Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-12-14
IRE YOUNGEST PLANET, AyD low lie
BECAME A COMET.

You'll get lost there!" shrieked
Mars, getting relder than ever with
wrath.
eyes; and you'll catch cold." shouted
Jupiter auxiously,
"Oh let him go if he wants to; who
carcsf' lseret Earth.
"Ohl don't go, pleaded Venus; SIT
w!ll be s. much nicer 10 stay here with
u- q keep safe in sight OF Mother
sun
Little Mercury, the planet next to
the Youngest, sail nothing, but one or
two tears siZzled down his warm cheeks
nc the thought of all the dreadful
things that would surely happen to hls
euluresome playmate out beyond a
safe elIptical orbit.
The youngest Planet didn't care a
LailstUue for what some OF his brothers
and sisters said; they were always tell
u- him 10 rotate more rapidly or TO
incline less on his axis or to make bet
ter time in his revolutions, and he was
really quite happy at the thought of
rolling away from all their tire8ome
SOU 4bDlng; but when his dear sister
Venus begged him to stay, and when
be heard Nercury's tears, he faltered.
DO yOu think that it is dangerous
ont there?' asked he of Venus.
"Oh. I'm sure OF it." she cried.
"Out among all those strange suns and
stars and spacesl How do You know
thele e's single respectable planet sys-
TEN among them? And then, what will
Won do so far away from Mother SunY
louN be cold and dark, and"
1
cause Pm so warm myself" answered
the Youngest. You know [ am,
Neuu--I never need half so many
clouds over me at night as you do
and that Comet that was here only last
century said"
"Ah! that's it." remarked Saturn
sarCasucally, that's it. Tins silly
little sphere has been turned giddy,
Planets, hv the wild tales of that
vagabOnd Comet. Perhaps he would
ike to become q Comet Fancy! the
Youngest Plant proposes to become a
Com tn' And Saturn laughed-a dis
agreeable laugh.
Didn't you tell me yourself that
the Comet was really ono of our own
system, only that he had been aw Y 50
long that We Younger ones couldn't re-
member him? And if ne could roll
out into space and could keep growing
warmer and brighter and could come
back again, why cannot 1?'
"What the Young globe needs is a
good black eclipse" growled big Jupi-
ter; ''and if l were Mother sun, ne
shouldn't have a SIGHT of my face for
MANY day after this"
Hes always been wIlful and IN.
manageable" said earth, ever since
he was little mite of molten Auy-
thing he wouldn't revolve soberlv and
elliptlcally like the rest of us. No: lie
would veer way off, first in one dIrc5-
ton aud then In the other, and Mother
Sun had all she could do to keep him
in his proper orbit. I say. let him go;
he'll never amount to any sort oi
planet with his vagrant notions, Be-
sides, he has no density to speak of,
and what do we weighty, sensible
bodies want with such himsy sluH IL
our system, anyhow
THIS angered the Youngest.
'Now, 1 shall CO." he sad bittor.
go, dearP' sobbed Venus, and agair
was heard the sizzling Of Mercury's
tears.
Mother doesn't tell mo whether tc
go or stav," said the Youngest, once
more waveriug, though his heart still
leapt toward the unknown-the bound
less blne highways where be lOnged tC
speed farther and faster than could be
dreamed Of in these dull, narrow
sllipses.
Then spoke the mother voice-tht
dear presence that had klndled and
warmed the restless little spark into
breathing and being; but the word:
came slowly aud without Joy:
"My faith is with thee, my bravest.
1t was but the young and untriec
strength thst once held back. Let i
be as thy heart bids, and shall trust
to that bidding to sometime bring thee
back to my loving shelter;" and the
Mother sun drew soft bit OF clouo
over her face as there came the mem
ory of another restless planet-chlld
who, long ago, had hkwise venturej
forth into the unknown, and, as She
we'll knew, never to return, for, in hi
stead, the slow centuries had brouIh
circling back a brilliant change
ling.
"Then I'm gong" cried the Young
est rapturously, hearing only the co l.
sent, and guessing nothing OF tue
uother-sa mess. '1f mother says
may, it must be all right. Good-by
venus,-good-by, Mercury"
"Good-by, good by" Venus and
Mercury called sorrowfully after him.
and "Good-by, good-by," came IL
chorus from the nursery Of Asteroi s
"We'n have peace now, shouted
"de does rotate well, ," said Earth
looking after her youngest brother
with satisfied smile. "Tralning will
tell"
"If yon're really going" cried big
JUPITER, ''give my love TO Neptune
haven't been near HIM for ages.
81 suppose. you'll be back before
long" sneered Saturn.
Not until Pm Comet answered
the Youngest Planet bravely, at which
Saturn snapped out something IN re
turu; the Youngest, flying even tastei
tn Il sharp words, could only be sure
that it was spite.ul.
Presently he whizzed by another
brother, one who lived SO far of that,
except unsoclable Saturn, the most o.
them only knew him by name
Uranus,
"Good-by," cried the Youngest tC
this str neer, who, from pure wonder
rent, nearly stopped short in his rota'
"Whatl Youf the Youngest Planet
SSno' pray. what may you be doing sI
SE away from the SUM-"
gong 10 be 3 Comet" toatec