River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-05-19

ried along awakening streets, it was shouted
down the froststilled ways of quiet villages
men who had read these things from the tnroo-
hing tape stood in yellow-lit doorWays shout
ing the news to the passersby. 1T is nearer.
Pretty women flushed and glitter1ng, heard
the news told jestingly between the dances and
feigned an intelligent interest they did not
4aa1 "Nearer! Indeed. How curious! How
clever people must be to find out things like
that"
Lonely tramps faring through the wintry
night murmured those words to comfort them
selves-looking skyward. ut has need to be
nearer for the nights as cold as charity.
Don't seem much warmth from II IL II 10
nearer all the same.
"What is a new star to me?" cried the
weeping woman kneelng beside her dead.
The schoolboy, rising early for his exam1-
nation work puzzled it out for himself-W1th
the great white star shining broad and bright
through the frost-dowers of his window. Cen
trifugal, centripetal," he said, with his chin on
his fist "Stop planet in its flight, rob 1t OF
it's centrifugal force, what then? CentrlpetaI
has 1t, and down 1t falls into the sun! And
this"
"Do we come in the way, wonder"
The light of that day went the way Of It's
brethren and with the later watches of the
frosty darkness rose the strange star again.
And it was now SO bright that the waxing
moon seemed but pale, yellow ghost of itself,
hanging huge in the sunset. In South Afr1-
can city great man had married and the
streets were alight to welcome his return with
his bride Gwen the skies have Illuminated"
said the fatterer Under Capricorn, two negro
lovers. daring the wild beasts and evil spirits,
for love of one another, crouched together in
cane brake where the firefies lowered "That
is our star" they whispered, and felt strangely
comforted by the sweet brilliancy OF its light
The master mathematician sat in his pr1-
vate room and pushed the papers from him.
His calculations were already finished. In a
small white phial there still remained little
Of the drug that had kept him awake and
active for four long nights. Each day, serene,
explicit and patient as ever, he had given his
lecture to his students and then had come
back at once to his momentous calculation.
His face was grave little drawn and hectic
from his drugged activity. For some time he
seemed lost in thought Then he went to the
window and the blind went up with click.
Half way up the sky, over the clustering roofs,
chimneys and steeples Of the city, hung the
star.
He looked at it as one might look into the
eve of a brave enemy "You may kill me- he
said after silence; "but can hold you-and
all the universe, for that matter-in the grip
of this little brain. l would not change. Even
now
He looked at the little phial. "There will
be no need of sleep again." he said The next
day at noon, punctual to the minute, he en-
tered his lecture theater, put his hat on the
end Of the table as his habit was, and carefully
selected a large piece of chalk. 1t joke
among his students that he could not lecture
without that piece of chalk to tumble in his
fingers and once he had been stricken to i'm
potence by their hiding his supply. He came
and looked under his gray eyebrows at the
Boo no5 cr1NIZ0
with his accustomed studied commences of
phrasing circumstances have arisen-cir-
cumstances beyond my control" he said, and
paused, (which will debar me from completing
the course I had designed. 1t would seem,
gentlemen, if 1 may put the thing clearly and
briefly, that-man has lived in vain"
The students glanced at one another Had
they heard Alright? Mad? Raised eyebrows
and grinning lips there were, but one or two
faces remained intent upon his calm, gray
fringed face cit will be interesting" he was
saying, Ito devote this morning to an exposi-
ton so far as I can make it clear to you, of
the calculations that have led me to this con-
clusion. Let us assume"
He turned toward the blackboard medita-
ting a diagram in the way that was usual to
him. "'What was that about lived In vain'?"
whispered one student to another Listen,
said the other, noddng toward the lecturer.
And presently they began to understand
That night the star rose later, for it's proper
eastward motion had carried it some way
across Leo toward Virgo and its brightness
was great that the sky became luminous
blue as it rose and every star hidden in
it's turn, save only Jupiter near the zenith,
Capella, Aldebaran, Sirius and the pointers
of the Bear. 1t was white and beautiful In
many parts of the world that night a pallid
halo encrcled it about 1t was perceptibly
larger: in the clear retroactive sky Of the trop-
les it seemed as if it were nearly a quarter
the size of the moon. The frost was still on
the ground in England, but the world as
brightly lit as if it were midsummer moonlight
One could see to read quite ordinary print by
that cold, clear light, and in the cities the
lamps burnt yellow and wan.
And everywhere the world was awake that
night, and throughout Chrstendom a somber
murmur hung in the keen air over the country
side like the bellng of bees in the heather
and this murmurous tumult grew to a clangor
in the cities. 1t was the tolling of the bells
in million belfry towers and steeples, sum-
moning the people to sleep no more, to sin no
more, but to gather in their churches and pray
And overhead, growing larger and brighter, as
the earth rolled on its way and the night
passed. rose the dazzling star.
And the streets and houses were alight In
all the cities, the shipyards glared, and what
ever roads led to high country were lit and
crowded all night long. And in all the seas
about the civilized lands ships with throbbing
engines and ships with bellying sails, crowded
with men and living creatures, were standing
out to ocean and the north. For already the
warning of the master mathematician had been
telegraphed all over the world and translated
into hundred tongues.
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