The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-08
SILENCEi

And there was silence. Even the lips
of the wounded men closed as the king
began to speak. The sound of his voice
seemed as far away as the stars and to
permeate all space:
"All danger is over. Tidings from
the west state that the sun is setting.
No harm has come to it. 1t will rise in
the morning, and the moon and stars
will be out in few hours. Let the dead
be removed, the wounded cared for and
everything be repaired. This is my
will.
That was all The king bowed sedate-
ly and retired from the throne, and the
circle and r. < glow faded from the
black sky The stiffness was unbroken
for a moment; then glad murmurings
were beard i'll all directions.
"They are lighting the palacer' cried
the princess. ''See! Down there is the
arcade leading to the rotunda.
II am glad 1t is over" said Thorn
dyke.
She grasped his arm and impulsively
looked into his face.
but your friend-we have forgotten
him and done nothing to save him, and
now it is too late"
"We could not help it. We had to
think Of our own safety.
II shall send for Captain Tradmos
and try to devise some other plan, she
said as they descended the stairs.
"We should not be seen together,
she added us they approached the
throncroom. Besides, you ought to go
to your chambers. No one is allowed to
be out when the dead are being re
moved.
"Where are the dead taken?"
"Over the wall, to be burned in the
internal fires" she concluded as she
was leaving him.
He found everything in order in his
rooms, and he lay down and tried to
sleep, but he was too much excited over
the happenings Of the day. Hours must
have passed when his attention was
drawn to bright light shining on tho
wall of his room. He went to window
and looked out ON the court. The lighJ
came from the rising moon.
Below lay the ruins of fallen COZ
umns, capitals. cornices and statues.
Figures in black cloaks and cowls were
removing the dead from the debris. With
futtering sound something swooped
down past his window to the ground.
1t looked like great bird, carrying the
car of flying machine. Thorndyke
watched its circular descent to the earth
and shuddered with horror as the black
figures filled the car with bodies, ald
the grewsOme machine spread its wings
and rose slowly till it was clear of the
domes and pinnacles of the palace aad
then flew away westward.
Other machines came and one after
another received their CHASTITY burdens
and departed. In short time all the
dead were removed, and hundreds of
workmen came from the palace and be-
gan repairing the fallen masonry.
Thorndyke went back to his couch
and tried to sleep, but in vain. Slowly
the hours Of night passed, and as the
purple of dawn rose in the east he
dressed himself and went up on the
roof. The moon had gone down and the
stars were fading from the sky. The
dark earth below showed no signs of
life, but as the purple light softened
into gray he saw that the streets of the
city were filled with silent, expectapt
people, all watching the eastern sky,
and as the gray light flushed into rose,
and the rose began to scintillate with
gold, they began to stir, and hum of
joyful voices was heard. The promised
day had come.