The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-04-04
A Surprise
By MARTIN BRADFORD

| am college professor and add to
my income by lectures on astronomy
One November day started to walk
from the town of A.. where | had
just given lecture. to the town of B..
where | was to give one that night.
The weather was Indian summer and
delightful. Some of the trees were late
in shedding their leaves. and the woods
were here and there still decorated
with patches of scarlet. brown and
deep green.
On emerging from cut through
which the wood ran | saw man
walking ahead Of me. don't mind
companion now and then in my walks.
so | FASTENED my pace and caught up
with him. | found him to be about
thirty years old, dressed in shabby gen
teel clothes and of an intellectual cast
of countenance | addressed him.
speaking of the beauty of the scenery,
the autumnal glow and the invigorat-
ing atmosphere. He responded appre
ciatively.
les he asked me where | was going,
and my purpose to give lecture that
night at B. on astronomy came out.
He said that he had always had a de-
sire to know something on that sub
ject and regretted that his education
had been neglected. for if it had not
been he would certainly have devoted
some time to the study of the stars.
Would l tell him something about
them?
1t occurred to me that this would be
q good opportunity to rehearse my lec-
ture. My subject was to be. 1.-THE So
lar System and. beginning with the
central orb, gave it's dimensions and
weight and then passed to the planets
in their order of distance from it, end
ing with an account of the discovery
Of the farthest. Neptune, by means
of the perturbations of Uranus then
supposed to be the most distant satel-
lite Of the sun. My companion seem
ed greatly interested in this marvel
Gus power Of man to reach out into
space and take cOgniZance of a world
invisible to the unaided eye and greed
ing expected to lecture to d popular
audience. l did not enter upon the
marvellous development of knowledge
Of the constitutional ingredients of our
system with the Interpretation of the
lines on the spectrum. In other words.
7 Tod xryi%h or ha
simplest truths known half century
ago and within the grasp of ordinary
intellects.
Now and again in his comments on
the information l gave him my COM
panion astonished me by an observa
ton indicating natural aptitude for
subject of which he was ignorant. He
wondered how the heat of the sun
could pass through realms of space in
fnitely cold without being lost. He
asked if we were sure that Neptune
was the most distant planet of our sys-
tenn. These and other points he sug
gested convinced NE that if he were
uneducated he at least possessed an
original or at least an inquiring mind
While we were conversing felt
giddiness to which | am subject and
which is always followed by disa bill
ty for either hours or days. My com
panion kindly guided me to farm
house beside the road and ministered
to my wants. l told him that was
very much troubled at the prospect of
not being able to keep my engagement
to lecture, and in order to help me out
Of the difficulty, since he was going to
B.. he offered to call on the manager of
the course and explain my unfortunate
position told him to say that past
experience had taught me that | would
not be able to lecture the same night
even if | were able to get to B.. but the
lecture might be put off till the next
evening or such time as | had recover
ed. He promised to bear my message.
but put a damper on my anticipations
by asking for small loan. ! gave him
what he asked.
In the course of a few hours l felt
so much better that made d bargain
with the farmer with whom | was
lodged to hitch up team and drive me
into 3. would reach the town too
late for the lecture. but that would
have been postponed anyway.
On driving into B.. which l reached
about half an hour after the hour set
for the lecture. was surprised to see
the hall in which it was to be given
Illuminated asked the farmer to pull
up got out and entered the hall.
To say / was astonished conveys
little idea of my condition. There on
the rostrum was the man who had
taken my message. speaking easily and
gracefully on the solar system. In
short. he was delivering my lecture
but so much more easily and graceful
" than | could have done it. so en-
riched with entertaining facts and
with so much poetic inspiration. that
sank into a back seat and listened
spellbound.
No one present had ever seen me
The man had palmed himself off for
me and was speaking for me far better
than | could have spoken for myself.