Presbyterian College - Pac Sac Yearbook (Clinton, SC)

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18 THE COLLEGIAN Q Qtritiral Hlumenf' At the time when I first chanced to meet Charles Lamb, he had been working for ive years as a switchman in Pittsburg for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was a large rustic-look- ing fellow and had a most peculiar carriage of himself, es- pecially when in a hurry to get to his work. But when one had a chance to become acquainted with him and learn the heart which he carried always, the outside faults became less noticeable, and the smile and the whistle which he always had with him gave evidence of the whole-souled, good-natured fel- low that he was. Soon after he had taken this new position, he was married to Anne Stovall, with whom he lived very happily. I soon found out that they were very much devoted to each other and to their little daughter, Mary who at the time of my story was four years old, but that at time they let their high tem- pers, of which both were possessors, get the better of them. It was this unfortunate perversity of temper that brought about the incidents which I am going to relate. One morning they were quietly eating their early break- fast, before he should get off to his work, when the silence was suddenly broken. Well, I'll tell you Anne, said Charles, I think you had better stay at home today, for the clouds look threatening, as if we might have a cool damp day, even if it is the twentieth day of May, and Mary, as you know is threatened with pneu- monia. '4But Charles, she began pleadingly, you don't seem to realize that I have been cooped up here in the house ever since last Thanksgiving day. You men get out so often that you cannot realize how hard it is to stay housed up a Whole winter. I have counted so much upon a day out of the noise and hubbub of the city, and the excursion today, to be run by Cousin Harry out to the falls, gives me such a good opportun- ity for this, and besides, it is uncertain when I may be able

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THE COLLEGIAN 17 slackened the mad pace at which we were flying and again opened the hood to our apartment. The air was very cool and invigorating at that height. Suddenly I saw something which looked like a huge broad-backed bird arise from one of those bright spots and go to another. I decided that this must be the means of travel used by the inhabitants. We had sailed downward a good bit when the Professor suggested that we look about a little before we landed. I agreed to this readily, as I was anxious to see all of Mars that it was possible for me to see. VVe flew over many of the mir- ror-like spots and found them to be cities, the houses of which seemed to be constructed of some highly polished material that reflected the sunlight and gave them the appearance of mirrors at a distance. The inhabitants seemed to be very tall and slender, but we could not tell much about them, as we were several hundred feet in the air. We also got a close view of several of the huge bird-like things which we had seen from above. These proved to be airships, not at all like the one we were in, or even any I had ever seen on the earth. They were built on the same principles as our sailing birds. After sailing along this way for some time, the Professor said it was time to land, so we selected a small city some dis- tance ahead of us. Soon after we started to circling down- ward, something unexpected happened. I heard a loud explo- sion and then felt myself to be falling through the air and knew no more. I regained consciousness with a jump and found myself sitting in a chair with the Professor bending over me. What has happened. I asked him. His reply was, Nothing more than that you have been asleep more than five minutes. By-the-by your strange behavior almost made me forget what I was waiting to ask you: Don 't you want to take a ride with me in my new airship? 4,77 H. K. S.

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