Then, with a shriek of astonishment and despair the newspapers of all the nations gave themselves over to this, the greatest sensation in the history of the planet, and the combined energies of astronomers throughout the entire globe were concentrated upon determining, so far as possible, the size and weight of the falling asteroid, and the point upon the surface of the earth which would receive its momentous impact.
It was soon authoritatively announced that its diameter was not less than ninety or more than one hundred and sixty miles, and that, unless it was deflected from its course by the attraction of the moon or of some planet, if would strike the earth in the neighborhood of Galveston, Texas, with a velocity of nearly nineteen miles a second. What the precise result of this terrific concussion would be upon the earth and its movement, it was, of course, impossible for anybody to predict accurately or even imagine.
Would the earth be shattered, or would it resist the titanic blow of this monster from out of space? Would both bodies retain their integrity so that, one embedded in the other in a strange and horrible association, they would gyrate through eternity? What would the effect be upon the earth’s orbit, its climatic conditions, and its life? What might happen at the worst, the mind of man refused to conjecture. But it was admitted that, beyond peradventure, the best that could be hoped for would be that the asteroid itself might suffer annihilation - in which event, its shattered
carcass would lie smothering a thousand miles of the earth’s surface, changing the latter’s axis and sending it staggering along a new orbit under conditions which might render human life upon the globe impossible. And the blow itself! Could life continue after such a shock, which would be greater by ten thousand times than that of the most violent earthquake known in the history of man?
And in the midst of all this rumpus, Professor Benjamin Hooker suddenly stated that he purposed going out in the Flying Ring to meet the asteroid in its fall through space, attack it with the famous lavender ray that had disrupted the Atlas mountains, and either deflect it from its course so that it should not strike the earth at all or blow Medusa into smithereens! Yet his announcement that he intended to sally forth and slay the celestial monster - like a little scientific David - did not tend to assuage the universal terror in the slightest.
PART II
THE FLYING RING
I
Bentham T. Tassifer had had a very hard day indeed. He had discovered, to his disgust, that fear is a great leveler, and that the professional dignity of a deputy assistant solicitor at the Department of Justice counted for very little when the world was on the point of extinction. Like forty or fifty million other citizens of the United States, he had attempted to participate in the scramble to "get onto the lee side of the earth,” but his efforts had been totally unavailing.
There wasn’t a chance even for him - Bentham T. Tassifer -to get further from Washington than he could be taken in a taxi. To New York, perhaps’ But New York had gone mad. Its harbor was blocked with liners, cruisers, tugs, and ferry-boats away out beyond Sandy Hook, so that there was no means of departure for those already loaded with their terrified human freight. Tassifer had expostulated, insisted, ordered, roared that it was imperative that he, if anybody, should at once secure passage for Europe. But berths on the liners sailing from Newfoundland were selling for twenty-five thousand dollars each. And he hadn’t the money. He had thought of asking for a war-ship to take him away - like a recalled foreign ambassador - but he had been informed that they were all otherwise engaged. His feelings were deeply hurt. Also, he was - although he did not admit it - agonized with fear. He was only fifty-three. And he didn’t want to die young.
He found his wife already at the supper-table and rather snippy; so he resolved to put on a brave front and laugh the matter off.
"Well,” she inquired severely, as he removed his napkin from
its ring decorated with an enameled design of the Clan McIntosh plaid, "did you get anything?"
Delicately detaching a fish-ball from its comrades, he made as if he didn’t fully understand.
"Get - anything?’’ he repeated vaguely. "Oh, you mean passage? No - that is, I didn’t take your suggestion seriously. Did you really mean that you wanted to run away?”
Mrs. Tassifer fixed him with a pair of fiery, if watery, gray eyes, and her lips drew down into a thin line.
"Bentham,” she almost hissed, "don't trifle with me! You know you are just as anxious to get away from this God-forsaken country as I am - as everybody is! Do you suppose I am going to wait here calmly for a planet to fall on my head?”
Mr. Tassifer was frightened, but he preserved his outward placidity and sampled a piece of fish-ball.
"I don’t believe a word of it,” he answered, avoiding her glance. "Who ever heard of such a thing? Asteroid—rot!”
Nobody else thinks it’s rot, as you call it!” she snapped. Rhoda certainly knows about such things, and she says it’s absolutely sure."
"Rhoda!” snorted Bentham. His wife's niece was a constant thorn in the side of his pride. He resented her cleverness, conscious that, if women got the vote, he could never manage to keep his job - some college girl would get it probably.
Well, she's a real professor, isn't she?” demanded Mrs. Tassifer, who admired her brother's daughter in spite of her intellectual superiority.
"S'pose so,” mumbled Bentham, removing a small bone from his mouth.
"Rhoda says,” continued his wife, "that Professor Hooker is going to start out in his flying machine and drive that asteroid off, so it won't hit the earth at all!”
"Ha—ha—ha!” laughed Mr. Tassifer, but without mirth.
"Ha-ha-ha!” she mocked him. "You are very irritating at times, Bentham!"
When she spoke that way, he took warning; that quiet evenness was not to be misinterpreted.
That crazy lunatic that landed on our golf-course? Bosh!” They say he is a very wonderful man,” she commented.
Bentham turned round and faced her, for he was now on safer ground.
"Look here,” he said impressively: "Take it from me, there’s nothing in it - even if Rhoda says so! I saw Seabury at the Cosmos Club last night, and he said none of the big fellows took any stock in this Hooker at all. Stands to reason, it's just — buncombe! Flying Ring! Oh, ray!”
"You know Rhoda is awful thick with that fellow just the same,” suggested his wife, a little nervously. "I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she tried to get him to take her along.”
"What!” exploded Bentham, scattering molecules of fish-ball
over the table-cloth in front of him. "Rhoda go with him? Who ever heard of such a thing! An unmarried woman! What would everybody say?”
"She hasn’t admitted it in so many words," his wife answered, "but I can tell by the way she acts. She thinks he’s the most extraordinary man that ever lived. Talks about the ’wonderful opportunity’ of flying about in space - and all that!”
"Flying fiddlesticks!” he retorted. "If she goes off with that fellow, I’ll never have her in the house again - never!’’
"Maybe there won’t be any house,” commented Mrs. Tassifer grimly.
"Don’t say that!” he expostulated. "Don’t!”
"I knew you were afraid,” she thrust at him.
"I’m not,” he answered defiantly. "I don’t believe a word of it. As for getting passage for Europe, it’s impossible - I asked at the War Department this morning. I couldn’t even get standing-room on one of those open scow-tows the cruisers are taking over. The millionaires have bought up every berth on the liners and tugs. Twenty-five thousand dollars apiece they’re asking! What chance has a poor man got, anyway, in this world?” Tears stood in his eyes.