The Washington times., 1912-02-21
CHAPTER I.
Cosmo Versal.

kOSIuO NCISdl.
A N undersized, lean, wizen-faced
N man, with an immense bald
a head, as round and smooth and
shining as giant soap bubble,
and pair of beedy eyes, set close to-
gether, so that he resembled gnome OF
amazing brain capacity and prodigious
power OF concentration, sat bent over
a writing desk with huge sheet of
cardboard before him, on which he
was swiftly drawing geometrlcal and
trigonometrical figures. Compasses.
T-squares, rulers, protectors, and clip
sographs obeyed the touch of his fin
gers as If inspired with life.
The room around him was jungle
of terrestrial and celestial globes, chem
lists retorts, tubes, pipes, and all the
indescribable apparatus that modern sci
ence has Invented, and which, to the un-
Initiated, seems as incomprehenslble as
the ancient paraphernalia OF alchem-
lists and astrologers. The walls were
lined with book shelves and adorned
along the upper portions with the most
extraordinary photographs and draw
ings. Even the ceiling was covered with
charts, some representing the sky while
others we're geological and Topographic
cal pictures of the face of the earth.
Beside the drawing board lay a pad of
paper, and occasionally the little man
nervously turned to this and. grasping
long pencil, made elaborate calcula-
tions, covering the paper with a Sprink-
ling OF mathematical symbols that
looked like magnified animalculae.
While he worked under a high light
from single window placed well up
near the ceiling, his forehead contracted
into hundred wrinkles, his cheeks be-
came feverish, his piercing eyes glowed
with inner fire, and drops of perspira-
ton ran down in front of his ears. One
would have thought that he was labor
ing to save his very soul and had but
few second OF respite left.
Presently he threw down the pencil,
and with astonishing agility let himself
rapidly, but carefully, OFF the stool on
which he had been sitting. keeping the
palms of his hands on the seat beside
mis- hips until no felt his feet touch tho
floor. Then lie darted at a book shelf,
pulled down a ponderous tome. Tapped
II open In a clear space on the floor. and
dropped on his knees to consult 1t.
After turning n leaf or two Re found
what he was after, read down tho page,
keeping a finger on he lines and nav
ing finished his reading. Jumped to his
which he mounted so quickly that II
was Impossible to see how he managed
IL without an upset, lrstantlv he made
a new diagram. and then fell to figuring
cyrate so fast ;hat its upper end Vi
Lrated like the wings of dragon-fy.
At last he threw down the pencil, and.
encircling his knees with his clasp3d
arms, sank in heap on the stool. The
lids dropped over his shining eyes, and
he became buried in thought
when he reoprned LIS eyes and un-
hent his hrows his gaze happened to TIC
al fnxp
ph otographs which ran like a pictured
frieze round the upper side of the wall
OF the room. a casual observer might
have thought that the little man had
been amusing himself ny photographinS
the explosions of fireworks on Fourth
OF July night. but it was evident by his
expression that these singular pictures
had no connection with civic pyrtech-
nicS, but mist represent ComCth.nP OF n
most pronounced fatal and stupendous
import, ,.
look, I'm which wonder and fear seemed
10 be blended. With a sweep of his
hand he included the whole series OF
photographs in a comprehensive glance,
and then, setting his gaze upon a par
ticularly bizarre object In the center, he
began to speak aloud, although there
was nobody to listen to him
my God!' he said. That's 1t! That
Lick photograph OF the Lord Rosse
Nebula is it's verJ image, except that
there's no electric fire In 1t. The same
great whirl of outer spirals, and then
comes the awful central mass-and
we're going to plunge straight into II.
Then uuintrilllons OF tons of water viii
condense on the earth and cover it like
universal cloudburst. And then
goodbye to the human race-unless--
unIess.-I, Cosmo Versal, inspired by
science, can save a remnant to repeo-
pie the planet after the catastrophe.
Again for moment he closed his
ewes and puckered his hemispherical
brow. while. with drawn-up knees, he
seemed peTilously balanced on the high
stool. Several times he slowly shock
his head, and when his eyes reopened
their fire was gone and reflective
Aim covered them. He began to speak,
a musng tone:
What can do? don't believe there
Is a mountain on the face OF the globe
lofty enough to lift its head above that
Hood. Hum, hum! It's no use thinking
about mountains, The flood will be six
miles dcep-six miles from the present
sea-level; my last calculation proves II
beyond all question. And that's only n
minimum-it may be miles deeper; toI
no mortal man can tell exactly whatU
happen when the earth plunges into a
nebula like that.
! ''Weu have to float: that's the thing
I'm have to build an ark. I'll be sec:
ond Noah. I'll advise the whole World
| to build arks.
Millions might save themselves that
way, for the food is not going to last
forever. Well get through the nebula
| in a few months, and then the waters
will gradually recede and the high lands
will emerge again. But it'll be an awful
long time, though; l doubt II the earth
will ever be just as 1t was before
There won't be much room, except fol
| fsh-but there won't be many inhabl'
tants for what dry land there is"
| once more he fell into silent medi'