Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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MANY USES FOR Worlds Collide ^ V y . : - By Edwin Balner and Philip Wylie Copyright, hj*, b y Vdwtn Balmor A Philip Wylio WNU Sonrle*. ••••••••••••• letTM. . . . 1 nm taking' of calling this one maple, oak, and thin one aprnce, and thin pne 'elm. M The exilea from earth pnahed done to finger the learee and b(ta of wood, ■o strange and yet suggesting the familiar. These promised them homes, rooms of their own, cbairh, tables, cup boards and book shelves and writing desks and a thousand other things dear to their emotional memories. Tony drew close to Eve. “We’ll be outcasts no longer—outcasts!** he emo tionally murmured. “Well have a house and a wood Ore again !** “Wer whlsperec Eve. **WeT tou and 1? Well be allowed to marry and live J>y ourselves?” They were near to Hendron, but he Aesr them. : They were all sitting around a fire on SYNOPSIS Under the leadership of Cole Hendron, noted American scientist, over.100 per sons escape In two Space Ships Just be fore a cosmic collision wiped out the earth, and land on Bronson Beta. A amooth, straight metal roadway la dis severed, indicating that whoever once lived on Bronson Beta had swift mov ing vehicles. Thousands of giant mete- ers hurtle through the sky, but none of Hendron’s - colonists • is hurt. The meteors are fragments of the destroyed earth’s moon. Tony Drake. Hendron's lieutenant, and Professor Higgins dis cover a river bottom green with vege tation. other human beings. Another still more dreadful thought curdled the Im aginations of the people who sst around the campfires: were those other beings human? _ Hendron walked up to the camp fire and addressed bis comrades. “I think,” he told slowly, “that the thought now engraving the imagina tions of many of you may be discard ed. 1 mean the thought that the plane which approached our camp was pilot ed by other than human beings. We must Infer from our glimpse of that machine In the sky, and from, the sound of Its flight, that some other party on earth was successful Iq, com pleting a ship capable of taking the leap from Earth to Bronson Beta.” “If they were , any people from CHAPTER Il-r-Continued Was It significant that Bates and Jeremiah Post, who had dug from the ’Boll the wreck of the Other People's vehicle, were the first affected? And Maltby soon afterward was sick. Twenty-six persons together fell 111; and three died—Bates, and Wnnilow, a chemist, and one of the girls who had served as a nurse to the sick—Lucy Grant The rest made complete re coveries; no one else was later af fected; the strange plague passed from the camp. ~T~ But bf the hundred and three emk grants from earth—perhaps the sole survivors of humanity in all creation —three were dead. And Tony Drtfke ordered the breaking of the strange •oil of Bronson Beta for the first hartals of Earth People. Three new Interments to add to the uncountable graves of the Other People who were yet to be discovered I Hendron, who himself had not fallen sick, waa by far the most disturbed by these deaths that had come to the camp; thereafter he doubled his re strictions. It waa Higgins, the botanist, wbo at length openly defied the leader. Higgins took four of the younger men—and under other circumstances Tony unquestionably would have Joined them—and went off exploring At (hat time Hendron was endeavoring to make a new set of' gears, and chassis and a body, for a second atomic-engine vehicle, using metal from the wall of the Ark; and al though he engaged more than twenty people In the operation, it was progres sing very slowly. Moreover they bad just passed through a umber three days of Heavy ralo, and while It was good for the gardens, nevertheless the people who lived in tents were ex tremely miserable. They were study ing the possibility of having to live all together in one or two of the round sections of the Ark during the coming winter, as It would be impossible to erect metal houses by that time; and every one waa dejected over the Idea of passing nearly two earth years sleeping on the padded floor of a cham ber In the Ark in one great communal "group. Late on the afternoon of the'‘fourth day the exploring party returned, plainly In triumphant excitement Higgins reported for them all when they halted, surrounded by their friends: “We covered about seventy-five miles. We saw a great desert We went Into a valley where a mighty tangle of fern trees Is beginning to rise toward the heavens. I have seen excavations in an old pit where the fossils of animals that were extinct during the civilized period on this planet were being dug out And we encountered, not ten miles from here, on the Other People’s road, something that will very largely relieve one of our great difficulties.” With that hs unstrapped big pack, opened it and dumped out at Hen dron’s feet a dozen objects upon which Hendron dropped eagerly. They were wood, chips of wood. Hard wood—soft wood. Finely-grained wood, and wood with a coarse, straight grain. “la there much of It?” Hendron asked, as he examined the chips. Higgins nodded. "There Is enough •f It standing, seasoned, perfectly pre served, to supply ns with all the lum ber we can use tor generations. The appearance of the forest that we found completely accords with your theory of this planet’s past history. There stood a great forest of many varieties of trees, none exactly resembling those of our world, yet of their general or der. They seemed to have been de ciduous trees mostly; their leaves had fallen; they lay on the gitound; the boughs were bare. “There mast have been a long, last eutumn followed by a winter without parallel on onr world and previously on this planet All water froze: air froze, preserving the forest as It was at the end of that awful autumn when * bo thaw came through the millions of years In outer space until this planet found our sun. “Tha trees I examined were unlike the trees on earth; yet^their trunks And boughs were wooded; their leaves Aocumbered the Around. Here are that night after thoae first moments of gentleness and of affection when they had been brought electrically back to the happy peat when once again their hopea had risen. It was night and dark? and there waa. no moon. Nor would there ever be a moon. They had been singing softly; and one of their number—Dim itri Kalov—had slipped away from the fire and talked to Hendron, and gone to the. Ark and come back with a piano-accordion strapped around his shoulders. No one had aeen him re turn, bat suddenly from oat of' the darknesa came a rlpple of muslc. The singing stopped and they lis tened while Dimitri played. He played old songs and he played some of the music from Russia which his father had taught him. Then, between num bers when the applause died and a hush fell over the group, as they wait ed for him to begin again, there v^s a sound. It waa soft and remote and yet It transfixed every one Instantly, because it was a sound that did not belong to any human being. It was a sound that did not belong to their colony. A sound foreign and yet familiar. A sound that rose for a few Instants and then died out to nothing, only to return more strongly than before. One by one ibey turned their faces up, for the sound waa In the sky. It approached rapidly, above them, in the dark. There was no mistaking It now. It was the motor of an airplane. An airplane on Bronson Beta! An airplane “why should they have approached so near, and yet no? give any sign they had seen ns?” Cole Hendron faced this objector calmly. He was aware that Post waa one of the younger pen who believed that he, the leader'of the party, on earth, and the captain on the voyage through wpace, had served his purpose. “Have you come to believe,” be chal lenged the metallurgist, “that any of the people native to this planet could have survived?” “I believe,” retorted Post, “that we certainly are not safe In excluding that possibility from our calculations, you all know.” he continued, addreselJ the whole group now rather than Hendron, "I have given extended study to the vehicle of the Other People which we have-found. Not only In Its mechanical design and method of pro pulsion was It utterly beyond any vehicle developed on earth, but Its metallurgy was In a class by itself— compared to ours. These people had far surpassed our achievement in the sole fields of science from which we yet have any sample. Is It not nat ural to suppose that, likewise, they were beyond us In other endeavors? Particularly, perhaps. In preservation of themselves. I will not be ao absurd as to imagine that any large number of them could have survived the ex treme ordeals of—space. But Is It utterly Inconceivable that a few could?” “In order that each of us may form his and her own opinion of the pos- sibilltlea,” said Hendron, “I will ask Duquesne to acquaint you with the starry nights—sweCei brighter. “They made their calctatlofca. Their sun, with Its retinue of planets, was approaching another ftar. There would be no collision; we do not believe that such a thing occurred. There was merely an approach^ of another ana dose enough to counteract, by Ita ows attraction, the attraction of the orlg Inal son upon this planet, and upon Bronson Alpha. “This must have been e torturlngly prolonged process of the Inhabitants here. The approach pf e star la not like the approach of a planet We dis covered Bronson Alpha l£d Bronson Beta only a few months before they were upon us; the Beings here must have known for generations, for cen- tqrles. the approach of the stranger atari I Nearer and Nearer It Cam* . , . A Long Finger of Light Stabbed Across the Sky and Bogan Comb ing It for the Van ishing Plano. A Spook —A Flash of Wing Surface. And the Clouds, piloted by other human Aeings, or per haps—they did not dare to think about the alternative. Nearer and nearer it came, until some of them could discern the splotch of darkness against the stars. But then the ship In the heavens seemed to see their fire on the ground and be alarmed by it, for it switched Its course and started back in the direction from which it had come. Hendron rushed toward the observa tory and shouted to Von Beitv who - waa on duty at the radio, to tum on a - searchlight Von Belts must have heard the airplane too, for even as Hendron shouted, a long finger of light stabbed across the sky and began combing it for the vanishing plane it caught and held upon the ship for a fraction of a second before It plunged through a sleazy cloud, but that second was not long enough for anyone to tell-what manner of ship It was, or even whether It war ■ ship such as might have been made by the people of the earth. A speck—a flash of wing surface. And the clouds. They sat, stricken and numb. Sure ly, If there bad been human beings In that ship—surely If it bad contained other refugees from the destruction of the earth—It would have circled over their fire time and again In exultation. Bat It had fled. What could that mean? Who could be In It? What In telligence could be piloting It? The pulsations of the motor died. The light was snapped off. The colo nists shuddered. They were not alone on Bronaon Beta. ‘ CROCHET SCARF creasing at the rate of 20000.MO pev year. Br GRANDMOTHER CLARK physical experience of this planet as we now perceive It” The French scientist readily arose, and loomed larger than ever In the flickering flare of the Are: “My friends. It la completely plain to all of us that once this wol-ld, which has given ua refuge, waa at tached to some distant sun which we, on the world, saw as a star. “That alar might have been a sun of the same order as our sun, which this world has now found. If such were the case, it seems likely that Bron son Beta circled Its original sun at some distance similar to our distance from our sun; for the climatic condi tions here sgem in the past to have been similar, at least, to the conditions on earth. “However, whatever the original sun Jot this planet was, this world must Have been satisfactorily situated with Knowing It, tor hundreds of yea: could any of the Inhabitants here have schemed a way of saving themselves? That seems to be the question now be fore us. “1 cannot say that they could not 1 can only say that we could not have devised anything adequate to meet their situation. Yet—they might have. They knew more than we: they bad tench more time, hut their problem was terrific—the problem of surviving through nearly absolute cold and dark ness. a drift through apace, of a mil lion or millions of years. If any of you believe that problem could have by the Beings much right to UIs opinion as I have to mine.” “Which is?” Jeremiah Post demand ed. __ "That the people here tried to solve that problem,” replied Duquesne with out evasion, “and failed; but that they made a magnificent attempt When we find them, we will find—I hope and believe—the method of their tremen dous attempt” 1 Shirley Cotton stood up. “What ML Duquesne,” she Inquired, “would be the attitude of the Beings If they sur vived and .found ua here?” “Their attitude, after awaking from a million years’ sleep, would combine, among other elements, surprise and caution, I should suggest But engag lug as Such speculations may be, our position demands that we be practical. We must assume that aircraft we saw In these skies came from earth. If there are other pe pie from our world upon Bronson Beta, we prefer to be friends with them. That attitude, be sides being rational. If our natural In clination. However,”—he shrugged his huge shoulders eloquently,—“it does not therefore follow that another party of emigrants from earth would want to.be friendly to ua. It is possible that, finding themselves here, they prefer private posseasion of this planet** Eve Hendrdn, sitting beside Tony, leaned toward him and whispered: “I can imagine that Can’t you?” Tony nodded. “That’s what I’ve been doing. I was In Russia during the days on earth,” he said. "Suppose that a Russian party made the bop. Since we did, why not? They worked along lines of their own, but they had some of the world’s best scientists If they made It you may be sure they packed their ship with first-class Communists —the most vlgorov* and the moat fa natic. When they found themselves here, what would they feel most?** “I know,” Eve nodded. “They’d feel that they had a world to themselves, where they could work out the millen nium according to their own Ideals” “And,” Tony finished for her, "that they must beat down, at the very'out set, possible Interference." They were whispering only to each other,; but many heads bent near to listen; and Hendron, seeing that Tony caught hts attention, called to him: "You have a suggestion?” •Two,” said Tony, rising to his-feet “1 suggest, Cole, that we organize at once an adequate exploring expedition; and at the same time, prepare de fenses’” . .. "Wlll yop lead the exploring party^- and choose its members?” Hendron asked Tony. “Gladly.” v “I," said Hendron, “will be responsl ble for the defenses, here.” \ * The people about Tony pressed clos er. “Take me! ... Mel . . . Tony, 1 want to go I Take me!” ^ . Eve Hendron reached for Tony’s arm and clung to Mm as he moved out of the gmiup gathered about him. “Take me too, Tony.” “Not you.” “Why not?" T wouldn’t on earth; why would I here? Besides, I want to come beck to yon. I want to t feel, when I’m away, He fredfts Asia, the largest row- tlnent, with the jjreetest number of Here is a very practical scarf that la easy to make end costs so little. It's made if 1th the large filet stitch, la very lacy and can be used as a eover OB wmny articles In the home. When using a number 9 steel crochet hook and number 15 cottoni, the scarf will measure about 12 by 84 Inches when finished. Buffet set and ebajr aet to match this scarf were shown a few weeks ago. This package, No. TOT, contains sufficient cream color Mountain Craft crochet cotton to complete the scarf, also Instructions, black and white diagram for easy counting of meahee, and a crochet hook. Write onr crochet department Inclosing 40 cents for the complete package. No. TOT, or send 10 cents If you want the In structlon sheet with diagram only. Address Home Craft Co.—Dept B —Nineteenth and St Lonls Avenue. SL Louis, Mo. When writing Tor any Information Inclose a stamped addressed envelope for reply. people —) sonx- l.OTi.OOO.CSOrt (hot counting Russia)r-or a little more than half the world population. Ek- rope,*whlch ranks fifth In the size of continents, la given second place as to population with R total of 882.- 000,000 (excluding Ilutaia). Russia alone Is granted about l&I.OOO.OOli while all of Africa, white and black, has but 1481000^00 And North America around l.‘*r>,0UU.n0d, o» *vh!ci» about.l2T.O0tVX)O are United Sta- ttriante He credits South America with 85,000,060; Central America 000.000 and Australia and Ovinia' with a combined 10000,000 to make „ up his estimated total. : ~ ~ One finding Is particularly sur prising to most In view of the f^ct lhat Germany, Italy andf few other countries offer substantial endow ments for pevlv married coqples and a bonus for eao’i child iWn. This la that the popH -f »n In Russia seems to he Increns'ng faster than any-' where else on earth—the Increase being estfrnto t i t about 4,000.000 A year, or 2 per cent. One per cent annual Iqprease la considered the average, and even the Jape, regarded heretofore as the most rapidly Increasing race, In crease but little faster than the nor teal rate.—Pathfinder Magazine. V No CauM for Alarm Patient (nervously)—And will the operation be dangerous, doctor? Doctor—Dangerous 1 Yon couldn't boy a dangerous operation for $4<V j’ NO EXACT DATA ON HUMAN RACE Sottlad That “I can't live without your daugh ter, air." ■“ "Right; ITI pay for the funeralT —London Answers. QUICK RELIEF from Heartburn —by chawing on* or CHAPTER III , Somgtody threw a log onto the fire. It biased* up freshly, and Illuminated the strained. Immobile faces of the emigrants from Earth. Nobody spoked They only looked at one another. > Out "of the night, out of the dark ness, out of the remote, Infinitely dis tant, Impersonal Nowhere, bad come that humming, throbbing reality. Some- on Bronson Beta there were (bleman^lron r INSTANT LIGHTING Iron tha mey way In with tha Coleman. Iron In place. It's entirely aetf- or wine. No weary,« a hot etove and ironing Estimated Increase Put at 18,-1 * ir ' 000,000 Annually* , 7 IMS COLEMAN LAMP A STOVE CO. How many people Inhabit the earth? In onr own country as well as the leading ones periodical censuses are taken which give the exact figures •very so often and by comparing these with previous ones It is easy for the mathematical sharps to fig ure out really reliable estlmatee qf the population In between times. Bat among the uncivilized tribes In various parts of the world no count la possible, and for the black races of Africa and some of the yel low ones of China and Central Asia relatively little information la avail able. Nevertheless, after gathering together all Information possible the statistical Institute of the League of Nations In 1030 estimated the world population at approximately 2,000,- 000,000 human beings, and that la the generally accepted figure for the world af large. « It la recognized that the world population la steadily Increasing but in the absence of actual figures few are brave enough to hazard a as to the rate. Prof. B. M. Best of Harvard university, however, has ventured to estimate the annual In crease at a little more than l&000r 000 or about 50,000 a day. Concerning this subject Prof, A. N. Carr-Saundera of Liverpool univer sity, England, a recognized world authority on the subject, issued an estimate last year for use by the En cyclopedia Britannlca In which he de clared the world now Inhabited by more than 2,025,000,000 persona and I ■mth 1 _ furthermore, the, ere rteedll. In 1 0 lit - . + ( lit icura oiniiu* lit riiLNESIA Tfc „,/ WAFERS oil 1 ! Mvmi Maatl* Lam pa. Oaa aahina Machinaa, Can Saatara, Cookarn Ratorta. Wrtta B. C. MaaMla. BtnvUlc. <M. SIX GIANT DAHLIAS SI. Marrow and three more. Postpaid.' Hare flowers. True stoek. Setllng oat, ATWATER DAHLIA FARM, AtwnUr. Others, at. ©. (uticura regard to It for millions and hundreds- I’m risking whatever we Mppeuto tisk. of millions of years. for you. You see. I love you. It’s like “Orderly evolution must have^ro- on earth, when 1 m with yon away from ceeded for an immense period to pro- *fhe others. See the star* »P there, duce, for instance, that log—the ma- ‘Chore’s Cepheus and the Dragon; and terial which we burn before ua to give us, tonight, light and heat; and to produce the people who made the ve hicle which my colleague Jeremiah Post so admirably baa analyzed. "Belngi of a high order of Intelligence dwelt here. We have evidence that In science they had progressed beyond ua—unfortunately for themselves, poor fellows I Their science must have showed them their dooms so plain and for a frightfully lonf period-^ doom from which there scarcely could have been, even for the most favored few. any means of escape. Theirs was a fate far more terrible than was ours— a fate Incomparably more frightful than mere complete catastrophe. “Attend! There they were. In some other pert of the heavens, circling, at some satisfactory distance, their sun! For millions and millions of years this world upon which we now stand went >fta orderly way. Then Its astronomer* noticed that' a star was approaching. A star—a mrto point of light oa Ita JJIIHI MEDICINM -ioilct- Vega and the Swan, as we’ve, always seen them/ And the earth bard and cold at our feet; so comfortably solid and substantial, this "firth, which came to us torn from some distant star for a conch, aometiroe, for yon and mo I" Night deepened. The company .of emigrants from the earth heaped high er the fire with wood from the forest which bad leafed bn this land of Bron son Beta a million years ago. Some « the company—men as well as women— shivered with a chill iot Instilled It their veins by the sharpness of night TO BB CONTINUED. RaniBte la Hot-Water Llaaa Rumbling In hot-water lines, espe cially when the hot water supply tank la heated by a* coll In the heater’s fire box. Is caused by steam, formed In Um coll, forcing Its way through the watei In the coll as It rises to the tank. Col: connections should slope upward to al low the steam easy escape. Rumbling also- occurs when a faucet k with the water boiling. . = «i |M ■*fV<*f si in ti t ii fin< nt j- MANY LETTERS to Vow Personally IJ’IHUIX Ton don't Baad tinoB. ^oarelully and efrim through tha sooL Traat thg habit of wit they wish to look at whan they start out i or. Try this method. It you with tho pish of tho day's EVERY ADVERTISEMENT BAA A ALLffBOm .rfc;: