The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1898-08-25


stir and alertness characterized the
scene. The gaze Of every inhabitant
was fixed ON the threatening horizon.
Rapidly the scenes shifted at the kings
will, till 100 cities, towns and villages
had been reviewed.
s'Enonghl They are all ready-all
faithful, ~ ;groaned the king, "and, Or.
nethelo, they may all have to perish to.
day, and all for our ambition. Poo,
mortalsi7
Ornethelo's face was half submerged
in the beard on his breast, but he look.
ed up suddenly and spoke:
"For their sakes, then, we ought not
to delay. There may yet be hope. .
"You are right, Ornethelo." There
was a ringsof hope in the voice of the
king. "Qnick! Show me my capitol,
that I may see if all the protectors are
ready"
Ornethelo touched another button,
and, as if seen from great height, the
fair and wondrous city dawned before
the eyes of the spectators. In every
street policemen and protectors and fly
ing machinesstood in orderly readiness.
The house tops were colored with the
variegated costumes of men, women
and children. Over all lay the wondrous
sunlight, through the green splendor of
which the flakes of SCOT were falling like
black snow.
The king touched the old mans arm.
81 must see beyond the walls. Are the
connections made?"
'sReady, sir."
''Try them. They must not fail me
now" .
The old man tremblingly unlocked a
cabinet on the table, and another row
of electric buttons was displayed. Orne-
thelo touched one. Immediately there
was a sharp clicking sound under the
stand, and the view was swept from the
mirror. Nothing could be seen but IL
dark suggestion of towering cliffs and
yawniug caverns.
"Not the east, Ornethelo!" cried the
king impatiently. "Go on; the west,
the westp'
The black landscape flashed by like a
glimpse Of night from flying train,
and then a blur Of redly illuminated
smoke in rolling pillows seemed to
swell out from the surface Of the mirror
into the room.
''There, slow!' cried the king, and
then a frightful scene burst upon their
sight. They beheld great belching pit
of fire and flames. Tie sky from the
earth to the zenith was a vast expanse
of illuminated smoke, and the black
landscape round about was cut by riyu-
let's of molten lava rolling on and on
like restless streams Of quicksilver.
The king leaned against the stand as
if faint with despair. "Call Prince
Arthur" he ordered, and almost at that
instant the young man appeared.
"Father!'' <.....
The king pointed a quivering finger
at the mirror and said huskily:
'Let net the sun go down. Let it's
light be white as at noon.n
''But, father, it has never been done
before. IT, u
"Alpha has never faced such danger.
All our dream is about to end. Co."
Without word the young man has
tened away, and it seemed scarcely
before the sunlight streaming
in at the oval glass roof changed from
green to white.
The king pushed Ornethelo inpatient
ly aside. His eyes held a dull CLEAN of
despair, and he seemed to have grown
ten years older. He touched a button,
and the awful scene at the pit gave
place to bright view of the capitol,
which was plainly seen from it's crowd
ed center to its scattering suburbs. The
squads Of protectors stood like ar
mics ready for battle, their rigid faces
still toward the awful west.
"They are ready-the signall" yelled
the king, waving his hand. "The sig
nalv' Ornethelo caught his breath sud-
denly and tottered as he went across the
room and touched buttca ON the wall.
The kings eyes We're glued on the mir
rored viaw OF the capitol, bis trembling
hands held out, as If commanding 81
lence. Then deafening trumpet blast
broke on the ear. The masses of citi-
zens pressed near the edges of the roofs
and close against the walls along the
streets as the protectors rushed into the
flying machines. Another trumpet
blast. and away they few, long black
line, every instant growing smaller as
it receded in the murky distance.
The princess, white and silent, led
Thorndyke and Johnston back to the
balcony.
The line of machines was now mere
thread in the sky. but the nminons
cloud in the west had increased, anc
fine sand and ashes were added to Tx
fall of SCOT.
what was that?'' gasped the prin
cess. 1t was a low rumble like distan,
thunder, and the balcony shook.
can earthquake, said Thorndyke
81 am really afraid there is not a ghos,
Of a chance for US. The water running
into the fire is sure TO canse All eruption
- n ~