Life — May 5, 1910 — page 44: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

OUR sPeciAL CORRESPONDENT INTERVIEWS. ScooreD An Interview With Halley's Comet (Continued from page 827) who was coming at us at the rather dis. concerting rate of fifty or sixty thou miles a minute. With that recklessness at taking corners which taxi-drivers of every class show in like situations brave Hoolahan shot our aeroplane to one side just in time to permit the comet to brush by, snorting contemptuously, Wonder you you wouldn't blockade the whole heavens! “Pat on all speed and follow! An sand mar velous quick extra fare if you catch him!" I yelled to Ho In comet would ke gone and the great in- Hoolahan jammed in the gears to fourth speed, while Mr. another moment the terview Jost forever. Snapper threw out sixteen pounds of photographers’ supplies to lighten cargo. The acropl meteor ahead like a super- ning on the com slowly, a hundred miles at a jump. Now we had crawled up three-quarters the length of his tail. Now we were even with his waist, with his elbow, with his collar. Now we were racing him neck- and-neck in a fever delirium of speed. “This must be heaven,’ muttered Hoolahan at the throttle. shot “Heaven! 1 gasped. “Sure—an open road and no speed laws."" I seized my interviewer's megaphone and leaned far out of the tonneau “Hey, there, Mr. Comet—Mr. Halley —whatever your name is!” [ screamed through space The comet was good cnough to slow down to half speed “Who's there? What is it?‘ he sang out, blowing a breath like a. blast-fur nace and regarding us with fiery balls “We are newspaper men—reporters— journalists from the earth come up here to have a little chat with you.” “Hub! muckrakers, I suppose,"? sniffed the celestial one. “ Back in 1456 a Constantinople sheet attacked my rep- utation, beginning an outrageous article with ‘God save us from the Devil, the Turk and the Comet!’ Since then I've never cared for modern journalism—too much of what Mr. Taft lent publicity.”” “But, Mr. Come! ued as affably as our perilous position would permit, “we are not that kind of jour nalists. We represent the benevolent press. Secretary Hitchcock's sentiments toward Secretary Ballinger are not warmer than ours toward you.”* calls malevo: The comet good-naturedly wagged his tail in a broad sweep extending from the Milky Way to the Little Dipper. “Hitch your airship to my radio-ac- tive belt and come along,’* he said. We hove to and hitched “We are all glad to see you back again," I observed. “Well, I'm back before Teddy, any chuckled the comet. Mr. Snap per snapped him three times as he smiled. “How fast you move!" I cried. “Yes, rather,” admitted the fiery wan- derer. “Motion is life, you know. As the stars follow their courses and the planets their zones so must a comet go scorching down its orbit. It’s the scheme of the universe. Everything in how,” nature moves, I believe.”” “You have evidently never met ‘the Hon. Joseph G. Cannon,” I sighed. The comet maintained an embarrass ing silence at this remark. You have to 1 how you mention Uncle Joe Nice day, isn't it?" I further ven tured by way of cracking the ice “How should J know?" he sniffed “A fellow in my line of business isn’t supposed to keep track of little driveling things like days. However, I venture the opinion that it's a nice age." “Tam amazed at your lack -of en thusiasm,"” I commented. “I have al ways been told that comets were of a somewhat wild and tempera ment.” “A common fallacy, my boy. People imagine that because, some time ‘way back, the comets rebelled from the orbs and broke loose from the majority that they must go on forever and forever leading the lives of perpetual insurgents Such is not the case. An eccentric orbit (Continued on poge 834) radical “THEY KNEW WHEN TO BEGIN AND WHEN To guit."" comicbooks.com