The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-12-06

lows o. WelEKn0Wn natural law. The
sfayltati0n OF Che little planet was almost
as much less than that 0f the earfh NJ
=, s siEes ana 4 Weighed-had scales been
tIsosluea-abUHt ten pounds, more or
less. With nay muscles, il was nothing
20 Jump seventy or eighty feet, the diff
getty being to Keep on tie ground at all.
NOW, suppose y8d are wondering
AeW It was That the planet was not drawn
~ the eafth BY the great attraction OF
tne latter body. It te0E the Socialists less
tAan i've minutes to determine the reason
accurately. 1t was because OF the conn
position OF NebHla, sueh ingredients nav
ing been put together in its formation as
70 Tepei the advances OF the earth toward
a uHi0n, but Aot enough to drive the 1T
tie fellow altogether away from n
mIotherlF protection. lie had come with
Ia certain distance, beyond which he
could not pass. nv companions called
me back, as they wanted to make some
calculations, and spra1g back as easilS
as I had jumped across.
~ looking at the earth, they had dis
CoVered mat we were travelling around
tnat planet from east to. west, while It
turned over from west to east. The COM
Dlned motions in opposite directions made
our speed about two thousands miles an
nour, SO that we should circle the earth
every twelve hours. This calculation
was of the greatest Importance, since we
would have to time our departure ac-
curately in order to land where we
wanted to. If we allowed our balloon to
ascend I'd at the wrong time, it was just
as likely that we should find ourselves
over an ocean as over the land, and just
as likely over Africa as over America.
Figures We're jotted down, and we then
determined upon an exploration of our
Kingdom.
'.At this point did some figuring my
self. It seemed reasonable to me to sup
pose that, If / could jump seventy feet
with little effort, could run just so many
times faster here than I could on the
earth. And I proved it l pointed out
to the others clump of trees about a
mile away, and then, asking them to time
me, started. Ny work surprised me be-
yond expectations, for / leaped into the
air about thirty feet at each bound,
alighted easily some sixty feet beyond
on the earth, yet with an ease that gave
me not the slightest WEAKNESS. [ ran
back and found that I had made the two
miles in a fraction under three minutes!
At that rate said I, I can run
around this ball at the rate of f0fty-fve
miles an hour: and If your calculations
are correct, and it is eight miles in di-
ameter, it must be about twenty-five miles
in circumference. I can, therefore, If I
don't get winded, circle it in less taan
forty minutes, and I'm going to do it.
Two of the party volunteered to &C
company me, and off we started at a
good clip, the stop watches being out at
the word Cor None Of us seemed to
mind the exerti6n, if floating lightly in
the air can be called exertion; and we ran
along through. the forests and across the
plains with the ease and grace Of grey
hounds. For half an hour we did not
slaeken our pace; but there ap-
peared before us a deep gulley. at
the bottom Of which was stream
Here we came to a standstill The
gulch was quite fifty feet deep and
nearly hundred wide at the top; and as
far as we could see, there was no better
crossing in sight. Elated at our work.
and feeling certain we could make the
leap, we all ran at it together. Every
bound we took was better than the pre-
vious one; and when we reached the edge
of the arroyo, we sprang int the air like