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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1913)
THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. ii K, K: n ! M ) is 1 M I 'J SYNOPSIS. Professor Desmond of (lie Peak observa tory causes a groat Herniation throughout 1hp country by unnrvuric-lng that what np )ar to bo n Hruelllte Is iipproncliliiK nt leillflp speed. Destruction of the eurth In ft mud. CHAPTER II Continued. "No, MIsb Fulton, nothlnK more than I huvo already announced." Silence had fallon at his appoiiranco, abrupt and almost bruuthlesa, n Bllenco that cnrno bo suddenly that It left mouths open ami half uttered words lingering ujjon lips, but alrendy tho spoil wub rapidly dissipating nnd a dozen longuofi trembling In their eagerness. Thon llio Htorm of questions broke. From every Bldo and all at once camo oxclnmatlons, grcotlngs and Bwlft In quiries as tho guculs camo pressing cngorly foiward upon him, but Doris Imperiously waving them back silenced them until sho had formally presented lilm to those presoht whom ho hud not heretofore met. That ovor, howovor. tho vocal outburst camo nguln In quos ttous thick and fast, some serious nnd filled with thought, some frivolous, nomo nonsonslcul, yet each tinged with tho peculiar intonation of highly strung nerves, for dcsplto their doubts rest lessness was strong upon them. For a moment ho, trlod to answer them serially. "And Is thorn really no bono for us, professor no hopo at all of oscnplng your sky dragon?" "Yes, madnm. Always where there Is llfo there Hhould bo hopo." "I understand that you havo stated that this strango wunderor Is about I ho dlamotor of this utato, and uppears to bo ti body comploto in Itself rather lhau a giant fragment torn from nomo inasB. Now how do you explain " "I bog your pardon, sir. I mako no attempt to oxpluln." "You said It wns apparently coming from out of tho contor of spaco. I had alwnyo thought that wo wero in lha exact center of spaco." "And so wo aro, madam. So, also. Is ovorywhoro olso." "And you havo no consolation what ever to offer us?" "Yes. If ono must dlo I think it prefornblo to pcrlah in a collision of worldB rather than by u microbe." "And you aro certain It will annihi late us destroy us this very ovenlug." I can only hopo that my fears are wrong and that you will perish by the microbo aftor all." Ho raised IiIb hand nppenllngly. "Ladles nnd gentlemen, plcaso grant tno inorcy. At present I havo nothing to say that you havo not already heard. And if you will only bo pa tient a few hours! For If I ntn correct nnd wo aro standing upon tho vorgo of eternity, what nmtturs an attempted explanation nt thiB llmo? And If 1 nm wrong and wo escupo, tomorrow will certainly havo Us tnlo to unfold " Ho Btoppod backward a paco, bowing, and Judge Fulton taking him by the nrxn turned upon his guests. "If you will pardon tho professor and myself for n fow moments whllo I show hlin nbout tho pluce. It Is his first visit hero, you know." Dosplto -'7i Alan Glanced Aside. their protests thut Desmond belonged to thorn tho elder pnlr wundorud away together nmong tho trees, loavlng tho others in llttlo clusters to resume their speculations or onco more take up tholr lighter tulk and rostless wan ilerlugs. For tho second time that evening Alnn found hlmBolf temporarily ulane with his hoBtoss. Sho was drcusod In jmre whlto March's fnvorlto color up on nor a quaint holrloom of uncer tain history tjpon her boBom Hor eyes wore full of seriousness, hor fair hkla ovon it trifle fairer than usual as bo thought, and hor mouth swoetly WnwMiQjL 7 sun iBii9ll Hb'1 n mWrmm vWm JM "kXX Barbara ojftKe'Sliottfci ;CA im::,s- t"-J m-?-- Jof"0? vy- 55 P25- opijrljUi , 1912, by Harry Irving GreoJto '" - gravo. For whllo Doris wob beyond all question worried nnd anxious thorn was no fear In her volco, look or man nor. "And what do you sny nbout It all this marvelous forecast?" sho smiled aB they paused. March lovod hor, sho know It and sometimes took a wom an's advantage of a lovor'B devotion 'You huvo ulwnys pretondod to tno thut you wero'so oxcosslvoly Intelli gent, you know. I shnll not bo satis fled until ou havo settled tho whole matter one wuy or tho other." He shook his head helplessly. "I can say what I think, which 1b this I have great rospect for Professor Desmond's ability and judgment, yet all mankind is full of error and fnlso reasoning. Therefore, In common with everybody olso I can only hope that ho Is mistaken. By the way, Doris, hnvo I (old you yot tonight that I nm still In lotfe with you? 1 really do not remember." Sho shook hor head impatiently. "Certainly you havo twice each time wo happened to bo alone for a moment. And I think It Is perfectly absurd of you to mako lovo to , mo when my hoad is so full of serious things thut J don't hear a woid you say nbout lovo." "But you at least hoard that much." "It mtiBt havo been entirely subcon sciously and mechanical. You ure al ways making love to mo at Buch ridic ulous times and places for ItiBtunco whon my throut was sore and could not toll you to Btop, nnd onco oven In church under your breath when I was trying to listen to a most interesting sormon." "Call church a ridiculous place?" "Of courso not oxcept as a place to mako lovo In." "Yot it Is tho plnco of all placeB for tho lovo knot " to bo tied In. Then why tiot nn idoul plnco for tho weav ing of tho skein?" "You bhould havo said, 'tho spinning of tho yam.' " Ho picked up tho handkerchief which she hud dropped, Inhaled a breath of Its faint frngranco und thruBt It Into his own boBom. "Another keopsako," ho grinned. "That is the way I havo to got all of them from you steal them. Howover, I will ad mit that 'skoln was not a good word In thnt case, for It Implies a material euslly brokon nnd thoroforo not suit ablo for permanently binding people togothor. I Bhould havo Bnld It was an Ideal plnco for the forging of tho chnln " "I havo no faith whatover in forgers." Sho turned upon htm tri umphantly, indicating with hor head. "Anyway, horo comes Clay Tolllvor and now you will bo compelled to bo havo whother or no." Alnn glanced aside. To his genulno dissatisfaction ho saw tho only rlvnl who at all wor ried him approaching thorn. Clay raised tho shapely Angers to Ills lips ns ho always mado It a point to do whon ho grooted hor In March's 'prcsenco, knowing that It worried his opponent In this affair of hearts and taking much satisfaction from iho in stinctive knowledge that tho act of gallantry mndo tho othor squirm In wardly. And squirm Inwardly March certainly did, not s,o much at tho act itself us from tho fact that Doris Boomed rather to approvo of It, whllo should ho attempt n similar homugo ho would appear but aif an Imitator and thorcforo ridiculous to himself as well ub hor. "Good ovenlng, Miss Doris," tho newcomer said in his low, smooth volco, his dark eyes soft whon thoy gazed at hor, hard as brilliants whon they fiauhed over March. "I hnvo boen hoping nil dny tnnt I might find you looking just us you do this ovenlng." Ho turned uipon hor com pnnlon, his rathor thin but clennly cut face expressionless savo for tho glint of his oyos which Alan had often thought to bo tho moat peculiar ho had cvir seen. "And I hopo you, too, are well, sir." March nodded casualty as for a fleeting second tholr hands nnd dances met Clay went on. "I huvo to beg your pardon, Miss Doris, for coming hero tonight unin vited, but as you know I havo been out of town for a weok and Just camo b.iok an hour ago. Whon I got off tho train I learned for tho first tlmo that It had beon Btntod by Professor Dosmoud that a terrlblo disaster Is threatening ub, and I Immediately camo horo not that any mortal could expect to be of nny particular physical assistance In enso such nu inconceiv able ovont should take place, but tnth or In tho hopo that I might bo of somo slight service to you In somo other way Am I to be grunted your pur don for intruding V Thnt Doris was gunulnol) moved by tho speaker's sin cerity and thoughtfutnpsB March, watching hor, could not doubt Sho Unshed him a look of gratitudo that March would havo paid high for "Not only nro you pardoned, but you aro rewarded by my sincere thanks If that bo any reward." uho exclaimed Impulsively. Sho droppod a light hand upon tho slcevo of each man, smiling from ono to tho other Im partially. "It is dlflkult to bellovo that any harm could como to ono who had two such knights nt her sorvlco. It makes a woman feet almost safe, oven nt an hour like thiB." Sho addressed Clay: "By tho way, havo you mot Professor Desmond?" Ho told her that ho hud not. ."Then you must do so at once that Is If Mr. March will pardon us forn fow moments while I nm Intro ducing jou. Father has captured him und has him over yondor. Besides, i want you to tell mo something about your trip." So off they wont with faro well nods to Alnn, walking confident ially side by side, Doris slender but round, seeming to scarcely touch tho grasa with her white clad feet, Tol llvor of good height and though of Blender build showing moro than ono trnco of strength nnd suppleness in IiIb erect form. Left alone, Jealous and disgruntled March thrust his hands to tho bottomB of his pockets nnd Joined tho first stray group ho chanced actoss. Immediately ho was struck by tho subtlo change which had come over them In tho last quarter of an hour of IiIb companionship alono with Doris. Their voIccb had grown subdued, anx ious, strained, with now and thon an unnatural laugh that arose unexpect edly ub somo fomlnino nerve gavo awny beneath tho suspense. AIbo ho noticed that almost constantly their oyos furtively Bwopt tho darkness above. To March It seemed as though tho atmosphere of tho night was churged with a mystorlous oppressive ness. Tho stillness was that of a cave Clouds had flung themselves across tho sky In a thick curtain nnd tho darkness nbovo was so dctiso as to seem a solid. Anglo-Saxon of blood, temperament and training, ho could walk without a quiver a six-inch steel girder that Bpnuned a ennyon hun dreds of feet deep and where a loss of ncrvo or a giddiness meant a plungo to certain death, but now for tho first tlmo In his llfo ho wub conscious of a strange nervousness and suppressed excitement. Tho palms of tils hands tingled, and onco ho even caught him self laughing idiotically nt a commont which he had not even caught the moaning of. Strango sensations ran up and down his back- an Irritating pricking ns from a light electric cur rent applied to his spine, and when ho chanced to turn and see Doris faintly outlined beneath tho trees and In closo converse with Tolllvor IiIb whole being became set on odgo at onco and his hands tightened spasmodically. He drew hiniBolf togothor. "Fool!" ho muttered In self anger. He alwayB had been rather proud of Ills self possession during times when that fino quality was at a premium. "Are you, too, going to loso your ncrvo, nnd even before the first Bymptoms of danger at that? You aro becoming as hysterical as Mrs. EmmondB yonder." A sound from tho ono whose nnmo he had Just mentioned sent him quickly towards her a mlddlo nged lndy who wns crossing tho lawn with peals of senseless lnughter, tier highly strung nervous system breaking beneath the suspense of an Impending cataclysm so vast that tho very mountains them .selves would bo but molo IiHIb beneath It. Ho took hor llrmly by tho arm. "Mrs. Kmmonds!" ho exclaimed lightly. "Toll mo about il also. It soemB to bo too good a Joko to keep to ono's self." Sho turned a rather vacu ous fnco up at him nnd laughed again more shrilly than before "I nm laughing to think how silly 1 was to bo frightened nn hour ugo ovor such n ridiculous bo'gy thing as every body hns been chattering about nil tho evening. As If this earth for which tho sun and moon nnd stars wore mado could bo destroyed by ono of those llt tlo winking things. Look at them!" Sho throw her hand upward and Alan followed tho movement with his eyes A ragged rift had been torn In tho clouds nnd through tho gap ho could seo tho myriads of tho Milky Way, In finitesimal In slzo, fulnt In their light ub fnr distant glow worms. Onco moro her senseless laugh aroso. "And us if tho Lord who created this great world out of darkness and thon built tho rest of creation that wo might bo able to sco by night ns well ub by day would sot two worldB bat tel lug at each othor like senseless sheep! And besides does not tho Blblo say that tho earth shall bo do stroyed next tlmo by flro? How silly I was to bo afraid of such nonsense. I urn ns bad ns a child who feara that thero Ib a goblin bonenth his bed." Her convulsive pouls of merriment had turned all eyes In her direction and a dozon men wore now upon tholr way townrds hor. Alan was still tug ging ut her arm. "Of courso, Mrs. Emmonds, quite truo undoubtedly so. I fully agree with you that thoro can bo no dan ger " He stopped speaking abruptly, the cold gooso flosh brenklng out all over him, for bonenth his foot ho seemed to fool the earth shudder like an overdriven engine. Or wns It hla own nerves after all? Ho turned hla faco towards his companions beyond Ono glance told him thut they had felt It also, for in their eyes was a wildness such as ho had never be fore scon In human beings, a fear thnt no savnjo horde bearing down upon thun with naked weapons could havw Inspired Rather It was tho grisly ter ror of thoso who havo wandered far Into the evil haunts of the nightmare; tho sweating horror of humanity who bellovo themselves to bo at tho mercy of the aupernntural. Then tho earth shudder ceased and thoy stood staring at each other with faces that wero dazed and blanched. Alan suddenly realized that ho was supporting tho dond weight of a fainted woman and lowered her gently to tho grass. "Tho first slight convulsion," said a quiet volco, and nil eyes turned upon the speaker. It was Profo3sor Des mond, and though his faco was pale as well as tholra ho was by far the most composed ono of thoso present She Was Blown Bodily Into His Arms. not necessarily by vlrtuo of superior courago although ho was a bravo man. "And what will como next?" asked a hollow voice. Tho scientist shrugged his shoulders. "No person upon earth can tell. But you had best bo prepared for moro convulsions, perhaps terrific earth quakes that may topple over tho very mountains, perhaps violent electrical disturbances, likely enough winds of unheard of velocity no man can do more than guess, for no man In the world's history over went through a thing liko this. Also It Is possible thnt tho approaching body may Btriko ub almost without further' physical warning, and that we will have but a fow seconds of actual atmospheric or ground disturbances before we aro burled beneath a mountain of organic matter." "And what will happen to tho earth Itself?" "Agnln none can toll. Tho Impact may crush Its crust nnd release vast Hoods of molten matter Or the crust may remain Intact and tho smaller and less dense body If such bo tho enso bo smashed to-powder upon our surface. It oven may knock tho world from Its courso, Itself to become a lost projectile whirling through spaco und a menaco to other worlds. Or our planet may continue upon Its wuy un disturbed snve for tho inevitable de struction which must be caused for n great dlstunco around tho region act ually smitten, It Is nil but a matter of guess work. Ah " Beneath their foot thero ran onco more the tromor of the earth as It vi brated llko the deck of a racing stonmshlp. To tholr oars, nt first al most Indistinguishable but ever In creasing In volume until It sounded llko tho drone of a great hlvo of bees, came a throbbing as of a powdrful Bteam pump. From several blocks dis tant where lay tho region from which Desmond had fled camo faint yells of terror and In a nearby stable a horso screamed horribly. Alan dropping upon urn Knees bcBldo tho prostrate woman taw tomo of his companions throw themselveB upon their faces with tholr arms wrapped about their bonds, whllo others quietly sank to u kneeling position with hands clasped and faces lifted. A number of tho men remained erect, but thopo stood star ing upward In a dazod manner or wulkbd uncertainly about with hands clenched nnd faces twitching. Des mond alono of all of them stood llko a statue, his arms folded upon his breast, his faco rnlBed, -his wholo poise calm and dignified. A score of yards away Doris stood upright beside Clay with her hand tightly clutching IiIb sleevo. Of all tho womon Bho was by far tho moat composed, nelthor cry lug aloud nor weeping silently, while Tolllvor was as rigid nB tho trco against which he leaned nnd half en circled with his arm to stoady himself And then from overhead there burst , upon tholr cars a roar low and hoarse ub tho volco of a distant but raging sea, a roar that steadily arose to the mighty volco of a Niagara or tho roar of a battlefield wherein nil human voices wero drowned as tho cataract or battlefield drowns the squenk of mlco. Tho earth rocked as a crndle, and Alan rising with difficulty to his foot and starting towards Dorla with a wild ImpulBo of protection was near ly blown away bodily by a gust of wind that swept by volcelessly In the deafening thundor from above Recov ering his balance ho pushed his way forward. Tolllver's arm was about her now, the othor hugging tho tree, and by tho electric lights of the street Alan could seo tho strange light which blazed In the other's eyes nnd In that moment would havo sworn that Clay was Insane. Doris, seeing him com lng, wrested herself free from tho ono who held her and was blown bodily In to his arms. Her lips wero moving and ho knew that she was trying to mako herself heard, but not the slight est sound could ho catch from her lips. Closely he clasped her, trying In his turn to shout words of encouragement Into her ears. Another blast, spinning them about, nearly blew them apart and they In atlnctlvoly sank upon the ground side by side, clutching each other and gasping for breath. In a wink the electric lights went out and all be came darkness, a cavernous darkness filled with cyclonic winds, earth quiv erings, throbbings nnd a roar so mighty that It seemed to crowd ali space. Then tho wind ceased and from above thero sank upon them n mighty weight, soft and yielding as If they had been burled beneath a great heap of feathers, a weight which nev ertheless seemed nbout to force tho blood from their nostrils, and beneath It both man and woman felt their senses reel. Then as the darkness of oblivion came settling upon their brains the pressure gradually grew less, vnnlshed altogether and they found themselves struggling for breath In an absenco of air where a moment before their Uvea were being crushed out by Its terrific compres sion. Gasping like fish upon a bank they threw themselves upon their faces ns thoy fought vainly for breath until with myriads of lights flashing before their eyes consciousness left them and they lay motionless. - CHAPTER III. The Flying Man. It was perhaps flvo minutes later that Alan camo Into a certain posses slon of his senses, not fully as one may do who awakens from a faint, but rather with a gradual return to normal understanding through which period he had groteaquo dreams, saw visions and seemed to exist for long periods In unfamiliar worlds. Then ns full consciousness became his again ho sat up. There was a strong wind blowing onco moro, a gale in fact, but It was now coming stcndlly Instead of in gi gantic gusts and the rour from above had diminished to tho long, dull rum bio of dying thunder. All was yet in darknesB so dense that ho could not seo his hand before his face. For a moment ho sat quietly as hla brain tried to grasp tho full signifi cance of nil that had happened, his name, his whereabouts, the causa of the blncknesB, the roar and the wind Ah, ho had it now. Tho colllalon. It had evidently taken placo and he was still alive Doris! His heart leaped to his throat and ho went fumbling ovor tho ground on hiB hands and knees in blind search for her. His touch fell upon her still lying prostrate, and placing his arm under her ho raised her to a sitting position, feeling of her faco aa ho did so. Thank all things she wns nllve and now even able to move a bit. Ho drew her gently to him until her head rested ngalnst his shoulder where ho held her with his arm clasped ubout her waist. He could feel the deep and rapid pulsing of her bosom and knew that sho was breathing spasmodically as though greatly exhausted, realizing for tho first tlmo that ho, also, was panting as aftor a soveio race. Ho spoke to her with an effort and after a fow fruitless trials succeeded In making himself heard. Ho asked her If sho was much hurt or in pain nnd she shook her head against his shoulder In a negative. Ho became conscious that something to which It seemed ho had alwayB boon nccustomed had suddenly ab sented Itfcolf nnd for a moment' pon dered nguoly us to what It could be. Oh jos, tho roar! It was gone now, tho earth was stendy beneath them ,md tho wind almost dead. What had become of tho others of tho party? Ho must see nt once He found that Doris was now able to sit upright with out assistance, told her to temaln whore she wns until ho returned, and got upon his feet. As ho did bo lit saw a light flicker a short distance away and a moment later the flame of a Japanese lantern revealed tho sot fnco of Desmond. Alnn wont hurrying up to him. For a moment tho professor atared at the ono who had como to him from out of the darkness aa though trying to recall a familiar faco for tho mo ment forgotten, then ho Bpoko In a low, strange volco llko ono who talks In his Bleep. "Oh yes, I know you now You aro my old friend March. I congratulate you upon your escupo Como with mo. Thero muBt bo other lanterns scattered about and wo will need all the light and holp we can get In order to search tar tho missing ones. I hnvo hopes of finding most of them alive." Rapidly thoy searched tho grounds, coming ncrosB tho forms of their follow guests at every few stops. Somo still remained Inert, some wero slttln" up In a dazed way, while others wero already upon their feot directing their wny to tho will-o'-tho-wlsp tantern light which flitted nbout tho lawn. In tho course of tho next few minutes they had also found a dozen of the lantorns which had not beon torn to pieces or blown from their fastenings upon tho trees, and thoso thoy lighted and distributed tp tho ever increasing seaichlng party. It had been a caso of suffocation into Insensibility In a partial vacuum which had followed tho departure of the great weight, a condition which had only provalled for a very few minutes, nnd with tho re turn of tho normal quantity of air tho victims had quickly recovered with the exception of Mrs. Emmonds Sho had been In a faint and breathing but feebly when tho crucial moment ar rived, and Doctor Raymond, who waB among them now, pronounced ' her dead. Silently thoy bore her within the house, found the telephono to bo unresponslvo to tholr appeals, and leaving two of the women besldo her they returned to tho lawn. They wore Btill partially dazed and wholly awe stricken and moved about half automatically as though just recov ering from an anaesthetic. The electric lights which for some reason had gone out In tho early stages of the disturbances wero now burning as brightly as ever again, and from all sides came tho sounds of a city temporarily stricken returning to bewildered life, the shouts of men, tho cries of womon, tho barking of dogs, the cackle of fowl. Someono suggest ed that Inasmuch as there must huvo been considerable loss of llfo in tho tumultuous winds when many of tho flimsier buildings must havo gono down, it was clearly their duty to try and assist those less fortunato then themselves. Professor Desmond an swered him. "What you havo said Is undoubtedly truo, yet at the same tlmo there may bo serious riots as the result of a happening like this. Gangs of vandals are apt to form after great panics while the peoplo aro still dazed, and taking advantage of conditions commit all sorts of depredations as for In stanco In times of armed attacks upon Lcltles or after great fires or floods. Therefore at Buch times It Is a man's Rapidly They Searched tho Grounds. first duty to look out for thoso nearest and dearest to him. Wo have quite a number of women here, wives, daugh ters nnd perhaps a sweetheart or two. and most of us should remain with them until wo know that it is safe to leavo them alone. Let mo count I find that there aro sixteen ladles and fourteen gentlemon present. Of the latter 1 should Imagine Hint half might be spared for a Bcoutlng party whllo tho rest remained hero for the tlmo being ob an emergency guard. As soon as tho scouts report that It is safe for tho ladles to go upon tho streets wo can send for carriages, enra or ve hicles of somo sort nnd escort them to their homes. Meanwhile I beg of you to restrain your natural anxloty for a brief half hour for tho bonjflt of all concorned. We will now cast the ballot to determine who shall co forth and who shall stay." (TO BE CONTINUED.) :