The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-04-19


that ran down the steep cog road to
the city below.
He entered the bustling place just
as the sun dropping behind the west
ern peaks left the first shadows of
evening to steal swiftly across the
plain Scarcely three-quarters of an
hour had passed since Kelly of the As
sociated Press had clashed the receiv-
er into it's hook and darted for the
telegraph key, but already the howl
Ing newsboys were scampering about
with the agility of young apes as they
gathered their horde of nickels from
the shrieked prophecy Of the dire
death that was hurtling down upon
them, fighting for dropped coins as
coyotes snap and wrangle over bones,
as little mindful of the promised clash
of celestial bodies as had two knights
of the squared ring challenged each
other to pigmy mortal battle. Des-
mond, watching them. doubted not
that they would have stood daunt-
+ 1essly screeching their wares before
the onslaught Of a Jupiter, scramblfng
for the coins in the very shadow of
the approaching monster. With
/ cynical curiosity new to him he
scanned the faces of those who pur-
/ chased the news which he had sent
forth to the world, watching them as
they read the huge headlines bearing
+ his name, reading in their faces their
varied emotions-their open derision,
their incredulity, their doubt and in a
+ few cases their fear. On all sides he
heard the comments of those who had
I purchased the scare head extras.
Another high brow says moon
or something is going to drop on US
this evening. Guess I'll have to put
up my umbrella
BET you twenty to one she misses
US"
Fine bet that. If I won what good
would it do me-buried a hundred
miles deep?"
''You can't always tell Those wise
boys hit things right once in mil
lion times"
And just think, Julia If it hits US
it will break up the dance.
a scheme to sell more yellow news
papers,"
Absurd, impossible, unscientific-"
"He says it is as big as this state"
"GIad the state amt Texas, then
From a nearby corner band of Ad-
ventists began to chant to the beat
ing of a drum, seeming to glory in the
direful prospect He who repenteth
in the last hour may yet enter the
holy Kingdom Come We while yet ye
may and be saved, for the end of all
earthly things is at hand, woe, Woe"
Angry, disgusted, amused, Desmond
turned upon his heel and started for
a nearby hotel that he was accus-
toned to frequent, but had scarcely
taken half a dozen steps when
hand fell upon his arm and he looked
up to see the half-serious, half-smiling
face of his friend Alan March before
him He paused, saluting.
March slipped the professors arm
beneath his own. Come along, now,
and tell me all about it. Might as
we'll know the worst first as last" he
announced as he scanned his friends
face as closely as q physician might
! scan the features of a patient of
whose sanity he was slightly in doubt.
What was your idea in starting all
this excitement anyway-or is the re-
port canard coniured up by some
, enemy or practical joking alleged
!. friend of yours?" Desmond shook his
! head.
! mo, it is my own message, and as
you will readily appreciate, l have
! staked my reputation upon its accu-
, racy. If I am wrong will be the butt
. of the world, clown, buffoon, a
= lunatic." Despite himself he drew a
, sigh. 1t did not seem possible that
such a grotesque calamity as he had
prophesied could occur in a universe
of such perfection, God-made, where
each stupendous body of unthinkable
space lay balanced to a hair against
it's countless neighbors of hundreds of
millions, yes, hundreds of billions Of
miles away; where a perfection incon-
ceivable to man seemed to rule
through both inf1nity of time and
space And now that he had had
time to ponder over it, it seemed to
him that it must all have been a
dream, dream so vivid that he had
upon awakening mistaken ii faF real
ity Yet If he had been asleep then
he was as apt TO be asleep now, and
with his die cast he would stick TO ii
to the last and either go down to dis
grace as II false prophet, or in case
, he survived the cataclysm stand erect
and vindicated in the eyes Of all man
kind. Allan spoke again.
'Tn common with all who know yeU
I have a huge respect for your scien
tif1c attainments. your level headed
ness and your thorough integrity
Therefore l am convinced that yol
fully believe that this awful eatastrO
phe viii occur to US as you have prog
nosticated. The only element of doub
in my mind is the possibility of an
man, no matter how careful or learn
ed, to specially when dealing
with infinite distance and the mysteri
Gus laws Of space. But OF course al
we can do is wait and see how /
turns out. And that makes me thinl
ae of another matter Miss Fulton is &c
40 ing to give little lawn party tenigh
"a at their home, japanese lanterns an
all that, and I had intended TO be on
Al of the also present. Il suggests itsel
~ to me that one might as well be out +
ne the open as cooped up somewhere i
- case your mysterious wanderer a.
NJ rives, therefore / shall go as I ha
% originally planned"
l=es BY all means. In case there was
M collision anywhere hereabouts
5l. WOULD E17b bTvr Tf%@Ia np M III