Chapter 2

He was roused by another exclamation from Estelle.

“It’s getting light again,” she said.

Arthur rose and went eagerly to the window. The darkness was becoming less intense, but in a way Arthur could hardly credit.

Far to the west, over beyond the Jersey hills--easily visible from the height at which Arthur’s office was located--a faint light appeared in the sky, grew stronger and then took on a reddish tint. That, in turn, grew deeper, and at last the sun appeared, rising unconcernedly in the west.

Arthur gasped. The streets below continued to be thronged with people and motor-cars. The sun was traveling with extraordinary rapidity. It rose overhead, and as if by magic the streets were thronged with people. Every one seemed to be running at top-speed. The few teams they saw moved at a breakneck pace--backward! In spite of the suddenly topsyturvy state of affairs there seemed to be no accidents.

Arthur put his hands to his head.

“Miss Woodward,” he said pathetically, “I’m afraid I’ve gone crazy. Do you see the same things I do?”

Estelle nodded. Her eyes wide open.

“What is the matter?” she asked helplessly.

She turned again to the window. The square was almost empty once more. The motor-cars still traveling about the streets were going so swiftly they were hardly visible. Their speed seemed to increase steadily. Soon it was almost impossible to distinguish them, and only a grayish blur marked their paths along Fifth Avenue and Twenty-Third Street.

It grew dusk, and then rapidly dark. As their office was on the western side of the building they could not see that the sun had sunk in the east, but subconsciously they realized that this must be the case.

In silence they watched the panorama grow black except for the street-lamps, remain thus for a time, and then suddenly spring into brilliantly illuminated activity.

Again this lasted for a little while, and the west once more began to glow. The sun rose somewhat more hastily from the Jersey hills and began to soar overhead, but very soon darkness fell again. With hardly an interval the city became illuminated, and then the west grew red once more.

“Apparently,” said Arthur, steadying his voice with a conscious effort, “there’s been a cataclysm somewhere, the direction of the earth’s rotation has been reversed, and its speed immensely increased. It seems to take only about five minutes for a rotation now.”

As he spoke darkness fell for the third time. Estelle turned from the window with a white face.

“What’s going to happen?” she cried.

“I don’t know,” answered Arthur. “The scientist fellows tell us if the earth were to spin fast enough the centrifugal force would throw us all off into space. Perhaps that’s what’s going to happen.”

Estelle sank into a chair and stared at him, appalled. There was a sudden explosion behind them. With a start, Estelle jumped to her feet and turned. A little gilt clock over her typewriter-desk lay in fragments. Arthur hastily glanced at his own watch.

“Great bombs and little cannon-balls!” he shouted. “Look at this!”

His watch trembled and quivered in his hand. The hands were going around so swiftly it was impossible to watch the minute-hand, and the hour-hand traveled like the wind.

While they looked, it made two complete revolutions. In one of them the glory of daylight had waxed, waned, and vanished. In the other, darkness reigned except for the glow from the electric light overhead.

There was a sudden tension and catch in the watch. Arthur dropped it instantly. It flew to pieces before it reached the floor.

“If you’ve got a watch,” Arthur ordered swiftly, “stop it this instant!”