St. Landry democrat., 1891-07-11
THE END OF THE EARTH.
A TERRIBLE PICTURE BY A
FRENCH ASTRONOMER.
Am Imaginary Picture Of the End OF 'ne
World. When the Heat Shall be All
Conc and Universal Night
Shall Set In.

Tn consequence OF the nature OF the
coil, and because of the scarcity OF
r,iy;s, of snow, and of clouds III that
rcrior, tho great African desert that
extends south of the Sahara had re-
manned one of the least cold zones OF
the globe, says Camille Flammarlon
in the Contemporary Review, and
warm current blowing from that desert
on Nubia and Arabia, to return to the
equator by Ceylon, had for long time
left q part of Egypt free from the IN
vasion of ice and snow. Following
the indicated direction, the last human
couple lowered above tho regions
formerly watered by the Nile, hence
forth frozen. They perceived from
affair the great pyramid. ruined but
still standing.
The first monument OF humanity,
this testimony to the antiquity OF
civilization was still standing. Its
georaetric stability had saved It, 1t
wa, perhaps the only human idea that
had attained its ond. Created by
Chcops to eternally protect his royal
mummy, this tomb had survived the
revolutions which had destroyed every
thing else The last man came to
join tho first king and shelter himself
beneath his shroud.
But the wind OF the tempest was
blowing again. A fine. powdery snow
wns spreading over the immense desert
Lot us stop hero and rest" said
Eva '.since wo are condemned to
death; and, besides who has not been!
| wish to die in peace in thine own
arms"
Thov looked for q cavity among the
ruins and seated themselves beside
each other, contemplating the endless
space covered with powdery snow.
Tho young woman crouched lever
ishly, holding her husband In her
arms, trying to struggle with her
energy against the invasion of the cold
that penetrated her. He had drawn
her to his heart and warmed her with
his kisses. But the wind and the
the tempest had resumed their sway,
and tue fine snow beat in clouds around
the pyramid.
INV beloved" he resumed, ave
are the last inhabitants OF the earth,
tho last survivors of so many genera
lions. What remains OF all the glorles,
of all the countries, of all the works OF
the human mind, of all the sciences, OF
all the arts, of all the Inventions? The
entire globe is at this moment only
tomb covered with snow"
Yes" she said, IL have heard OF
the beauties who reigned over the
hearts of kings and shone like admiral
stars in the history of humanity.
Love. beauty, all must end. l love
YOU, and die Oh! how [ would have
loved that dear treasure, the one who
will never live But no, we must not
die, must we? No! Come,
am no longer cold. Let us walk"
Her feet, already, frozen and be-
numbed, had become inert She tried
to rise and fell back.
II seem to be sleepy" she said
''Oh let us sleep"
And, throwing her arms around
Omegar, she pressed her lips to his.
The Young man lifted her beautiful
form and laid her on his knees. She
was already asleep.
Il love you," he said again. Sleep,
I shall watch over you"
Then his fixed gaze, shining with
last light lost itself in a search for the
unknown in the desolate gray sky and
in the silent and endless plain. No
sound came to trouble the death OF ma
ture; the snow wind alone moaned
around the pyramid and seemed to wish
to awaken the old Pharaoh sleeping
in its depths for so many million years.
Suddenly the noise of footsteps and
means was heard, lost in the distance.
Was it some lethargic awakening in
tho interior of the monument? Was
it heavy bird, thrown by the tempest
against the dismantled stepsy Was it
some polar bear come with the snow?
The noise ceased. A joyful cry
sounded and with one bound a dog,
broken by fatigue jumped on the
sleeping couple.
1t was Omegar's dog that had looked
for him (how?), and found him in spite
of the distance, the solitude, and the
snow.
He called his master and mistress,
licked their face and hands and COW
cred them with his body to warm them.
But they did not awake.
And the snow continued to fall in o
fine powder onto the entire surface of
the earth.
And the earth continued to turn On
it's axis night and day, and to float
through the immensely of space.
And the sun continued to shine, but
with reddish and barren light But
long afterward it became entirely ex-
tinguished, and the dark terrestrial
cemetery continued to revolve in the
night around the enormous invisible
black ball.
And the stars continued to scintillate
Ia the immensely of the heavens.
And the infinite universe continued
to exist with its billions Of suns and
it's billions of living or extinct planets.
And in all the worlds peopled with
the joys of life, and love, continued to
bloom beneath the smiling glance Of
the Eternal.