Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-10-30

looked eagerly INTO the SKY.
Old man Patterson, who stood neal
the young people, also had his face
turned upward; but there was no in
dication of glee in his voice when, af-
ter gazing for few minutes, he re.
marked:
"And to think that them things,
with such beautiful tails, could do US
any harm !"
There was no response to this re.
mark, save loud sigh from Mrs. Pat
terson, who turned round abruptly and
walked into the house, where Mr.. Pat.
terson soon followed her.
Milly and John were still standing
and gazing at the heavens. They had
not said word to each other; they
were happy in the consciousness OF
their proximity.
Il don't believe a word of lido
you?" asked Milly some minutes after
Wards.
"What?"
"Oh, what Schoolmaster Marten
says about this-er-comet-th s
going to break up the earth and kill
all the people on it and annihilate
everything. l don't believe lido
you?"
"Bosh !" remarked John emphatic
ally. 81 think Marten is slick fraud,
that's what he is ~ he added, holding
his arm tightly round Milly's waist
'1t's awful !" said Milly concernedly
'He's been coming here every day for
the last couple of weeks talking about
hot ha'o i-fD
and mammals heads that the whole
world is comm to an end, and that We
are nigh the day of iudgment!"
Rubbish !" commented John.
"And he's been talking at me, too,
the hypocrite, telling me to mend my
ways and not to be so giddy. AS if I
am ever giddy, John" she added in
an injured tone.
John did not reply for a second or
two. He seemed to be thinking.
"'Pears to me-" he said, after q
while, ''that your father ought to
know by this time what kind of 4
customer he's got to deal with. Has
Marten paid him back the fifty dollars
he borrowed last Christmas?"
''No, not he"
''Why don't you tell your father not
to take any stock in Marten?"
'It's no use, John. He's wheedled
them round completely to his side.
It's perfectly awful how he's talked
them into things about this comet.
They've been glum and mopin', and
packin' away things; and mothers
been buryin' lot of silver in the
garden"
''What" interrupted John. ''The
old folks haven't been hidin' things in
the ground and let Marten know of
it?"
eyes He's shown them the very
place where he says the comet won't
strike, and mothers put lot of silver
spoons in it.
''The foxl Hes been stealin'
them !" exclaimed John.
Millie sprang to her feet and ran
into the garden, John following her.
She stopped near a slight mound Of
fresh clay in which two sticks wera
firmly stuck and which she began to
probe gently.
"Thank goodness, it's not touched !"
she said with a sigh Of relief, evidently
satisfied with her examination. ''You
nearly took my breath away with
fright, John. Mamma would go crazy
if she were so fooled"
81 tell you what Iii dc, Milly," he
said "You keep sharp watch on
this place, and if Marten turns up to-
morrow keep him till 1 get through
work. I'll come over here, and well
lee whether We can't fix him some,
aow."
In truth it was terrible as Milly ex-
pressed it, if half the things were go.
ing to happen which Marten predicted.
The whole village of Scarborough was
terribly excited over the event. Every
body recollected that wars, pesti.
Ience, famine, and other calamities
followed tine previous appearance
Of comet like this-with
almost the identical tail. Schoolmaste1
Marten talked about such uncannJ
things as the "stellary SYSTEM" the
eosmic law" and SO on. On the day
pn which Milly and John had conspired
to rout him, Marten was at the Patter-
son farm holding forth as usual. Hd
had brought a newspaper with him, and
read out from it impressively the On!
houncement that on the coming Thurs
day. precisely at 6:34 p. M, there
would. be an entire eclipse of the sun,
md the inference he left to be gathered
from 1t was that the general breakup
vas to begin at that very second.