The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1894-09-22

the afternoon, when we struck October
weather, and as we neared . station
the conductor called out: ''Thirty
minutes for shopping"
said: "We'l need to stop and buy
warmer clothing" was beginning to
! lose the power of being surprised, SO
made no exclamation when we alighted
| upon an indoors street lined with
stores. The Inhabitants were brisk,
| and a great display of fashion.
"We've now entered the green
| isotherm," said my friend; 1.-The sum.
| mer resorts OF the upper ten In fact,
the social scale runs up and down this
building like 4 thermometer, and one
often hears the elite described as .
seventy degree family"
''At least at one end of the scale
they live on o." added.
Tho next region is a queer con-
trast," he continued, as the translator
again sped upwards. 1.-THE apartments
are inexpensive, for clouds hang con-
tinually about the windows. The COM
munity is composed almost entirely OF
poets and artists, for they love to live
in the clouds, you know
was much disappointed to see that,
as our route lay through q dark shaft,
we could see nothing of the scenery.
The room was artidcially lighted, and
only 1clC WIN horror CnaC we were
still flying upward.
aren't we almost up to heaven?'
asked, finally.
NO" lauged my friend. But this
is our last stop. We are now on the
roof Of the Arctic flats he explained
as we alighted. This is mild winter
climate"
skates and blankets were for sale, and
Christmas trees were standing every
where. There had been a light fall OF
snow, and children were coasting mer-
rily down a slanting roof; there were
even a few sleighs. 1 noticed shadows
shifting over us continually, and look
ing up 1 saw air-ships flying in every
direction.
'You will be surprised to hear said
my friend. that many never leave
these regions during their lifetime,
which accounts for the fair northern
type of tho inhabitants. have an
aunt living here whom I've never seen.
She was naturally frigid and pre-
ferred living in these flats. We call
her Aunt Arctic, and often talk of At
ting out an expedition to discover
her.
Had you any idea,'' interrupted,
"'that it was half-past ten o'clock. It's
perfectly ligl1t!''
''Oh, that's because we're so near the
stars. You'll find out that all the as
tronomers live here. They tell us that
there are indications that Mars is 1eav-
ing her orbit to avoid the smoke from
the chimneys of our high buildings.''
II don't doubt it. 1 should think on
a soft summer evening one might even
hear the music of the spheres here
you may laugh he rejoincd, ''but
queer things have happened. It's an
actual fact that after the World
building was completed one of Juri-
ter's moons deserted him aud took to
revolving around it's dome. Astrono-
mers were wild with excitement. But
one night it disappeared, having dis
covered, 1 suppose, that the World was
not exactly a heavenly body"
Just then we were attracted by a
great crowd under a lightning-rod.
''Why, you see," explained a man,
1--WE had friget last night; star got
stuck on our lightning-rod.'
You don't mean it?''
"a fact, sir. After an hour of agony
on our part, during which we played
the hose on it, it wiggled itself clear
and rolled off.
''IIow strange it all is!'' I murmured
as we walked on. I'm my geography
days I used to consider the Rocky
mountains high, but after seeing the
New York buildings I shall never
again presume to think so. under
stand now a sentence in my daughters
lesson which puzzled us both. 1t said
The New York glacier rises in the
New York Alps, takes downward
course, and empties into the West side
sewer.'''
"Oh, yes; that starts in the north
gutter Of the Iceberg flats
AS it was getting late we descended
to the summer resorts, where we had
decided to remain a time in preference
to the Arctic region; for. as my friend
said, Living was too high up there"
Caro- Lloyd, in Leslie's Weekly.