"He did not tell me what this wonderful possibility was, and a few
minutes later I left the laboratory, intending to return after a late
class. But a telegram from Phoenix was at my rooms, calling me home. My
father was seriously ill. It was June before he recovered his health.
Consequently I had to forego college until the next season.
"'Old Reubens is going dotty,' said one of my classmates to me. Rather
disturbed, I sought him out. I saw that there were dark circles of
sleeplessness under his eyes and that his face had grown thinner.
Somewhat diffidently I questioned him about his experiments. He
answered slowly:
"'You will recollect my telling you that the super-atomic-microscope
had opened up another wonderful possibility?'
"I nodded, sharply curious now.
"'Look.'
"He led the way into his workshop. The super-atomic-microscope, I
noticed, had been altered almost out of recognition. It is hopeless for
me to attempt describing those changes, but midway along one side of
its length projected a flat surface like a desk, with a large
funnel-shaped device resting on it. The big end of this funnel pointed
towards a square screen set against the wall, a curious screen
superimposed on what appeared to be a background of frosted glass.
"'This,' said the Professor, laying one hand on the funnel and
indicating the screen with the other, 'is part of the arrangement with
which I have established communication with the world in the atom.
"'No,' he said, rightly interpreting my exclamation, 'I am not crazy.
For months I have been exchanging messages with the inhabitants of that
world. You know the wave and corpuscular theories of light? Both are
correct, but in a higher synthesis--But I won't go into that. Suffice
it to say that I broke through the seemingly insuperable barrier
hemming in the atomic world and made myself known. But I see that you
still doubt my assertion. Very well, I will give you a demonstration.
Keep your eyes on the screen--so----'
"Adjusting what seemed a radio headpiece to my ears, he seated himself
at a complicated control-board. Motors purred, lights flashed, every
filament of the screen became alive with strange fires. The frosted
glass melted into an infinity of rose-colored distance. Far off, in the
exact center of this rosy distance appeared a black spot. Despite the
headpiece, I could hear the Professor talking to himself, manipulating
dials and levers. The black spot grew, it advanced, it took on form and
substance; and then I stared, I gasped, for suddenly I was gazing into
a vast laboratory, but depicted on a miniature scale.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account