The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-07-31
A COLUMBUS OF SPACE By eAR9E5IR ?: szRvlzs


! height. sweeping around and over Us
[ IKE eagles Others ianked US en- either
SIDE, and timed their DrogrCss with ours
sui others, probably hundred in num-
Z Der advanced to meet Us IN a greaJ
~eali-clrcie. where each kept its place
with the precision OF marching soldiers.
suddenly At signal apparently. the
ar was hlled with fiuJJering colors- To
Z lnIS day nave never been able 10 IN
9efsIand how that effect was produced
Inc cOlors were not On or IN the air
SIIpS only. but in the atmosphere ali
( tboHJ They were exquisite beyond all
I description
Il was as if the air had suddenly
( turned 20 crystal with a thousand rain
pCWS PLAYING through 10, their arches
constantly shifting and lnterchangfuZ.
Presently from the craft that carried rs
answering shafts Of color were shot out
I Then ] began 70 notice that there was
a rerndrkable rhythm IN the swift
changes.
] do not know how 10 describe the
I impression better than by saying that
10 was as II piano or organ should
send forth from its keys harmonic
VloEatlons consisting not OF concordant
SOUNDS but Of even more delicateIy re-
. lated waves OF color The permutations
ana combinations OF the chrouaric
/ Sc@le We're marvellous. The shades OF
. color seemed infinite in their variety
ana the effect was magical II thrilled
US with awe and wonder
That Is a language" cried Edmund.
m AAeS are conVeTsing in this way.
1ney nave the whole gamuJ Of the spec
. tTum OF light at their command. and
every varying shade speaks TO them as
Enusical notes do to US. only the mean
ing conveyed 10 their minds Is as ded-
hlle as that OF spoken words
jeCted-
1t is perfectly possible he replied
II simply shows how far they exceed
US N the delicaCy of their ,ar,.o,re -
ganizatiOn."
Soon we were all convinced that Ed
IHund was right, and that We were look
liS upon display Of aerial teIegraphy
more wonderful than that OF Marconi
after a while the fluttering coIors
ceased 70 play The communication was
evidently ended for the time being. Most
OF the alrships now turned and circled
toward the land, escoUtinE US
BUT hair a dozen continued 70 ap-
proacn- and in few minutes one OF
mem which had got very near. and
Wnlch was moving at great speed. sud
denly turned directly upon Us ex-
pecJed 10 see II come 10 rest. but Il kept
i2ess.Flns down with undiminished We
BY heavens" said Jack. that fellow
IS going TO run US down.
There was no doubt Of it. on came
ne pQnderous vessel. its nrow aimed
straight for us. and a Ions projecting
ptam threatening 10 rake our little yes
@tt IKE the tongue Of a runaway IRE
fl4r
ct5 cement among our people
Ala gave an order, and a quick at
Tempt was made 70 alter our course
Put Il was TOO late Ala had advances
near tie bow, and the projecting beam
seeTueT about TO strike her
We turned pale with excitement, and
my he=-rt quailed.
tai, handsome fellow stood nea-
the prov Of the approaching craft anG
seemed 20 be making terrible efforts TO
manage some machinery
Blank the fOOl-' said Edmund. "ViH
ne never get out Of the way?-'
An instant more and q cracking re-
port broke upon the air Edmund had
nred MS automatic rife
The effect was amazing The PROV OF
tne approaching airship swerved in
SJdnlT 70 one size, the threatening
beam grazed the shrinking form OF Ala
ana she narrowly escaped being thrown
N flesh, and the craft that had seem
Cd certain 70 run Us down shot harm
iessiy past our quarter
For few minutes none Of US could
sTeah- we could hardly think. so i'm
minent had been the peril and so in
STA ntaneOuS the deliVeranCe from II AZ
last found voice
Edmund 7 said how in heavens
name did YOU do it2''
He vas as pale as the rest Of US. but
MS Self-COmmand was perfect To nv
dsJoutshment there was a tone Of deeD
regret IN his voice as he replied.
Have I come here only to kiII7 Look.
I have slain another innocent crea-
spoken Of had dropped at the shot at
the very instant when his craft swerv-
Cd from its course
Il had 10 do it" Edmund continued.
get out of the way
What do you mean BY thatZ-
cannot you understand he began
with a little Impotence. and then add
q
about Il. / knew from nv exanlfna-
ton Of the machinery OF this craft.
ulaI Ine only way 10 prevent a col
llSton was 70 burst a large safety "a I've
which was directly behind that fellow
mat would cause the airship 10 lose
way and SWerVe from its course He
ought 10 have managed Il himself but
ne vas TOO stupid or too excited There
was nothing for me TO do but TO sand
& snot through him into the MACHINERY
heaven knows I had 20 DO IL or she
would have been killed. and all Of Us
would PROBABLY have gone to the bot
50 intense had been the excitement
ana rear among our companions on ac-
COUNT OF the impending collision that
the report Of EdTnund's shot did not
produce the effect that It would other
wise nave had But as II echoed m
rom the sea and reverberated in the
sky the other airShips hurried IN great
alarm toward Us. and soon we were the
center OF nuttering crowd which iii
ed the atmosphere like a multitude of
butterflies scared up from a roadside
puddle.
Then the prismatic language broke
forth again, and the air for a while was
IKE craZy-qUilt whipping in the wind
When everything had quieted again
there came great surprise for US It
was IN some respects the most dis
heaTtenIng episode that had vet oc-
CURED
Edmund. as you will have understood
from what have just related, had I'M
queStlOnably saved Ala, and prOba bIv All
the rsSts from instant destruction. In
doing So he had killed a man-for these
people can only be spoken Of as men
and women, generally superior in uhvsi- |
cal beauty 70 those of the earth But We
thought that It would have been evil
dent TO everybody that his act was i'm
posed by the necessity Of the sftuatfo
Yet instead Of thanking him. they
made MIN prisoner on the spot
The thing was done so quickly and so
unexpectedly that there was no chance
10 interfere And before we knew it. /
Jack. Henry. and I were SPRAYING on
the floor Of the airship, each borne down