The National tribune., 1900-02-15
ject. there was no question as to the period

ject, there was no question as to the period
of its occurrence.
But now, whether they belonged to ths
might have beens 'or "goin' to be Wheth
er they constituted "a Jackpot flIll' or q
dead hand" no one could testify, Capt
navigator, had so timed his announce.
ment that it struck exactly amidsiips
| on The 1S0th meridian. and consequently
One-half the vessel was in yesterday and
the other half in tomorrow, to-day being
practically squeezed out of consideration,
and il can readily be seen towhat peculiar
and unusual straits this would neces-
sarily put passengers attempting to tray
erSe the gangwayS and decks.
| Previously there were some quite defl-
mite ideas as to the order of events on ship
board. When the keys of the bathrooms
at could not be found in the morning it
was regarded as tOlcrably certain as to
who would first find them and secure the
first dip; when the card-players were seen
leaving the dining-room every one knew
that they had been driven out because the
dinner hour was approaching; when the
colored buglerS sounded what were said to
be calls" it had come TO be quite generally
believed, despite of the indications, that
no designs on human life were really in
tended; and some of us had even come
to comprehend the regularity and myS-
terry of the ships bells.
But now all this had changed, and not
only were the individual passengers thus
put "al at sea" and humiliated personally.
but the entire outside world was thrown
into confusion.
Previous to this announcement we had
been accustomed to regard our friends in
Washington and New York as rising
somewhat earlier, taking their several
meals, performing their accustomed duties,
and retiring some hours previously to our
.IlHnarl
the cogs of time not only was our temporal
support throw out of balance, but the situ-
alton of all our friends consistently thought
of hitherto as belonging 10 the morning,
were thus suddenly pitched headlong into
tomorrow.
This may explain why the cabin boy of
Capt Cook, the navigator, met his tragic
fate at this very spot; instead Of being
slain by his master. as the story goes, he
may have gotten tangled up as to his
whereabouts and attempted to escape-to
run amuck' with time and jump back
from the future into the past. 1t may
account for the fact also why Il dozen or
more honest soldiers on our ship ECiTg so
violently wrought upon by the action of
time, broke Out all Of u sudden with measles
and had to be placed in the hospital. And
il may suggest tho reason why there arc
so few signs Of mgTirr life encountered
here the tinny TRIES being unable 10 make
liit LOT Il Stilt
OF this meridian. There could lie no s;ltiS-
faction to Il hungry shark when peacefully
pursuing the agile mackcref or flying
fish with view TO quiet meal, TO he un-
expcctedly changed back into yesterday
or thrown violently forward into tomorrow.
Nor could awhale coming on 10 this lire
who should find himself abruptly divided
into past and future. feel entirely salts
fled with himself personally. or prove
satisfactory to others. A whale with a
past is bad enough. though this rarity in
most cases has been already converted
into oil, corsetS. and other useful articles;
but i whale who also has Il future is too
suggestive of .IOn;hs host or a modern
trust company to be entirely agreeable.
Of course. Capt. Grant cxplaired that
changing the day is mere couvcntiorality
necessary to prevent our having more days
than the rest of the world; that as the he
ginning of the day or sunrise differs at
each meridian on the earth so it is ncces-
Sary to fix on some meridian where the
days Of the world may be said to begin and
end; and for both physical and mathemati-
cal reasons this meridian is 1SG' T.. and W.
of Greenwich.
But the paSsengerS-so of them at
least, who are studying Spanish, and
have reached the stage of knowing that
Gaer means yesterday, and munana to-
morrow, when such explanations are
are still observed tomutter in strange
as they look at each other with
kind of vacant expression: "MdndnG o.
cger, "A yer o mdnnnd. H. G. KIRK.