Page:Weird Tales Volume 8 Number 1 (1926-07).djvu/117

116 their rare atmosphere, the cold of outer space. As the planet retreated and was lost to view even by the most powerful telescopes, the messages grew fainter, and finally ceased altogether.

By this time alarm had spread beyond scientific circles. Every serious-minded being upon the globe sought for a plausible explanation of the phenomenon.

"Now is the time for your revelation," urged La Rue. "Tell the world what you told me."

But the world at large did not approve of Henry Shipley's theory. People did not arrive at any unanimous decision. The opinion was prevalent that Mars had become so wicked and had come so near to fathoming the Creator's secrets, that it was banished into outer darkness as a punishment.

"Its fate should," they said, "prove a warning to Earth."

The scientists smiled at this interpretation. As a body of enlightened and religious men they knew that God does not object to His Truth being known, that only by a knowledge of the Truth can we become fully conscious of His will concerning us.

The frivolous, pleasure-seeking, self-centered world soon forgot the fate of the ruddy planet, and then—but that is my story!

five months to the day after the radios had first broadcast the startling news that Mars was no longer revolving around the sun, that I, James Griffin, sat at breakfast with my wife and two children, Eleanor and Jimmy, Jr. I am not and never have been an astronomical man. Mundane affairs have always kept me too busy for star-gazing, so it is not to be wondered at that the news of Mars' departure did not deeply concern me. But the whole affair was, much to my chagrin, indirectly the cause of a dreadful blunder at the office.

"Mars was closer to the sun than we are," I had remarked one day to Zutell, my assistant at the office, “but I'll bet the old war-planet is getting pretty well cooled off by now."

Zutell looked at me with a peculiar expression which I haven't forgotten to this day.

more [sic] remote from the sun than Earth?” he ejaculated. "Why, man alive, didn't you know Mars' orbit is more remote from the sun than ours?"

His manner was extraordinarily convincing, and inwardly I was mortified at my ignorance.

"It is not!" I declared stubbornly, then added weakly, "Anyhow, what difference does it make?"

His glance of amused condescension stung my pride, and from that time on his already too sufficient self-confidence increased. In his presence I seemed to be suffering from an inferiority complex. I laid the entire blame for my loss of self-confidence upon the truant Mars, and secretly wished the ruddy planet all kinds of bad luck.

But to return to the breakfast table. My wife, Vera, poured me a second cup of coffee and remarked sweetly, "The Zutells are coming over this morning, since it is a holiday, dear, to listen to the radio and see in the new televisio. You know President Bedford is to address the nation from the newly completed capitol building, which will be seen for the first time in the televisio. If you like. I'll ask the Mardens, too. You seem to like them so much."

"Hang it all," I said irritably, "can't you leave the Zutells out of it? Ed's forever rubbing in something about Jupiter or Venus, now