The Raymer enterprise., 1914-02-26
Copyrights. 1o1a. by Harry Irving er.sns>
liner, from creeping Jungle streams to

liner, from creeping Jungle streams TO
roaring glacial torrents, from desert
city to forest town In a score of DIFF
ferent languages news urchins wildly
shrieked or softly lisped their lex
tras," in many cases the first and last
edition extraordinary the populace
ever heard of during their lives. The
earth had been brushed by another
celestial body which had passed 1t so
closely that its roar had deafened and
ifs breath overwhelmed even to the
death scores of human beings way up
on the back bone of the North Ameri-
can continent. Buildings had been
crushed like trampled eggs, trees torn
up by their roots as dentists pull
teeth from their sockets, while dust
whisked from the visitor as by a
mammoth broom had fallen and car
peted large section Of the earth
with coverlet as thick and soft as
feather bed. The earth had shud-
dered like horse lashed with a whip,
tidal waves had run riot and total
annihilation had only been prevented
by mere chance. good luck, miscalcu-
lation, Divine mercy, or as one Italian
paper naively put 1t, "by the foresight
and prompt action of Signor Desmond,
the discoverer." Not telegraph, tel
ephone, cable or wireless upon the
world hut hu,,ad o,d or, o1,iod ,,,tth
the tremendous news, and every OBJ
servatory in the world where the at
mosphere was clear or the view un-
obstructed had Its great telescope
trained like hostile cannon upon the
supposed path Of the departed body.
Yet not trace of, 1t did they find, and
more astonishing still, the microreHec-
toscope did not register 1t. Where It
had gone was as great mystery as
from whence it had come. and all the
wise savants of the long tubes could
do was wag their heads and form
their own opinions. Some came bold
ly forth with explanations closely CO.
inciding with Professor Desmond's.
Others held Numerically opposite
opinions, while still others-and per.
haps these gentlemen were the wisest
of all-withdrew themselves clam.
like into their shells OF reserve and
refused to be cajoled forth by the
most tempting Of batteries or the most
exasperatlng Of proddings. But great
day as 1t was for the press and the
wire, it was still greater for certain
of the Adventists. To them the fail
ure o. the world to be destroyed was
but atemporary encouragement, fully
Offset by the certainty that the first
small body had been but herald to
warn the earth OF the larger and close
following one which was to destroy
1t. Great day. also, 1t was for the
dead and injured. for their names
We're blazoned in great type the world
around; In fact 1t was a great day fol
almost everybody.
And then close following the first
announcement of the passing OF the
worlds In the night came a second
scarcely less startling or spectacular
The earth had at large upon 1t new
and marvellous being, in fact former
inhabitant of the other sphere who
mad been blown off, fallen of, jumped
off or In some other manner dislodget
from his native habitat. and who wa.
now stalking abroad in the land of the
free seeking whom he might devour
He was seven feet tall, reddish
brown in color. monkeyish of limb.
and had pinions that spread oyel
thirty feet. He had been seen by al
least a dozen reputable (?l citizens
some of whom had fought duel will
him in which he had escaped aftel
being severely wounded This caused
great roar of laughter especially
In foreign countries, and the newspa
pers of the world treated the story
according to their national character
istics. The British press treated 4
with cold sarcasm and deep regret a
the yellow journalism OF the Ameri
can newspapers, the French will
shrieks of derision, the Latins will
insolent abuse and the Germans will
utter contempt. The Yankees were
out Yankeeing themselves, they wer,
making themselves ridiculous, thel
were comedians unapproachabIe, the,
were contemplate braggarts. or the!
were great dunnerheads, according t.
the nationality of the sheet tina
printed the item. Instantly the car
toonists came into their own and fo
a day the world was theirs. The Fly
ing Man was depicted In every con
ceivable shape that their vivid imag
nations could conceive. He looked
like an eagle, crow, rooster, {
crane, bat, demon, an angel
Learned judges cracked ponderoul
jokes at his expense, the ministry
used him to point moral and adorn |
tale, mothers employed him as bug
aboo to frighten their children ant
the Congressional clown pretended t
try and get law passed whereby tn,
Government should provide him fire.,
transportation back to his own land