Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-09

railway communication or the place, DRAIN
ed Flinders swamp. improved the soil of
One Tree hill and cured the Wears wart.
And they were going to see what could
be done with the injured pier at South
won't be the same place tomorrow How
surprised and thankful every one will BET"
And just at that moment the church clock
struck 3.
II say" said Mr.. Fotheringay, that's
O'Clock, I must be getting back. I've got
| to be at business by s. And besides, Mrs.
Wimms--'
Were only beginning" said Mr.. May
dig, full of the sweetness of unlimited pow
er. Were only beginning. Think of all
the good we're doing. When people
wake
But" said Mr.. Fotheringay.
Mr.. Maydig gripped his arm suddenly.
His eyes were bright and wild. MY dear
chap" he said, there's no hurry. Look"
he pointed to the moon at the zenith
"Joshua?'' said Mr. Fotheringay.
Joshua said Mr.. Maydig. why not?
Stop it,
Mr.. Fotheringay looked at the moon.
That's bit tall" he said after pause.
why not?" said Mr.. Maydig. ''Of course
1t doesn't stop. You stop the rotation of
the earth, you know. Time stops. 1t isn't
IL were doing harm
HIM" said Mr.. Fotheringay. well"
He sighed. '1ll try. Here"
He buttoned up his Jacket and addressed
himself t. the habitable globe, with as good
ar assumption of confidence as lay in his
power. Jest stop rotating, will your
said Mr.. Fotherirgay
IncontinentIy he vas flying head over
heels through the air at the rate of doz-
ems OF miles minute In spite OF the IN
Vulnerable circles he was describing per
second he though t; for thought is wonder
fCl-sometimes as sluggish as flowing
pitch. sometimes as instantaneous as light.
He thought in a second anG willed. Let
me come down safe and sound. Whatever
else happens, let me down safe and sound.
He wilied it only just in time, for his
clothes, heated by his rapid fight through
the air, were already beginning to SINCE.
He came down with a forcible but by no
means injurious bump in what appeared to
be mound of fresh-turned earth. A large
mass of metal and masonry, eXtraordtnar-
lily like the clock tower in the middle of the
market square, hit the earth near him.
richochetted over him and flew into stone
work, bricks ana masonry, like bursting
be NIB. A hurting cow hit one of the larger
blocks and smashed like egg. There
was crash that made all the most violent
crashes of his past life seem like the sound
of falling dust, and this was followed by
descending series of lesser crashes. A vas1
wind roared throughout earth and heaven,
so that he could scarcely lift his head to
lcck. For while he was too GREATNESS
and astoniSned even to see where ne was
OR what had happened. And his first move
nent was to feel his head and reassure
himself that his streaming hair was still
his own.
Lord gasped Mr.. Fotheringay. scarce
able to speak for the gale I've had a
squeak! What's gone wrong? Storms and
thunder And only minute ago a fine
night. It's Maydig set me on to this sort
of thing. What wind! If / go on fooling
in this way I'm bound to have thunder
Ing accident.
where's Maydig?
What COMPOUNDED mess everything's
in!'
He looked about him so far as his flap
ping jacket would permit. The appearance
OF things was really extremely strange.
1.-The sky's all right, anyhow" said MIR.
Fotheringay. And that's about all that is
all right. And even there it looks like
terrific gala coming up. But there's the
Bright as midday. But as for the rest
Where's thu village? Where's-where's ev-
erything? And what on earth set this wind
a-bowng? l didn't order no wind"
Mr.. Fotheringay struggled to get to his
feet in vain. and after one failure remained
on all tours, holding on. He surveyed the
moonlit world to leeward. with the tails of
his jacket streaming over his head
There's something seriously wrong SAD
Mr.. Fotheringay. And what it is-good-
ness knows
Far and wide nothing was visible in the
white glare through the haze of dust that
drove before a screaming gale but tumbled
II asses of earth and heaps OF tnchoate
ruins, no trees, no houses, no familiar
shapes, only a wilderness of disorder, van
ishing al last into the darkness beneath the
Whirung columns ana StreamerS, the llSll-
rings and thunderings of a swiftly rising
storm. Near him IN the ivid glare was
something that might cLce nave been an
elm tree, a smashed mass of splinters,
shivered from boughs to base, and further
a twisted mass of iron girders-only too
evidently the viaduct-rose out Of the piled
confusion.
You see, when Mr.. Fotheringay had ar
rested the rotation of the solid globe, he
had made no stipulation concerning the
trif1ing movableS upon its surface. And the
earth spins SO fast that the surface at its
equator is travelling at rather more than
1000 miles hour, and in these latitudes
at more than half that pace So that the
village and Mr.. Maydig and Mr.. Fotherin-
gay and everybody and everything had
been jerked violently forward at about nine
miles pei second-that is to say, much
more violently than if they had been fired
out of cannon. And every human being,
every living creature every house and
every tree-all the world as we know it
had been so jerked and smashed and ut
terly destroyed. That was all.
These things Mr. Fotheringay did not, OF
course, fully appreciate. But he perceived
that his miracle had miscarried, and with
that a great disgust of miracles came upon
him. He was in darkness now, for the
clouds had swept together and blotted out
his momentary glimpse of the moon, and
the air was full of fitful struggling tor
tured wraiths of hail. A great roaring of
wind and waters filled earth and sky, and
peering under his hand through the dust
and sleet to windward. he saw by the play
of the lightnfngs vast wall of water pour
ing toward him.
"Maydig" screamed Mr.. Fotheringay's
feeble voice amid the elemental uproar.
"Here!-Maydig!"
Stop cried Mr.. Fotheringay to the ad-
varcng water. oh for goodness sake,
stop!'
Jest a moment" said Mr.. Fotheringay
10 the hghtnings and thunder. Stop Jest
moment while collect my thoughts
And now what shall 1 do?" he said.
What shall 1 do? Lord! 1 wish Maydig
was about
Il know" said Mr.. Fotheringay. "And
Tor goodness sake let's have it right this
TINA ~
He remained on all fours leaning against
the wind, very intent to have everything
right.
All he said. Let nothing of what
I'm going to order happen until say orr
beforew - '-"'
He lifted his little voice against the whirl-
wind, shouting louder and louder in the
vain desire to hear himself speak Now
then-here goes! Mind about that what l
said just now. In the first place, when all
I've got to say Is done, let me lose nv
miraculous lat