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Blackwood, Algernon, 1869-1951

"The Extra Day"

The very earth seemed breaking into bits
about them. And then they knew.
It was the End of the World that their prophets had long foretold.
It crashed upon them before they had time to think. The roar was
appalling. The whole lawn trembled. The daisies bowed their little
faces in a crowd. They had no time even to close their innocent eyes.
Before a quarter of their sweet and happy life was known, the End
swept them from the world, unsung and unlamented. Two of them who had
planned Eternity together fell side by side before one terrible
stroke....
"I do believe--" said Judy, brushing her tumbled hair out of her eyes.
"Not possible!" exclaimed Uncle Felix, sitting up and stretching
himself like a dog. "It's a thing I never do, _never_, _NEVER!_ I
think my stupid watch has stopped again...."
They stared at each other with suspiciously sleepy eyes.
"Promise," she whispered presently, "promise never to tell the
others!"
"I promise faithfully," he answered. "But we'd better get up, or we
shall have our heads cut off like--all the other daisies."
He pulled her to her feet--out of the way of the heavy mowing machine
which Weeden was pushing with a whirring, droning noise across the
lawn.


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