Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-01-17
THE END OF THE WORLD
BY WILLIAM HAMILTON OSBORNE
Copyright. 1906. by Joseph B. Bowles.)

ab1Slh A. DVM A1S-t
l staggered on until I reached Won
Minden's house. he had got there
before me.
won Mindenl" I cried, beating
the door frantically.
He came out, and l started back In
surprise. Won Minden it was, but he
was completely encased, from tho
waist up, in a metal cylinder that
surrounded his body. 1t was full Of
holes and emitted a white vapor that
almost completely enveloped him.
He laughed. "Steam!" he cried.
Its the only thing-the only anti
dote for the madness. Waltz" He
opened a small valve, and out came
a flood of steam. Instantly the blood
left my brain. For the first time
in hours l felt like a rational being.
Then he produced another portable
generator and attached it to my per-
son.
I'VE must go, Anson," he explained,
Gin the cause of humanity"
We then proceeded to the two
leading newspaper Offices and dictated
notices for their bulletins, directing
everybody to keep their windows
shut, to keep indoors, and to keep
their kettles steaming. Won Minden
and myself as we went through the
streets, cried: Steam! Steam!" to
all whom we met.
The sun rose the next morning-as
red a Jul as last nights moon had
been-and wherever shone the sun
that day, it shone down upon ruin and
disaster. The whole world woke to
find itself gone mad.
The next day every state in the
union was clamoring for one man
Won Minden-the federal government
most of all. A special session Of
congress was called. Committees had
experimental with Won Minden's
steam generators. They sent for me-
chanics and engineers from every
state, and called Won Minden in. In
side of 48 hours Won Minden's ap-
paratus was being manufactured and
distributed all over the country.
In a week, however, the officials
and Won Minden with ~them-began to
wake up to the fact that, while steam
was the great remedy, it was a rem.
edy that the masses didn't want. TO
them madness was i~ntoxication-
they preferred it to sanity.
1t was independence day, July 4th,
that the crisis came. On that day,
from every town and city in the
United States, by Encouragement,
men by thousands and tens of thou
sands, started out, mad as they were,
yet with semblance of order, bound
for n common destination.
They were bound for Washington.
They had become anarchists. They
had determined to wipe out the
United States government-the presi-
dent, congress, and every depart.
ment.
On July Is, that fateful day, I
stood with Won Minden on top of the
| w ~ooniuStOu llOuulIGuL.
The mob had surrounded the city.
The entire government had left it,
and was speeding west by separate
routes.
At a preconcerted signal the mob
entered. Nothing could have kept
them out, and no attempt was made
to do so. Won Minden sat at my
side with his finger on a button. He
was ready at al instant's notice to
loose upon the mass of humanity pow
erful jets of steam that would either
kill or cure. For awhile there was
no disorder. The great army entered,
rank upon rank, and filled every
street and every park. They were
there to destroy, but to destroy when
the time came. Suddenly we heard
Misunderstanding was wrong.
Then a wild yell of rage, growing
stronger as the time went on, burst
from the threats of a million men.
They had been thwarted.
AT that moment Won Minden pressed
the button. | looked out. Nothing
happened. Something was wrong.
Look, look!" I cried. Below"
1t is quite unnecessary for me to
describe it. The mass of citizens be.
low, in its frenzy and disappointment.
had become Observation-Disclosures had
become wild of rage, they threw
themselves, not upon the city, not
against the public buildings, but upon
one another. All day long that fierce
battle ragged within the streets of
the city.
Won Minden covered his eyes with
his hands. my God" he moaned.
We threw ourselves upon the floor,
nauseated at the sight-a sight of
which the world had never seen the
like. Then suddenly the madness
seized on us. "The end of the world"
cried Won Minden, leaping to his feet.
The blood surged into my head.
"Hurrah!" l exclaimed in a delirium
of frenzy. "The end of the world!
Let us die now!"
We laughed again in unison, and
muttered incoherent things.
Then with a wild fling of head and
arms he slung himself away from the
parapet and into the space beyond,
Baths Limited.