The Washington times., 1910-08-16
ACOLUMBUS OF SPACE
By GARRETT P. SERViS
Copyright The Frank A 11unsey CO

seer.ed TO blow dozen ways at once.
The car rolled. bObbed, tossed. and
plunged. and. despite all our efforts we
were flung upon the floor, striking
against one another. grasplng al sup
ports. out of breath, helpless with ter
rOr. all shouting at Intervals and no
I, body hearing a word in the hubbub OF
noises
Edmund abandoned all efocts TO con
troll the car, and devoted himself 20
saving Ala as much as he could
he held her IN his arms and braced
I himself IN corner where two CT the
benches running along the walls met
Even IN that terrible excitement / no
ticed a look Of confidence in her face as
she fixed her eyes upon Edmund Jack
suffered Icarfully from the shocks ne
received, and L did my best to AID him
once I caught Edmund S eve, ana ne
glanced meaningly upward. which
took Tor an intimatiOn that our car
was stu rising and that he looked for
out there were certainly times WheA
we plunged downward with Iearlui
speed, for we would be almost lifted
from the floor by the inertia
This dreadful scene may nave lasted
an hour. or IL may have lasted not
more than twenty minute, but It seem
co endless The change came with
great suddenness-
one moment we were rolling and
pitching as usual, and the neNt-it
: was an over
seemed 70 nave DetA hfh
dead. II vas SO absolutely motlOniesS
At the same instant the bowling or
the wind passed away in d dying
scream Ny ears rang stil with the
echo and ] was too dizzy TO stand
straight
In a few moments it became evident
that the motioulessness Of the car was
only apparent We were SttH rlslnS-
Edmund gently placed Ala on a bench
and went 10 the controllers. AFTER
turning p couple Of knobs he faced
about with a cheering smile
/ we are out Of it, he said There
I Is no more danger TIE only thing
there WIS TO 90 was to keep on rising
/ We are ROW above the deEser part Of
the atmosphere and the cyclones are
7 W81rEiUE far beneath Us ] VIII bring
the car to rest, and II ] aH not mis-
taken YOU VIII look down upon a
scene that you will not soon forget
/ 81 cannot open the alright glass
shutters ne continued, because 1t
/ the elevation where We row are the
and her friends-Dut BY inclininE the
! car a little 70 one side we can have a
good view
There was an arrangement Of NOV
able weights sliding upon bars 10
produce an inclination toward one
side or the other. and IL a Few min
utes Edmund nad the car. which was
now practically at rest, 50 canteu
that one Of the large windows afford
I &C "a view almost directly downward.
{ The spectacle beneath drove the
. the moment from the minds OF all
The sun was shining brilliantly over
head, and Its light fell upon . rag
{ Ing sea Of clouds, which. except AT
I their edges where they were torn into
flying scUd, looked as dense as white
molten metal
a hundred tornadoes appeared 20 be
d WhlzZlnE AZ once all turning IN the
( same direction with sickeuing velocity.
and where these whiriWinGS came to-
( ge-her, their peripEeries moving op-
. Q. arra- NJ -H
. UUZZSlWS had met, each blowing the
{ ether TO pieces and whiriing the frag-
: TleuJs round in the widest confusion.
z The play OF lightning was fierce and
8 irceszart. bJ.* when we were in the
Z midst Of II Il had passed Unncticed. the
/ thunder being blended with the roar Of
+ Good heavens"' cried Jack. holding
& himself painfully erect at the window.
/ Did we come through that?"
/ Indeed we did. replied Edmund
( and don't mind saying that I
( shouldn't ike TO venture such trip
/ again
but what does it all mean?' I asked
/ Its meaning Is clear enough In
! penetrating toward the torrid circle,
! where the uusetting sun Is forever In
. the zenith, we have entered the zone
. OF -s-pssrs that surrounds Il The heat
81 air is always rising above The area
{ iuClCsed in the central circle and flowing
Z on above on all sides
/ Colder air r1shes in below 70 take
Z its place and At q certain distance from
/ the center, which we have reached, the
: coGrcudi0g currents come together with
the results that you see
Ala. who had resumed all of her usual
IszIf-commsld. was one of the most
eager OF the watchers Of this spectacle.
{ md Edmund and she couuuued togerh-
I ~ FOR q long time. pointing out and dis
ial5ssiug the marvellous features Of the
/ scene
At last asked Edmund
What d. you mean to do next co
No he replied. At least, we'u not
so back the way we came Having got
10 far 7 think Vel CiTcIsnnaviEate the
riauet and take g bird's-eye look at IL
Jack seems 10 be getting along pretty
well, and by Keeping near the upper
/ INIT Of the atmosphere We can travel
so East that the whole trip VIII not OC-
cupv more than tveoty-fouT hours
/ That's it." cried Jack That suits
me exactly To go back the way we
/ came would look as If We had been
beaten
The talk Of go.ag back set my mind
once more on the dangers that We're
probably gathering for US at the capt
tai. and I could not refrain from say
iuz quietly TO Edmund
You know you ought 10 get back as
soon as possible, for / am sure there
are plots Matching that may have ter
rtbIe consequences. Remember that the
teazIe-beak on the ak throne IS
against Us. and our absence with Ala
leaves him a free field Ingra, too. is at
But Edmund only smiled at my
( gloomy forebodings-
You borrow TOO mich trouble" he
But neither he. in his buoyant Opt
TniSn. nor /, with my half-defned sUs-
uIciOns. fOTesaW what was coming
The Confirmation of This story VIII
BE Found in TOmOrrOT's
Issue OF The Times.