should not go on thus forever, re-
volving around the sun until my bones,
whitening in the starlight, might be
revealed to the superlative powers of
some future terrestrial telescope, and
become subject of absorbing interest,
the topic of many learned paper for
the astronomers of a future age. After
ward was comforted by the reflection
that in airless space. although I might
die and my body become desiccated.
yet there could be no real decay; even
my garments would probably last for
ever. The savants. after all, should
never speculate on my bones.
I saw the rudy disk of Mars; and
the glinting of his icy poles, as the
beautiful planet rolled far below me.
eff I could only get there" thought,
Il should know what those canals of
Schiaparelli are, and even if I could
never return to the earth 1 should
doubtless meet with warm welcome
among the Martians. What a lion 1
should be-" looked longingly at the
distant planet, the outlines of whose
continents and seas appeared most en-
ticing, but when tried to propel my
self in that direction I only kicked
against empty space. l groaned in
desperation.
Suddenly something darted by me
flying sunward, then another and
another. In minute 1 was surround
ed by strange projectiles. Every in
slant expected to be dashed to pieces
by them. They sped with the veloci-
ty of lightning. Hundreds, thousands
of them were all about me. My chance
of not being hit was not one in mill
ion. and yet escaped. The sweat of
terror was upon me, out l did not lose
my head. "A comet has met NO." I
said. These missiles are the meteoric
stones of which it is composed" And
now | noticed that as they rushed
along collisions took place, and flashes
of electricity darted from one to
another. A pale luminosity dimmed
the stars. / did not doubt that as
seen from the earth the comet was al
ready flinging the splendors of its
train upon the bosom of the night.
While 1 was wondering at my inn
munity amid such a rain of DEATH
threatening bolts, I became aware
that their velocity was seusibly di-
minishing. This fact 1 explained by