The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-02-27

CHAPTER 1I-Panlo prevails every
where. The satellite barely misses the
earth. The atmospheric disturbance
Knocks people unconscious. but does no
Continued from Fridays Daily.)
CHAPTER E,
The Prophecy.
J Professor Desmond, astronomer In
charge OF the Peak Observatory.
glanced into the refectoscope-that
wonderful new instrument for scan
hing the heavens-then withdrew bis
eys from 1t and stroked the polished
glass gently with a piece Of chamois
pkin. Then he peered again. Just
above the eastern horizon he saw a
speck so minute that layman would
pot have noticed 1t at all, yet which
caused the scientist to blink and gri-
mace. for he knew that in all reason
the speck should not be there, and it,
presence on the glass irritated his
professional eye az though it had
been particle Of foreign matter on
bis own iris instead. For q moment
he watched it with a face that second
by second grew tenser and more
erawn. then springing to his feet he
swung the secondary telescope upon
It. On either side Of him and rising
to within a few hundred feet Of the
nhaaruotorv uoro tho oroo%c ~ oAAo~
peaks, towering, ragged, swimming in
the thin air more than a dozen thou.
sand feet above the level of the sea,
while below was dizzy sweep Of can.
von and gorge that at last smoothed
themselves out to the plain upon
which stood the city in the very
shadow of the mountains. Tense as
, man stretched upon a rack he
peered through the telescope across
the million miles of space that inter-
Vened between his eye and the speck,
and as he did so the sweat began to
burst from his temples in tiny beads.
For several minutes he looked, turned
from the glass to the Kaleidoscope
again and then began a series of rap
id computations, finished them, swung
to the long distance telephone and
damned his thumb upon the button
labeled Washington" A moment
later he was talking to the head de.
partment direct, his voice calm and
lncisive.
. Hello, Washington! This you,
Headmann? This is Desmond of the
Peak. There is something coming di.
rectly fof Us from Gue east anu rust
above my mountain horizon. I have
been observing it for some moments
both In the Kaleidoscope and glass
and have made my computations. Ito
speed Is tremendous, it's size small
! would say perhaps q quarter of the
moons. 1t is not a fragment, but
rather a complete body, and to all
appearances Is small satellite with
circumference of say a thousand
miles. How Is your eastern weather?
Thick! Then you probably will not be
able to get look at 1t. 1t is about
million miles away at present and is
coming at the rate OF perhaps two
hundred thousand miles an hour IN.
Jess l am greatly In error 1t will
Strike the earth somewhere in this
region In about five hours-say about
nine o'clock tonight. OF course you
understand what that may mean. I
have nothing more to say at present."
he hung up the receiver without
awaiting a reply, sat thought en-.
crossed for moment, then put his
hnger upon another button.
Hello, Associated Press! This is
Desmond Of the Peak Observatory. A
short while ago I happened to notice
2 foreign body In the Kaleidoscope
that seemed to be approaching us
Prom comparatively near distance
10 space distances 90. ! Immediately
put the telescope upon 1t. At that
time. which was but few minutes
ago. 1t was perhaps q million miles
away and appeared to be a small sat.
elite. lts speed IL tremendous
cometlike-its size perhaps three
hundred miles In diameter and thou.
sand miles around. I am not prepared
pit this moment to hazard an opinion
Rs to its density other than 1t is I'M.
poubtedly solid. Furthermore. in all
probability it Is going to HIT US some.
where In this region within q few
hours. leave the information up 10
you to use or not az you see It," From
the other end of tho wire came the
tncredulous voice Of Kelly, the man
pf the press.
Come now, Professor, that's rood.
It would make fine scare head, but
you don't want u to put you on rec.
brd aa saying that. doyou" The
listeners brow corrugated.
"Have I been in the habit Of send
Ing out false reportsl'' he demanded
SHARPLY, and at the tone Of his voice
Kelly ceased his silent chuckle.
No, you never gave VI anything
before that was not-pardon me-en.
tirely plausible. And of course we all
know and appreciate your high pro-
fesaioual standing. But this thing n