The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-02-02


q more defined expression Of purpose
on his face than I had ever noticed |
there before.
Whats up?' / asked him.
Don't stop me now; I must go go
east, he replied.
'''What, are you going abroad
again? Whittier bound this time?'
Bound east! Ha, ha! Bound east!
Dine at the old place tonight. I'll tell
you all about it. Yes, you shall give
my discovery to the folly stricken
victims Of Death. Till then good bye.
Bound east! Ha: hal
I made up my mind that poor old
Bony had gone stark, staring mad at
last. Iwent to the old dining place
that night, and he told me his story.
Perry he said with intense earn
estness, Ponce de Leon was fool.
They were all FOOLS There is no foun-
tain Of eternal youth. There is no
elixir Of life. ] am the discoverer Of
the loophole in Deaths armor. am
going to live forever.
81 listened in silence. [ could say
nothing.
:" LISTEN he continued. you have
heard them strike the bells aboard
ship, Ell? Two bells, three bells, four
bells, eh? Good-good! So have I.
The second day out when they struck
eight bells my watch said it was IL :25
a. m. My watch lied, eho Oh, no.
Ha! Ha! It can't. I told the first Of
ficer that his clock was wrong. He
said it was right. showed him my
watch. He laughed He laughed,
Perry, laughed. Ha! ha! hal g.
"And the old boy went of into
fit of laughter. :..s w..
I" He told me that my watch was
wrong; that we gained half an hour
a day going eastward. I Thought he
was drunk. l stole into the wheel
house. I asked the quartermaster
about it. He said the same. Perry
he said the same. More, he said, we
would gain nearly five hours on the
whole voyage. I told the quarter
master that I was sane. / went to
the captain. / said
"'Captain: we're going to gain five
hours time on this voyage, eh?''
"'Oh, yes" he said, just as If it
didn't matter, Perry.
" yes, going east, of course. If we
were to 60 all the way around the
world we'd gain a day. Going
west we lose time"
The man was an idiot! But he
told the truth. / questioned the
passengers. They all knew it. Every
one knows it. By heaven, Perry, the
whole world is mad'
"But why?' asked.
"'Man, don't you seec' he exclaim-
ed. Travel from west to east around
the world-fast-fast You gain one
day every trip-one day in about
Perhaps you live foreverH "
The three listeners bent forward in
their eagerness. Perry continued his
narrative. 3
"Well, you may be sure that I
labored to convince poor Bony that
he was deceiving himself. / endeavored
| to explain to him that the gain in
time was only apparent, and not
actual. But my arguments were use
less against what he called the inviol-
able evidence OF his watch.
"It's like the Photographic instru-
ment in the play of "The Octoroon"
the apparatus can't lie, he said.
."Then he went on to tell me that he
was about to set out on his travels to
the eastward. He meant to 90 speed
| ing around and around the world in
that direction till he had gained six
months in days. Then he would take
a short rest, after which he would set
out again. Two days later he sailed
for Liverpool by one OF the ocean
greyhounds, and I heard nothing
more of him for nearly three months.
Then I was sent to Jersey City to in
terview the president, who was to
pass through on his way to the
tatskills. While 1 was waiting for the
came in. I was walking up and down
smoking a cigarette, when 1 was near
| ly knocked off my feet by passenger
rushing madlya from the express.
turned to make some energetic re-
marks and recognized Bony Diggs.
"'Be, your pardon, Perry he
cried; don't stopme. Has the Alaska
sailed yet?'
"'No,' I answered; she doesn't &C
till 3 p. M You've two hours yet
"'Oh,' he groaned, two more hours
lost. Perry, I've had wretched luck
Missed connections in London, anc
} lost the oriental express. Had tc
wait two hours and take slow train
making a loss OF eight hours al
together. Then the Pacific mail steam
er was delayed nearly "a hours by al
accident to her machinery, and afte,
that broke down twice at sea, arriv
ing in San Francisco two days and {
half late. Instead OF gaining da.
I've lost nearly two. must max
:, two extra trips to get even. Good
bye
"With that he rushed to the ferry
and the next m orning saw the nam
; of Jerome Bonaparte Diggs anon
: those OF the Alaska's passenger list
1t was fully a year aftef that whe
b I met poor old Bony again. It was
> pitiable tale he told me hurriedly as
rode from the Grand Central dow
3 to the Cunard pier with him. H
: had not rested a minute in TIL
!, whole year. Even at night his slice
al