The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-04-02
CHAPTER TX.
PLATONIC LOVE. METEORIC MISCHIEF.
HAY FEVER.


LOVE. METEoRIC MISCHIEF.
HAY FEVER
The friends rested upon the hard, rough
ledge and recovered their strength and
spirits, conversing meanwhile about
their strange experience and the possi-
bilities of The future.
81 am afraid for Jack and the others"
said Alice; Il do hope they arrived at
the club house before the whitening heat
swept down the valley"
s'They started early and it is probable
they are safe," replied Chapman conf
IDENTIFY, although he had grave misglv-
ings concerning them.
s.There must be great disturbance IN
the solar system; some unusual increase
of combustion in the sun. Perhaps
comets tail, or a shooting star, has ex-
ploded like gunpowder thrown upon red
hot Goals, remarked Mary.
"Possible and probable" continued
Wendell; IL heard the dark spots upon
the suns surface have been lately in
creasing in size. and l read yesterday
that their area was two hundred thou
sand four hundred square miles.
'.They indicate more combustion with
in the suns fiery envelope, which in
creases the intensity of the earth's heat
and causes our magnetic and electrical
disturbances, - explained Mary, with the
exactness that comes from scholarship.
ooh! am so afraid! What can we do,
Doctor?" cried Alice shivering.
''Nothing at present, except to be
hopeful and courageous, my child, was
his reply, as he patted and pressed her
hand.
She smiled family, wiped few tears
from her eyes. and leaned her tired head
couuettishly against his shoulder. She
was not athletic, but tender flower
Just budding into womanhood, reared In
the luxury that wealth fosters. it was
natural she should accept the deiicate at
tentions of her physician, and show her
appreciation by gentle trustfulness. He
was much perturbed by beauty in dis
tress.
"The stream is falling rapidly; see how
much higher the shelf is and how quietly
the water flows. We can walk upon the
slippery rocks along its border now,
remarked Wendell joyfully.
''Then let us return to the mouth OF
the cave and dry our clothes, for feai
the ladies are becoming chilled" said
the doctor.
lley piCheu LuGlI olcPo SdiCIuAiy uie.
thew came near to the entrance and felt
the heated air upon them. and renamed
until their raiment and feet were DRY
and thew felt warm and comfortable.
The men made several rushes outside
and gathered sticks for fire, and re-
ported the atmosphere still very hot al
though the sun had set.
'.Thank the Lord! We can soon g
home" said Mrs. Dyer, clapping bel
hands.
''Not tonight, that's certain. Ii the
world is not burning, it is badly scorchee
and red hot, replied Wendell decidedly
t'My dear mother! How can she en-
dure this ordeai?" mourned Mary, look
ing beseechingly at him.
''ln house, especially your brick enc
she would not be so exposed, and we
must hope for the best. We all have
dear relatives to worry about, replied he
She was comforted by this sympathy
and looked her gratitude. She had con
fidence in Wendell's intelligence ant
judgment.
Tha friends wended their way back tc
the ledgy shelf where they had rested
. Wendell made fire nearby that ilumi
mated hole in the darkness; caused thu
particles of mica, felspar and quartz Ii
the rocky roof to twinkle like stars, ant
the placid pools to reflect light and thell
shadowy forms. The ladies spread nap
kins and arranged the remnants OF then
luncheon and Dyer groWled, cit is about
time we had supper; it is seven o'clock. .
Mrs. Dyer doIed out the food sparng-
~, saying, THAT is all you can have fol-
supper, children; we must save some OF
it for another DAY. Their tea was the
mountain brew that ripped at their feet,
and, when cigarettes were lighted, these
prisoners of nature forgot their terrible
plight and rejoiced that they were alive
and fairly comfortable. But they could
not Danish apprehension and the mystery
of their calamity, and sought In the
realms of natural science for its cause.
august is month of excessive heat
and humidity in the temperate zone, -
observed Mary, land conjunctions OF
planets, ecllpses, and stellar vagaries
are frequent"
Il saw many meteors last night, :"
added Wendell.
"This is the tenth of August. During
the next two days, the earth will cross
the orbit of the meteor swarm OF
Perseds. The sun is the center OF
attraction of meteors, asteroids and
planets. They revolve around it in
more or less circular orbits, which ex-
plains the annual periodicity OF star
showers.
1.-The Perseids, or meteors, which
come at this time, are from the Constel-
lation Perseus, and are in broad, elipti
cal ring that has it's outer limits beyond
the orbit of Neptune. The earth passes
through this broad band of meteors for
seven weeks and receives many of them.
of comet, which appeared in eighteen
hundred and sixty-two and has period
of one hundred and twenty years.
1.-The Leonides have velocity OF
twenty-six miles a second, and the earth
nineteen miles second in the opposite
direction. When they plunge into our
atmosphere. the friction resulting burns
them to dust and they fall upon the
earth annually by hundreds Of tons.
Therefore, the earth increases in
ID hn