The Runaway Skyscraper | Page 3

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!"
Estelle fumbled at her wrist. Arthur tore the watch from her hand and
threw open the case. The machinery inside was going so swiftly it was
hardly visible; Relentlessly, Arthur jabbed a penholder in the works.
There was a sharp click, and the watch was still.
Arthur ran to the window. As he reached it the sun rushed up, day
lasted a moment, there was darkness, and then the sun appeared again.
"Miss Woodward!" Arthur ordered suddenly, "look at the ground!"
Estelle glanced down. The next time the sun flashed into view she
gasped.
The ground was white with snow!

"What has happened?" she demanded, terrified. "Oh, what has
happened?"
Arthur fumbled at his chin awkwardly, watching the astonishing
panorama outside. There was hardly any distinguishing between the
times the sun was up and the times it was below now, as the darkness
and light followed each other so swiftly the effect was the same as one
of the old flickering motion-pictures.
As Arthur watched, this effect became more pronounced. The tall Fifth
Avenue Building across the way began to disintegrate. In a moment, it
seemed, there was only a skeleton there. Then that vanished, story by
story. A great cavity in the earth appeared, and then another building
became visible, a smaller, brown-stone, unimpressive structure.
With bulging eyes Arthur stared across the city. Except for the
flickering, he could see almost clearly now.
He no longer saw the sun rise and set. There was merely a streak of
unpleasantly brilliant light across the sky. Bit by bit, building by
building, the city began to disintegrate and become replaced by smaller,
dingier buildings. In a little while those began to disappear and leave
gaps where they vanished.
Arthur strained his eyes and looked far down-town. He saw a forest of
masts and spars along the waterfront for a moment and when he turned
his eyes again to the scenery near him it was almost barren of houses,
and what few showed were mean, small residences, apparently set in
the midst of farms and plantations.
Estelle was sobbing.
"Oh, Mr. Chamberlain," she cried. "What is the matter? What has
happened?"
Arthur had lost his fear of what their fate would be in his absorbing
interest in what he saw. He was staring out of the window, wide-eyed,
lost in the sight before him. At Estelle's cry, however, he reluctantly

left the window and patted her shoulder awkwardly.
"I don't know how to explain it," he said uncomfortably, "but it's
obvious that my first surmise was all wrong. The speed of the earth's
rotation can't have been increased, because if it had to the extent we see,
we'd have been thrown off into space long ago. But--have you read
anything about