The night shift settled himself before the instruments with a look of
dreary resignation.

"Say," he muttered aloud, "you couldn't jar that feller with a
thirteen-inch bomb! He wouldn't even rub himself!"

Hood, meantime, bought an evening paper and walked slowly to the
district where he lived. It was a fine night and there was no particular
excitement in the streets. His wife opened the door.

"Well," she greeted him, "I'm glad you've come home at last. I was plumb
scared something had happened to you. Such a shaking and rumbling and
rattling I never did hear! Did you feel it?"

"I didn't feel nothin'!" answered Bill Hood. "Some one said there was a
shock, that was all I heard about it. The machine's out of kilter."

"They won't blame you, will they?" she asked anxiously.

"You bet they won't!" he replied. "Look here, I'm hungry. Are the
waffles ready?"

"Have 'em in a jiffy!" she smiled. "You go in and read your paper."

He did as he was directed, and seated himself in a rocker under the
gaslight. After perusing the baseball news he turned back to the front
page. The paper was a fairly late edition, containing up-to-the-minute
telegraphic notes. In the centre column, alongside the announcement of
the annihilation of three entire regiments of Silesians by the explosion
of nitroglycerine concealed in dummy gun carriages, was the following:

CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE FALLS

EARTHQUAKE DESTROYS FAMOUS MONUMENT

SHOCKS FELT HERE AND ALL OVER U. S.

Washington was visited by a succession of earthquake shocks early
this afternoon, which, in varying force, were felt throughout the
United States and Europe. Little damage was done, but those having
offices in tall buildings had an unpleasant experience which they
will not soon forget. A peculiar phenomenon accompanying this
seismic disturbance was the variation of the magnetic needle by over
eighty degrees from north to east and an extraordinary rise and fall
of the barometer. All wireless communication had to be abandoned,
owing to the ionizing of the atmosphere, and up to the time this
edition went to press had not been resumed. Telegrams by way of
Colon report similar disturbances in South America. In New York the
monument in Central Park known as Cleopatra's Needle was thrown from
its pedestal and broken into three pieces. The contract for its
repair and replacement has already been