THE BEE: OMAHA, TUESDAY, MAY IS, 10i:.
The Bees Home Magazine Pa
(
Mystery of
Falling Stars
What They Really Are
and How They Come to
Resemble Stars Shoot
ing from Their Places
and Darting Wildly
Through the Sky. : :
I
By GARRETT P. SERVISS.
'Tlease explain the phenomena of star
falling from the skies. Lut November I
waa standing In my door, which fnors
southwest, and looking at two stars,
when one of them
left Its place and fell
Into space. It looked
as If Its descent was
about 3X) feet before
It disappeared, but It
must have been many
million miles that it
travelled during
those few 'seconde.
Do astronomers miss
these "stars from the
sky?' " W. r. It..
Pesbody, Mtm.
This letter shows
ia curious mlntrling V ... '..
of Inexact obsorva- W.l T a
tlon with Inaccurate
Knowledsr-a mental phenomenon more
common than the physical one of "fall
ing stars." and. in Us way. quite as
worthy of attention.
Tho phrases "falling stars" and "shoot
nnnslble for more mis
understanding of scientific facts than any
"others with which I am acquainted.
They aro so strikingly descriptive of the
effects produced upon the eye that they
substitute the appearance for the reality
In the minds of persons not familiar with
the facts of astronomy.
There Is no such thing as a falling
star, or a shooting star. No star was
even seen to leave its place and drop to
ward the earUi. or go sailing sway
through space. There are a few ln
dances of stars having disappeared from
the heavens, and there are other Instances
of new stars making their appearance
there, but no star ever moves from its
place In the slightest degree, as far as
naked-eye observation can detoct.
It Is true that the stars are all In mo
tion, but these stellar movements can
only be measured with the most re
fined and accurate instruments known
to science. There Is an apparent motion,
common to aU the stars, due simply to
the rotation of the earth on Its axis,
which causes the heavenly bodies to ap
pear to pass slowly through the sky fron
east to west. ..-. i
There are also a few object, iff the sky
which look like stare and which J
motion that can be beed with the,
naked eye. if tho observations are con-
. , . Wlita In succession.
Tinuea - .
These apparent stars Are the earths sis.
ter planets, wh.ch, like it, revolve around
the sun in orbit millions of miles ln cir
cuit. But there, are only Ave of these
bodies-Mercury. Venus, Mar-, 'eT
and Saturn-hat are ever noticed by a.
naked y observer, and none of them
moves in the manner of a. ' 'U1P ?'
The distances of the planets ttom VM
earth vary, with their portion. In their
orbits and run from tens up to A
or millions of miles. The true stars are
surT more or less resembling our n,
and they are millions of time, more dis
tant then the planets. .
What. then, are the phenomena called
falling stars? If you call thorn "
aa astronomers do. and disconnect them
in your mind from, all association with
stars, you will have taken the first step
toward a comprehension bt what they
are. A meteor is a plecs of solid m"6'.
stony or metallic In composition, which,
before It meets the earth, has been trav
eling through. spex like a miniature
planet, in an orbit probably having the
sun for its focus It moves, as it must
do under the law of gravitation, wltli a
velocity comparable with, but conakler
ably greater than that of a planet, at a
similar distance from the sun, for Its
minute size does hot affect Its velocity.
This velocity tn the neighborhood of the
earth 4s about twenty-six miles per sec
ond. '
As long as a meteor continues its course
outside the earth s atmosphere it remains
absolutely invisible, but if its course Is
changed by the earth s attraction so as
to bring It within the virtual limits of the
atmosphere, say within 1U0 or TOO miles
of the earth's surface, -It is instantly
heated to a very high temperature by
friction with the air, and it flashes Into
a flying spark of fire, speeds swiftly
across the sky. or appears to drop down
ward, and usually disappears within a
nr two.
m,i I. reason to believe that the vast
majority of meteors of this class are not
larger than grains of sand or small pel
bles. It has been calculated that be-
. lomnAOO and 20.0"0. of them.
bright enough to be roen with the naked
eye. enter the earth's atrnoH!nere tcouni
i .11 .Mm nt the aiobe) every twenty
four hours, while telescopes show fainter
ones playing across the depths of the
atmosphere, which may number hundreds
of millions. Minute as they ore. if they
struck the earth they woum r.e aa mini
I,. inhnVtltant'i aa a rain of shrapnel.
but fortunately they are all consume.!
high In the ulr.
As to the vexed question of the origin
of meteors, there Is only room to any
that those which appear In periodic show
ers seem to be connected with comets,
snd occasionally they travel in the for.
mer orbits of comets that have disappeared.
Maids and Millinery
(Assorted Which Arc You?)
By Nell Brinkley
Copyright, 1115. Intern'l News Service
White -aasics . (for t tbougbU) and
black velvet with oicj-fashioneel strings un
der Tier cb in, for the demure girl.
. ..Embroidery and gay color and dashing
lines with an oriental feather atop, for the
dazzling girl.
And for the. boyish girl a bit of a pin ah
cap on one aide with a page's feather
thrust through a burnished bit of ornament.
A flaring tricorn brave with gold-braid
and a gilded knot and a brush-like cockade
for the vivacious girl and fur and braid
below her chin.
And for the dreamy girl -anything
with a soft brim to veil ber eyes , ani
deepen the dreams that lie there..
NELL BRINKLEY. ;
Read It Here See It at the Movies.
xirrxootrcrtfa
EARLE WILLIAMS
aa Tommy Barclay
ANITA STEWART
- as The Ooddssa
. Written bv
Gouverneur Morris
(One of the Most Notable Tig
ores In American XUteratore)
Dramatized Into a Photo-Play by
CXAXLEI W. OOOBAJID.
Author" of
The Perila of Paullas"
"The Exploits of Slalae"
Do You Know That
Mahogany trees do not reach their full
height till they are about 90 years old.
When the wind travels 100 miles an
hour or over It Is railed a hurricane.
No Individual undxr it years may
ascend a chimney in UnKland.
Only 1 per cent of the flowers that
grow in Kurope are odoriferous.
Thers aie 17,0f).ii a.re of le land
in the I'nited Klntel"m
The ti.lI progeny .' .i inKl lb In olio
,inmi i smiiiinls to o.cr .0,'"'.,",
(Copyright, 1915, by Star Company.)
FIRST EPISODE.
Gordon Barclay remained for a long
time in profound thought.
"There is, as you say," he said at last,
"billions In It. Yet if I was sure that we
could make it happen, really make every
body contented and not poor, I'd be con
tent to give up everything I have already,
and 1 could die happy."
'.So would I." exclaimed Stilliter hur
riedly. "But I'd rather make the world
happier and myself with it. Wouldn't
you?"
Barclay shook his heavy shoulders,
lifted his leonesque head and smiled.
"Of course." he said. "I was dreaming,
believe the thing can be done. And with
out any sacrifice whatever, either
spiritual or material."
"It will take a long time."
"I understand that. Tou have to teach
her almost from the beginning."
"I don't teach her exactly. 1 make her
believe."
"Have you a ihlld in view'"
"Now that you're with me, I shall soon
find one."
"What are the chances against usT"
"Only these: That before we bring
her to earth to preach our gospel you are
dead, or I am, or the revolution has al
ready come, und borne a different and
better fruit for us all."
Prof. Miles Htllliter was never tile, ex
cept when lie waa asleep. On a certain
morning in the spring of 15)00 Prof. Btllllter,
"TRAGIC END OP A EUGENIC
ROMANCE."
"Brilliant John Am bury, who mar
ried one of America's greatest beauties,
killed by a trolley car. Widow, pros
trated by news, not expected to recover."
A cut of a beautiful young man and a
beautiful young woman lent to this un
usual Item of news a tinge of real trag
edy. Prof. Btllllter waa out of bed In a
twinkling of an eye. He bathed and
dressed with miraculous speed. It made
you think a little of the way a fire en
gine hose Is harnessed.
Swift as were all his motions, ha
dwelled somewhat upon his breakfast. A
close observer might have noticed that
he chewed every mouthful exactly the
same number of times.
The late John Amesbury's house waa at
Scarrdale. On the morning In which this
narrative opens a number of village boys
were pulling off a dog' fight In ttie quiet
country road that bordered the narrow
front lawn. Tommy Barclay, aged 12,
hearing this racket from afar and full
of the tragedy which had overtaken the
kind and friendly people In the big
house, came up on a dead run. His ef
forts to interfere with the sport and to
secure peace and quiet for the sick
woman In the house were not met with
approval, and lndoed for a moment It
looked as If the noise of the dog fight
was going to be swelled by the noise of
a boy fight, a dosen to one. Fortunately
for Tommy, the door of the house
lously stopped at the front gate, and,
thanks to his glasses, which have his
helpless eyes an almost hawk-like vision,
Prof. Btllllter recognised Dr. Walnwrlght,
an old acquaintance, if not a friend.
' "Glad to see you," said Prof. 'Btllllter.
"Are you In charge hers?"
"Yes." said Dr. Walnwrlght.
"Then yon can help me, as nobody else
can. I . never knew Amesbury. I don't
know his wife, but as a eugonlst I was
immensely interested In their marriage,
and I have a deep sclentlflo Interest In
seeing the daughter. Now at such a time
as this T could not very well force myself
upon the household, but if you could slip
me In with you as a consulting physician
I will be Immensely obliged to you, and
there will be no talk of splitting fees."
Dr. Walnwrlght smiled and nodded.
The object of Prof, gtllllter's Interest
was not hard to find. She was seated,
forlorn und disconsolate, upon the bottom
step of the front stair. Dr. Welnwrlght
picked her up In his arms and kissed her.
He made her shuke hands with Prof.
Btllllter. He told her that Prof, milliter
was very fond of little girls, and wouldn't
she do her best to entertain him, while
he himself was with her mother up
stairs T
Prof. Btllllter eould not conceal the
fact that the child's appearanoe delighted
him, and that his appearance did not
furnish her with the same delight af
fected htm no more than, a duck's back
Is affected by water. She had been too
well brought up, and carried her three
or four years with too much dignity to
run from him and hide, as her Instincts
prompted her. "he did not resists when
he lifted her from the floor, asked her
age and tald. "My, how heavy she was!"
Rhe winced a little and flinched a little
when he prodded her srms and chest
snd frit with evident admiration the
firm and chubby calves of her legs, and
when he made her open her mouth and
looked In and murmured, "Colossal." But
when he ssksd wsuldn't she show him
the pretty bouse In. which she lived, sh
did so gladly, for It seemed to put an
end to being handled.
For his Immediate purpose Prof. Btll
llter did not need to pnetrat beyond
the cheerful living rum, fur. her his eys
at once singled out from many, three
photographs, In which Justice had .pretty
nearly been done, not only to hi small
companion, but to her famous - father
snd her mother.
"What la that funny thing en the
piano?" asked Prof. Btllllter. The little
girl looked In the direction Indicated, and
told him that It was a Chinese "etelent"
(To Bo Conlnued Tomorrow.) ,"
opened, and a trained nurse, with a long
face like a horse and a domineering eye,
came running down the front walk with
an expression so ominous and formidable
that, without a word spoken, the dogs
wore dragged apart and the boys made
off at high speed. Something In Tommy's
face attracted the nurse's attention. She
was far kinder than she looked.
"Do you wart anything?" she Ha id.
j no paprrs saia. said Tommy, "that
ftirs. Amesbury wouldn't get well." He
ssld no more, but his whole attitude and
expression was a poignant question. The
nurse laid her hand suddenly on his
brown head, patted clumsily, shook her
own head Just the veriest trifle and hur
ried bock to the housa
A shadow fell upon Tommy and fc
i found himelf Innklnr httn thm
-"' ,"" "" "" "' ' :. I tnick-rlmmed glasses of Prof.
leu wimi uiiid n wvi, iiiuugn nt? ur-iti i
his watch aa near to his eye-ball as ho I
could without touching it. It was, how- hava Bii,f(j
ever, his usual time tor Deginning tne
. m. .. . ...... . . L.i. . . 1 . L. i . .
i In the morning papers. Prof. Stilliter
dl I not read the papers word by word.
Btllllter.
Intuitively the boy and the man disliked
each other. Prof. Btllllter would rather
almost any other small boy
but column by column. It was astonish
ing to nee so much Intelligence snd en
ergy and ariroltm-MS In a young man
j who renemliled nothing so murh as a
morifctrous baby.
T'- f..llownu; heiirlline in ihe New
Tork An,crl an almost immediate 'y
ra''M his ey,-, ami pit an end )., miy
il JMhir x-ar. It to; n :
i If that as the Amesbury house. Tommv
would have preferred to ten almost any
; other miin that It waa Prof. Btllllter, his
question answered, moved eneregtlcally
; upon the houte, and from the maid Who
lanxwered ti 1,I Inquired for the latest
'bulletin of Mrs. Amesbury. He stepped.
' forward as if to enter the house, and the
ervant made the lesst show In the
ori.l of Blunting the door In hi. face
. Prof, stl'llter famed reluctantly sway snd
! hem I the loinn of e r"or
At lint i..n til a In Kgy drKcii fur-
Living on a Dollar a Week
Of course you don't want to live on a dollar a week. No
one wants to do the sensible thing when it comes to the
selection of food but it's easy for the person who knows
Ihiiredded Wlneat
Two Shredded Wheat Biscuits with hot milk, make a
warm, nourishing, satisfying meal at a cost of not over five
cents a meal on which you can do a day's work and reach
the top-notch of health and efficiency. Supplies every
element needed for the perfect nourishment of the human
body. Delicious with all kinds of fruits in season.
TRISCUIT it the Shredded Wheat Wafer, eaten a. a toast with buttef
or soft cheese, or m a substitute for white flour bread or crackers.
Made only by The Shredded Wheat Company, Niagara Falls, N. Y.
it
mm
m m
ll !;.'... X-.-l. !
31
II
aiBiiiiJ
ft! !'.
Ml'
1
it.
' i.el.l ii .ill
Mil! i I 1 I I I 1
'iVVi'V',
ili,:;:,!.
llllifiiliilllli!!!
lii'iiiiiicikiiiiits--- m .. n n...iA liti 1 1 ( i t iiii it i j ii I ii i -; i ii . ; ti t- . ;:.. .siiiiiiiiiii i 'ai i r
in i i si n i i l ' "tj s.'fMiei. WJ.JTl., s-V'.k" i I ft; 'Tli'., 'JMtJU' - s i I ' ' I
mmAf- ' tizzzzzzzz- nx"7we
liiliSte ;u.::,ill;-;MM:ii;H;;,; ; L
iii,.iiiii.imtm.uiii.i.i.i..ii..i...i.i. ,i....u,i ,..,. i - - iiimiiiii i ml -ii iiM-'i'irifrifiii r ..
.VS.
t!
I ;
ft-
