The citizen., 1915-04-09

million miles of US. at the beginning
of December, the heat will be con
siderably Increased" wrote Professo
Joram. Therefore it is safe to say
that we shall never have another win
ter. We shall have a milder summer
a second summer in spring. and mex
summer will mean the beginning o
the end"
Following which he laid in his win
ter coal supply.
1t was not that the professor did
not believe in the celestial visitor
| Nothing could be more certain, as all
the astronomers agreed. than that the
earth must inevitably be consumed
But the human mind cannot quickly
adjust itself.
The crowds stood staring up at Og
nightly. They measured it; they
looked through telescopes to see the
man in Og." Meanwhile Mary Hagan
was fading swiftly. 1t was a question
whether she would live to see the end
OF all things. And her husbands des-
perate plea for a few hundred increase
was vetoed for the same reason that
had been given to Professor Joram.
He was also working overtime, be-
cause the factory vas supplying large
quantities of heavy overcoats for the
Forthcoming winter.
John. DEAR" said his wife, have
you noticed that the human mind re.
fuses to believe what the professor
says? Don't You think. dear, that
perhaps the mind of the people may
be more truly guided by instinct than
the minds of the savants? feel that
the calamity will never happen"
1T must happen" said John ''It
must There is no possible escape"
And in his heart be added; Let
Mary die before that terror comes
upon u.s."
Terror reigned unmistakably in
September The monster Og was now
three times as large as the sun, and
it was only O few thousand million
miles away. The churches were
filed. It began to be noticed that
charity was Increasing. John Hagan,
rendered desperate. applied for a raise
OF salary again. This time he got it.
He was to receive four thousand after
the first OF the year But by that
time, according to Professor Joram,
Og. which was travelling with In
creased speed. would inevitably have
detected the earth from it's orbit.
Changes in temperature may be
looked for after the New Year" said
the weather bureau. which liked to be
right, even in those days. Certainly
there would be changes.
And now panic descended on all the
world. Men went about their work in
a daZe. Long estrarged families be-
gan to be reconciled. Enemies made
up. Men wanted to die with clear
consciences.
1t was few days before Christmas
that a sudden hot wave struck the
world. The oVercoats remained un.
sold on the factory shelves. The TEN.
perature was that Of balmy summer
Nobody could understand why the
change had come about so suddenly
until on Christmas day.
Then the huge star. which had filled
several degrees OF the heavens, was
seen to have disappeared. In It's place
was red mist. like new Milky Way.
which glowed by day and night. And
the heat, instead of increasing, grad.
ually gave way to normal winter tenn.
peratures again as the mist finally
turned white and hung. a nebulous
curtain, in the heart OF the constella.
tion Hercules.
And then Professor Joram an.
nounced the truth. A miracle had
happened. such as no one could have
foreseen. The huge star had collided
with dead. dark body equally large,
that had been circling about the solar
system since the beginning of time,
unguessed at. It seemed to have
been planted there by providence for
Just such an emergency. At dis.
tance OF thousand million miles
from earth the two had collided
squarely. The shock Of the impact
had disrupted both into fine particles
of incandescent gas. The heat was
the cause OF the sudden increase OF
the earth's temperature, but, as the
particles cooled, and began to coalesce,
all that was left Of Og and its dark
enemy was the fragments of what was
to be new universe, aeons hence.
And with the knowledge that it was
saved the world went mad with Joy.
Men kissed each other upon the
streets. The prisons were opened and
all the inmates released. Wars ceased,
the rich gave back their plunder to
the state, which distributed 1t among
the nation. There were no more poor,
nor ever would be. Preachers traced
from that day the beginning of the
real world OF Joy and happiness in
which we are now fortunate enough
to live.
Il knew. dear, that 1t would be-
sobbed Mary, as John Hagan caught
her in his arms. 'It's better than