Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-09-27
THE END OF THE WORLD.

before me Il peGneilHlCulil WILL VI lOIh
went down, down, a veritabIe Jump
ing off place" till it seemed one would
have to look twice to see the bottom,
where the waters of the harbor splashed
against the powders.
To-day the bay was smooth as polished
glass, save where the vessels coming in
from the sea, through the strait OPP
posite the point where l stood, left a
ripple and a line of foHm behind, like a
flaw in the crystal.
The great city lay to the left of the
strait. The burning midsummer sun,
shining from a cloudless sky, was re-
Elected by a hrmdr, d thousand chimneys
and roof tops; and the images of high
buildings, and the myriad vessels
anchored in the harbor made the enc
more like mirage than reality.
SO far above the city was my point of
observation that not a sound, not even q
mrlrmer of the hustle and noise attend
ant upon its activity reached my ears,
though through the clear atmosphere 1
could distinguish moving objects, as in
a camera obscura
From the bay. too, although many
vessels - huge ocean steamers, ferry
boats, and yachts-were moving about,
l heard only one sound: the intermina-
bic "puf -puf-puf" of little tug boat
which rapidly threaded its aimless way
among the other craft. SO monotonous,
indeed, did this sound become that [
turned my eyes from the water and
looked around at nearer objects.
To my right was a grove of naples. In
a clear space in the midst of the trees
stood white building its gable toward
me, which reminded me at first glance
of nothing else so much as of the Parthe
non as it used to be represented in the
classical dictionary. l had not no.
ticed this building before, and as I
stood and wondered a troop of gaily
dressed young people came rushing out
of the door and arranged themselves in
groups on the messy circles surrounding
the trees.
At this moment my companion, who
had Jagged behind me, came up, and
together we went toward the gay throng.
Our approach seemed unnoticed.
Scarcely had we joined the group,
"Htl, NY eyes, od" W iiSiip
and left dark thunder clouds rolling
rapidly toward the zenith. Broad flashes
of lightning played about the horizon,
while in sharper, zigzag streals, the
electric spark cut its path through the
azure directly above our heads. From
the right, low mutterings of distant
thunder were heard, and chilling wind
rising suddenly moaned among the pines
in the distance, and rustled the leaves of
the lindens under which we sat. |
glanced toward the building, and on the
steps of the door which looked out upon
the city there stood an old man, wrinkled
and bent. A faded dressing gown was
corded about his waist, his feet were
encased in embroidered slippers, and his
right hand, which bore a long oaken
staff, gnared and twisted, trembled as
the fierce blast struck him and tossed his
thin gray locks. In shrill voice he
cried: "Come in! Come in! We are
going to have a terrible storm.
Even as he spoke, and as if in corrobo-
ration of his words, the force of the wind
increased almost to a gale, and large
drops of rain began to fall, slowly and
gently at first but with increasing vigor
till the patter on the leaves was lost in
one long drawn sound, almost a roar, as
the wind drove the water through the
trees.
Meanwhile the rest of the party had
sought shelter in the building, but as |
started to follow them my eyes rested on
a sight which compelled me, involuntar-
lily, to pause. Ahead of me, beyond the
bay, beyond the city, beyond even the
waters of the ocean itself, a VEIL or
shutter, of more than inky blackness
rose perpendicularly from the horizon.
Up to the very heavens it seemed to
stretch and to both sides as far as the eye
could reach A sudden undefnable fear
came over me, and held me rooted to the
earth. My horror increased as | saw
that this horrible veil was moving
toward me, how rapidly l could not
guess; but it seemed to cover the thou
sand miles between the horizon and the
straits in barely an iota of time. AS it
drew nearer to me | saw that it had also
another motion like that of band saw
or endless chain, as if huge jack towel
of flexible blackness had been swung
over two rollers on the nethermost
bounds of the universe, and, rapidly re-
volving, was eating its way into the
very bowels of the earth; for as this
horrible engine of destruction APP
preached perceived that it was cutting
away the sea and the solid land, leaving
a smooth clean cut edge where these
before had been. at will stop, thought
/, "before it reaches the city.
But no; the dreadful Thing, like an in
satiate monster, never paused or swerved
for an instant, and chill shock coursed
through my veins as l watched first the
points of land on either side of the strait,
then the farthermost houses of the city,
and then nearer objects fade into abso-
lute nothingness
The huge machine kept steadily press
ing forward.
AS street after street of the city melted
away, the Thing approached nearer and
nearer the waters of the harbor. Tall
"plres fell and mighty buildings were
swallowed up, but, until touch by the
Thing itself, the remainder of tie city
was as firm and unchanged as ever.
The cries of the dying at i'll ervals
reached my ears, but so far DISSENT was
| that the noise sounded more like the
squeak OF a dying mouse than II it
came from the throats of multitude of
human beings
Now the bay began 10 melt away.
Ship after ship, a moment ag" riding