The Penn's Grove record., 1895-10-25

lOOAeu eagerly inLo lue 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 a few minutes, he re
marked:
"And to think that them things
with such beautiful tails, could do III
any harml !"
There was no response to this re
mark, save q 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 q word to each other; they
were happy in the consciousness o
their proximity.
81 don't believe a word of it-dc
your" asked Milly some minutes after
wards.
"What?"
"Oh, what Schoolmaster Marter
says about this-er-comet--that's
going to break up the earth and Kill
all the people on it and annihilate
everything. I don't believe it--dc
your"
"Boshl" remarked John emphatic.
ally. 81 think Marten is q slick fraud,
that's what he isl" he added, holding
his arm tightly round Milly's waist.
"It's awful" said Milly concernedly.
"He's been coming here every day fol
the last couple of weeks talking about
that comet, and he's dinned into papa
and mammals heads that the whole
world is comm to an end, and that We
are nigh the day of Judgment"
Rubbish" commented John.
Sand he's been talking at me, too,
the hypocrite, telling me to mend my
ways and not to be 80 giddy. AS if
am ever giddy, John!" she added il
an injured tone.
John did not reply for a second OIL
two. He seemed to he thinking.
"'Pesrs to me-" he said, after 6
while, ''that your father ought to
know by this time what kind of G
customer he's got to deal with. Has
Marten paid him back the fifty dollars
he borrowed last ChristmasP"
'cNo, not he"
"Why don'tyou tell your father moi
to take any stock in Marten?"
''1t'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' a lot of silver in the
garden"
"Whatl" interrupted John. 'The
old folks haven't been hidin' things in
the ground and let Marten know OF
itP"
eyes. He's shown them the very
place where he says the comet wont
strike, and mothers put a lot of silver
spoons in it."
"The foxl Hes been stealth
them |" exclaimed John.
Mile sprang to her feet and rar
into the garden, John following her,
She stopped near O slight mound Of
fresh clay in which two sticks were
firmly stuck and which she began tc
probe gently.
''Thank goodness, it's not touched!'
she said with a sigh of relief, evidently
satisfied with her examination. "Yor
nearly took my breath away with
fright, John. Mamma would go crazy
If she were so fooled"
"I tell you what I'll do, Milly," hi
said. "You keep a sharp watch OF
this place, and if Marten turns up to.
morrow keep him till 1 get through
work. I'll come over here, and vel
Zee whether We can't fl 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 wal
terribly excited over the event. Every
body recollected that wars, / pesti'
lenoe, famine, and other calamities
followed the previous appearance
Of a comet like this-with
Almost the identical tail. Schoolmastei
Marten talked about such uncanny
things as the ''stenary SYSTEM" tn,
rosmio law" and so on. On the day
pm which Muly and John had c~onspiret
TO font him, Marten was at the Patter
son farm holding forth As usual. H,
had brought newspaper with him, ant
read out from it impressively the an
houncemsnt that on the coming Thurs
day, precisely at 6:34 p. m, ther'
would be an entire eclipse of the sun
md the inference he left to be gathereG
trom it was that tho general breakup
= to begin at that very second.
The oldpeople set listening and blink
ng solsnnly. Milly was somswha
tzsd hsssA& ed abe Wa mighty Rla