The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1900-11-29
lady, and said she wouIu never forget
to keep Rob supplied with those yalus
able cards.-Christian Register.
A Glimpse of Saturn.

In st. Nicholas Irene Brown de-
scribes an afternoon ascent of Mt.
Hamilton, and a midnight drive from
the Lick observatory back to San
Jose, after a peep through the great
Lick telescope.
Exactly at noon, in the land Of the
yellow poppy, one Saturday in June,
several grown people and a little
brown-faced, brown-haired, brown
eyed girl sat down to lunch In a big
hotel in the city of San Jose, Cali
fornia.
Even from San Jose could be seen
the white dome of the observatory to
which they were bound % miles dis
tant by the road, but only Is in q
straight line. 1t was like bit Of
snow on the very top Of Mount Hamil-
ton. The upward journey seemed
dangerous enough, but the thought Of
plunging down, at night, with four
horses, around those curves, where the
least mistake of driver or horse would
mean death, made the timid little wom-
an exclaim, "My kingdom for tent"
There were no accommodations on the
mountaintop for tourists, and all stag
es returned by night.
Isabel was too young to understand
much about astronomical apparatus,
so she was glad when all went out to
see the sun set. From an elevation Of
over 1000 fet they saw the blue and
hazy Santa Clara Valley.
AS Isabel stood with one foot on
stone curb which seemed to. prevent
ones sliding down the mountain-side,
she screamed aloud in fright, as the:
great sun suddenly appeared to be
coming swiftly toward her. Even her
father could scarcely persuade her
that it was only an illusion. Soon the
sun looked wider from right to left
than from top to bottom, then a notch
was seen in the lower part, then the
bottom fattened out, then 1t took the
form of a mushroom.
The sun sank rapidly into the fog
overhanging the Pacific; but Isabel
and her father stood watching the CLAW
on the distant hills until the shadows
of the valley had crept to their feet
on the mountain-top. People now be-
gan to 60 upstairs into the great dome.
They passed to the left and took their
places In order, as they came up, out
side railing.
The immense steel dome was opened,
and Isabel was surprised to see the
great telescope, whose lens is 36 inch n
In diameter, moved with su,
ease. AS soon as it was dark enough
groups of people passed through the
railing to the, movable floor. This was
lowered once in a while, that OBJ
servers mlghf be in position to use the
telescope as it was moved to keep the
planet in range.
Isabel whispered to herfather, Don't
you think we ought to be patientr"
YES" he replied; these people have
come a long distance for moments
glimpse of Saturn through this great
telescope" Finally, it was IsabePs
turn to look through the "four-inch
finder" as smaller telescope Is called.
The kind professor lifted her in his
arms and held her at just the right
height. She knew that Saturn, like
the earth, was a planet revolving
around the sun. When she looked
through the small telescope, Saturn
did not seem round, butelliptical. That
was because she saw him and his
rings as one mass.
But through the great telescope, Sat
urn, with his bright rings around him,
looked much as she had seen him in
a picture.
The professor seemed to think it
worth while to explain things to q
little girl, and kindly said: THE dis
tance through Saturn is about 72,00O'
miles, or nine times the distance
through the earth. Can you see three
rings. These rings are neither solid,
liquid, nor gaseous. We think that
they are composed of millions Of little
moons"
"Millions" exclaimed the astonished
Isebel, who had always thought one
moon lovely.
"These rings" he went on, "are
about 100 miles thick, and when the
edge of the rings gets towards us, we
cannot see it at a distance Of so many
millions Of miles. So, sometimes, we
cannot see Saturn's rings; but now the
rings are tilted, so that we see them
clearly. Now, can you see the large
moons? Saturn has eight, and think,
if you look q moment, you can see six"
At first Isabel could see but four
moons which she had not noticed.
"I think l have seen enough, and I
thank you ever so much" she said,
for many people were waiting.
By half-past 10 they were again
packed in the stage. San Jose, with
its electric lights, 1000 feet beneath
them, and % miles away, seemed like
a fairy city twinkling in the distance.