The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-14

3 4stl,4.sft IA
I'd uoiean.e outbreaks cyclones, waves, foods
'ea steady rise in temperature to know not what
liHljt'-so prophesed the master mathematician
And overhead TO carry out his words lonely ana
cold and itvid, blazed tine star Of the coming DOOM
To many stared at 1t that night until their eyes
ached II seemed that 1t visibiy approaching And
night too. the weather changed. and the frost
that had sripped all Central Europe and France and
England softened towards thaw.
But you must not lima CINE because have spoken
of people praying through the night and people going
aboard ships and people aecns towards mountainous
country that the whole world already in terror
OF the star As matter of fact use and wont
still ruled the world for the talk of idle
ents ana the splendor of the night. nine human be-
ings of stil busy at their occupa
In all the cities the shops here and
there. opened and closed at their proper hours the
doctor and the undertaken pls~S their trades and
gathered in the factories. soldiers drilled.
scholars studied lovers sought another. thieves
lursed and fed politicians planned their schemes. The
presses OF the roared through the nights
and priest OF this church and that would not
open holy building to further what he considered
foolish panic.
The newspapers insisted the lesson of the year
soeefor then, people had anticipated the end The
star was star--mere gas--a comet; and were 1t
could possibly strike the earth. There
precedent for such thing Common sense
sturdy everywhere sgornfu estng little inclined to
prosecute obdurate fearful That night at 715 by
Greenwich time the star would be at its nearest to
Jupiter Then the world would things
would take. The master mathemateian's grim warn
ings treated by much mere elaborate
sei-advertsement Common sense at last little heat
going to bed So too harearsm and savagery. already
tired OF the novelty went about their nightly business
and for bowling dog here and there the beast
world left the star unheeded.
And yet when at last the watchers in the European
the star RISE hour later 1t Is true. but
no larger than had night before
still plenty awake to laugh at the master mathematt
cian--to take the danger as IL it had passed.
But hereafter the laughter ceased The star grew
IT grew with terrible steadiness hour after hour,
little larger each hour. little nearer the midnight
zenith and brighter and brighter until it had
night into second day. Had it come straight to the
earth instead OF in curved path had 1t lost yeloc
ity Jupiter Is ieapt intervening gulf
In day; but as It it took five days altogether
by our planet. The next night 1t had become
third the size of the before 1t set to English
eyes, and the thaw assured
II rose America the size of the moon. but
binding white to look at and hot and breath OF hot
wind blew rising and gathering strength,
virginia and Brazil and down the ST. Lawrence
valley 1t shona internationally through driving reek
of thunder clouds pickering violet lightning. and hail
unprecedented In Manitoba were thaw and dexaa-
tating foods And all the mountains of the earth
the and ice began melt that night and all tho
rivers coming out of high country flowed thick and
turbidr and saonin their upper reaches-wth swirl
ing trees and tho bodies OF beasts and They
steadily. steadily in the ghostiy brilance
triekling their banks at last, behind the
dying population of their valleys.
And along the coast OF Argentina and UP the South
udes higher than they had been
In the memory Of man. drove the waters
many cases OF miles inland, drowning whole
And great grew the heat during the night
that the rising Of the like the coming OF
shadow. The earthquakes began and grew until all
down America from the arctic circle to Cape Horn
hisldes sliding. assures were opening, and
houses and walls crumbing to destruction. The whole
side cotopaxi slipped out in vast CONFUSION.
a tunult of lava poured out high and broad
swift and liquid that In day 1t reached the
So the star with the wan moon in its wake marched
the Pacific trailed the thunder storms like the
hem OF robe, and the growing tdA that toiied
behind IT. frothinx and eager. poured island and
island and swept them clear Of Until that
last--in binding Hight and with the breath
of furnace. swift and terrible T. came--a wall OF
water fifty feet high, roaring hungry. the long
OF ASIA and swept inland the plains of
China For space the star. hotter and larger
and brighter than the In its strength. showed
pitiess briiiiance the wide and popuous country;
and villages with their pagodas and trees, roads
wide cultivated Aeias, millions OF steepfess people
staring helpless at the incandescen sky:
then, and growing came the murmur OF the dood.
And thus 1t was with millions OF that night--a
flight nowhither. with limbs heavy with heat and
and scant and the flood like ~.l swift
and white behind. And then death.
China lit glowing white. but over Japan and
Java Islands OF eastern Asia the
was bail OF dun red IRE because OF the and
smoke and the volcanoes spouting forth
salute its coming, Above were the lava hot gases,
ana ash below the seethinG foods and the whole
earth swayed ard rumbied with the earthquake