Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-11-11
THE END OF THE WORLD.

ILL LAW va Ahh w chhSDs
I stood On q high clif. Twenty feet
before me spsrpsndieular wall of rock
went down. down. q veritable Jumping
OF place tili iit seemed one would have
% look twice to scc the bottom. where
the water. ~ the harbor splashei agains,
the bowldcrs
To-day the hay was smooth ~ polished
gla--. ave wher, tho vessels coming In
from the "a through the strait opposite
the point where stood left . ripple and
q line % foam behind. like flaw In the
crystal.
The grca, city lay 20 the left % tho
strait Tie burning midsummer sun.
shining from clouile-. sky. was reflect.
ci by hundrci thousand ohimheys and
root tot-. AMI tho images % the high
buildings and tho myriad vcs-.ls an.
chorrl In the harbor made ths scene
more like q mirage than reality.
- FAR above tho city was my point ~
observation ,ha, no, sound. not even .
murmur ~ the hustle and noise attend.
ant upon iis activity. reached my ears,
though through the clear atmosphere ]
could distinguish moving objects A. In
camera obscura
FROM the hay. too. although many
ye~-.ls-hugr ocean STEAMERS. f,rryboais
anil ya,hts-wcrr moving about. heard
only one sounl. the inierminable ''puf
puf.puf- % . little tugboat which rapid.
ly Threaded its aiml-ss way among the
other craft ~ monO,ouous indeed did
this sound become that turned my eyes
from the water AMI looked around At
nearer objects.
To my right was q grove % naples
In q clear space In the mids, - the tre.s
stos-i . whiis baiiding. It. gable toward
me. which reminded me At hrsi glance
- nothing clse ~ much a. ~ the Par
ihenon a. Il us.i 90 bc rrpr,-sni.'l In the
classical dictionary. hal no, noticed
thi. building before. and a. ! stood and
wondered . troop of gayly dressed young
people came rushing out ~ the door and
arranged themselves In grouTs on the
mossy circles surrounding the tree.
At this moment my companion. who
hal Jagged behind me. came up. and To-
gcthcr We went toward tho gay throng
our apVroach secmci unnoticed
scarccly hal We joinci the group,
when. r.ising my eyes. law 30 night and
left dark thunder clouds rolling rapidly
toward the reniih. Broad flashes %
lightning played Abou, the horizon.
while In sharper. rgLag strcaks the
electric spark cut u. path through the
azure directly above our heads From
the night low mutierings % distant
thunder were heari. and a chilling wind
ri.ing suddenly moan~l among th. pine-
In the distance. aud rus,lel the leaves Of
the hndcns under which we at. !
glanced toward the building. and on the
stsy- ~ the door which looked out upon
the city there stood an old man. wrinkled
AMI bent A faded dressing gown was
corded about bis waist. his fcc, were en-
ca-ed Ia embroidered slippsr.. and his
night hand. which bore q long oaken
staff. gnArlei and twisted. trcmbled A.
the fierce blast struck him and tossed his
thin gray locks. In a shrll voice he
cricd; Come INF Come I'M We are
gUing 20 have q terrible storm"
Even a. he spoke. and a. II In corrob-
Grafton % his words. the force u the
wind increased almost to gale. and
Large drop- Of rain began 10 fall. slowly
and grntly at frst. but with increasing
ugor TIL the pattsr on tho leaves was
lot In one long drawn sound. almost .
ruar. a. the wind drove the water
through the trccs
Meanwhlle the rest Of the party had
sought shelter Ia the building. but -
started 90 follow them my eyes rested on
q sight which compelled mo inyolun-
tarily to Iauss. Ahead of me. beyond
the bay. beyond the city. beyond even
the waters of the ocean itself. . veil. or
shutter. % more than inky blacknes.
ru-s p,rpcndicularly from the horiron
Up 10 tho very heavens u seemed 10
stretch. and 10 both sides as far a. the
eye could r,aeh.
A sudden. undehnable fear came over
mo and held me rootei % the earth
Ny horror increased ~ ] saw that this
horrible veil was moving toward me-,
how rapidly could not guess, but u
seemed % cover the thousand miles be-
tween the horizon and the straits In
barely an iota of tims. AZ u drew nearer
10 me saw that 1, had also another mo-
ton, like that 81 . hand saw OF an end.
lea chain. as II q huge jack towel of
flexible blaeknes- had been swung over
two rollers on the nethermost bounds OF
the uniyerse. and rapidly revolving wAa
eating il way deep into the very bowels
Of the earth. Tor a. this horrible engine
Of destruction approached perceived
that II was cutting away the sea and
the solid land. leaving . smooth. clean
cut edge where thee before had bsen.
1T Will STOP thought !. "befors 70
reaches the city
but no. the dreadful Thing. like an
ins.tiats monster. never paused 90
sweryed for an instant. and chill shoct
cour-si through my veins ~ watched
frst the points OF land on either siae ot
the strait. then the furtherrno~t housss
Of the city. and then nearer objects fade
into absolute nothingnesa
The huge machine krpt steadily pres
ing forward.
A. street after street a the city melted
away the Thing approached nearer and
ncarrr the waters Of the harbor. TAN
spires fell AMI mighty buildings wses
swallowed up. but until touchei by the
Thing iiself the remainder OF the city
was a firm and unchanged ~ ever. The
crscs Of tho dying at intervals reached
my ear. but 20 far distant was J that
the noise sounded more like the squeak
Of . dying mouse than - II Il came from
the throats Of multitude OF hm,an b.
ingA
Nov the bay be0an 20 melt away.