Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-05-24
Mr.. Strangers Seeded Pocket,
Or, A Voyage to the Planet Mars,

BY HUGH MACCOLL.

red and green maillots came walking in.
| Some came into the room where we
were, while 1 heard others walking up
| stairs to the room above us. Of those
that came into the room where we were,
| some sat down at the various tables and
began eating and drinking, while others
went and fetched each basket from the
WALL as my friend had done, and after
| filling it with cake and red LIQUID walked
out again. All stared hard at me, and
some smiled and nodded; while three or
four came and shook hands Offering
their left, first with my friend and then
! with me, at the same time addressing us
both in a language which of course
nodded my thanks for their kindness,
and also said few words in English,
| just to show that / would willingly com
municate my thoughts, feelings, and his
tory to them if only knew how.
On leaving, my friend bowed to the old
| gentleman who worked the queer-look-
ing machine in the corner, and / fol-
lowed, his example; but he was too busy
TO notice us, so we passed out.
,On our way home /, of course, excited
the same curiosity as before. On our
arrival my friend opened the doors of his
own house, just as he had done those of
the refreshment hall, by pressure of
his finger upon particular spot which
made them slide back into the wall; and
he reshut them after us in a similar man
ner.
/ followed him into a room where we
found the mother and her two sons sit
ting at table waiting for us; but to
my great regret the daughter was alb
sent. There were five embty goblets on
the table, one for each of us, and a knife.
My host, after placing on the table the
contents of his basket, sat down on one
of the chairs placed ready for us, and
made sign to me to take possession of
the other, which I did,
My host and his family set to with a
will and ate heartily, but as 1 had al
ready satisfied my hunger in the refresh
ment hall l ate and drank very little.
Durlng the repast a continual flow of
conversation was kept up, of which a
good deal, mingled with smiles and va
rlous signs of amity was addressed to
myself. My host made me understand
that glaten was the name of the cake
which we ate, that doichen was the red
liquid which we drank, that glat meant
eat, and that doich meant drink. He
also told me the Marsian for hand. foot
nose, head, table, chair and many other
things
When we had finished my host con-
Quoted me to room where there was
couch, to which he pointed, as a sign
that L should now repose myself. Then
he left me. Stretched upon this couch.
| unused upon the J various strange
things which l had seen in the course of
the morning. But / did not muse long
Whether it was the glaten which | had
eaten or the doichen which / had drunk
or the fatigue and excitement Of the last
four hours, [ know not; but certain it is
that in few minutes I was fast asleep
VXyQl 10 fn1s
When l did wake / found the room
filled with beautiful rosy-colored light.
which, from my experience of the even
ing before, l recognized at once as the
peculiar light shed over all things on this
planet just before sunset. went to the
window and pressed a dark spot in the
wall to the right, as l had seen my host
10, Whereupon it opened by sliding back
into the wall, as all che doors and win
dows seem to do here. The sight which
met my eyes as l looked out was lovely
in the extreme. The whole town was
bathed in this rosy light, which was es-
pecially beautiful where it reflected in
glittering beams from the numerous win
dows. 1t was evidently a common sight
here, for the people as they walked to
| and fro in the streets seemed to take no
notice of it,
While [ was admiring the spectacle I
felt touch upon my shoulder, and,
turning round, saw that my host had
come in. On his making signs to me to
come with him / followed him into the
room in which we had before break
tasted. The table was again spread for
meal, and, sitting at it, and waiting
Tor us, We're my hosts wife and family,
including this time, [ was glad to find,
his daughter Beautiful as she had
seemed to me before, seen in the rosy
| c0lored light which now filled the apart
ment she seemed more beautiful still
The father made some remark, which,
from the laughter which followed it, I
concluded to be some joke upon the pre-
vious misunderstanding. His daughter
smiled and blushed, but said nothing
Like the rest, however, she ate heartily
and took her share in the animated con-
versation which enlivened the meal.
Both the father and mother addressed
| themselves occasionally to me, and gave
me my second lesson in the Marsian
language. [ did my best to pronounce
correctly the various words and phrases
which they taught me, but my at
the daughter frequently joined. The
sound of her merry laughter was so
| pleasant that to provoke it | would have
pronounced badly on purpose had there
| been need, but there was not; with all
my efforts l could not pronounce their
language as they pronounced it.
| Gradually, while we were still at table,
! the rosy light grew DINNER and DINNER,
heralding the rapid approach of night.
When the dimness had reached such a
point that we could hardly see each
| others faces the father rose from the
table and feft the room. He had not
been gone minute when a sudden blaze
of light filled the room, and, looking up,
| saw that it proceeded from a globe
| suspended from the ceiling just over the
table at which we sat- The light was al
| most like that of day, but how it had
been produced I could not tell
When he came back we all rose from
| the table and went to the window,
which the father opened. While we
We're standing there l heard a noise like
that of a drum in the distance, similar
| to that which l had heard in the morn
ing. Two or three minutes after, the
dim twilight in the town was suddenly
| scattered by the simultaneous blaze of
several hundred globes, which lined
! both sides of the street over the door,
and of many more which shone from the
| four corners of the housetOps, and which