Connecticut western news., 1891-01-28
THE END OF THE WORLD.

Yankee Blade THE END OF THE WORLD.
 I stood on a high cliff. Twenty feet before me perpendicular wall of rock went down, down, veritable dumping of place." till it seemed one would have to look twice to see the bottom, where the waters of the harbor splashed against the powders.
 Today the bay was smooth as polished glass, save where the vessels coming in from the sea through the strait opposite the point where stood left ripple and line of foam behind, like flaw in the crystal.
 The great city lay to the left of the strait. The burning midsummer sun, shining from a cloudless sky, was reflect ed by hundred thousand chimneys and roof tops, and the images of the high buildings and the myriad vessels an- chored in the harbor made the scene more like 8 mirage than reality.
 So far above the city was my point of observation that not sound, not even murmur of the hustle and noise attend ant upon its activity, reached my ears, though through the clear atmosphere I could distinguish moving objects as in camera obscura.
 From the bay, too, although many vessels-huge ocean steamers. ferryboats and yachts-were moving about, heard only one sound, the interminable "puf- puf-puf' of a little tugboat which rapid ly 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 grove of naples. In 8 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 Par thenon as it used to be represented in the classical dictionary. had not noticed this building before. and as I stood and wondered troop of gayly 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 to- gether we went toward the gay throng. Our approach seemed unnoticed.
 Scarcely had we joined the group, when, raising my eyes, I saw to right and left dark thunder clouds rolling rapidly toward the zenith. Broad flashes of lightning played about the horizon, while in sharper, zigzag streaks the electric spark cut its path through the azure directly above our heads. Fron: 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 indens under which we sat. l 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 en- cased in embroidered slippers, and his right hand, which bore a long oaken staff, gnarled and twisted, trembled as the fierce blast struck him and tossed his thin gray locks. In shrin voice he cried: "Come in. Come in! We are going to have terrible storm"
 Even as he spoke, and as if in corrob- oration of his words, the force of the wind increased almost to gale, and large drops of rain began to fall, slowly vigor till the batter on the leaves was lost in one long drawn sound, almost roar, as the wind drove the water through the trees.
 Meanwhile the rest of the party had sought shelter in the building, but as l started to follow them my eyes rested on a sight which compelled me involun- tarily to pause. Ahead of me, beyond the bay, beyond the city, beyond even the waters of the ocean itself, veil, ur 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.
 me and held me rooted to the earth. My horror increased as I saw that this horrible veil was moving toward me, how rapidly could not guess, but it seemed to cover the thousand miles be- tween the horizon and the straits in barely an iota of time. AS it drew nearer to me saw that it had also another mo- tion, like that of 8 band saw or an end less chain, as if a huge jack towel of flexible blackness had been swung over two rollers on the nethermost bounds of the universe, and rapidly revolving was eating it's way deep into the very bowels of the earth, for as this horrible engine of destruction approached l perceived that it was cutting away the sea and the solid land, leaving 8 smooth, clean cut edge where these before had been. "It will stop," thought I, "before it reaches the city"
 : But no; the dreadful Thing, like an insatiate monster, never paused or swerved for an instant, and chill shock coursed through my veins as watched first the points of land on either side of the strait, then the furthermost houses of the city, and then nearer objects fade into absolute nothingness.
 The huge machine kept steadily press ing forward.
 3 As street after street of the sity melted away the Thing approached nearer and nearer the waters of the harbor Tall spires fell and mighty buildings were swallowed up, but until touched by the Thing itself the remainder of the city was as firm and unchanged as ever. The cries of the dying at intervals reached my ears, but so far distant was that i the noise sounded moro like the squeak of dying mouse than as if it came from i the throats of multitude of human be-