Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1848-12-30
"a Nunrerous Aketeh.
THE DurcnMAN AND THE BALLOON.
ny FALcoNBRIpcE.

"A great many Cur1OuS ana IaCeuOuStnlnSS
have been told of aeronauts, and their aeri-
al carriages 'yclept balloons. A balloon
making descent on or near people who
have never seen such flying machine, un-
questionably looks leefle ssaaper-natural-
like" and, no doubt, makes their hair rise
about as sudden as "bread stuffs" do semi
occasionally.
The Pennsylvanians are great on balloon
ng,thatState having produced about bakers
dozen Of aerial experimentalists whose per-
formances have been attended by no disas-
tiers, some pecuniary advantage the ae-
ronauts--and considerable addition to the
general stock of useful science. Some years
ago, balloonist, named West, made sever
al voyages to the upper regions from the
town OF Lancaster, Lancaster county, Pa.
About the same period, Dutch farmer
from the interior of New York State, Dutch
as sour kroh took it into his head to pay
visit to some OF his equally Dutch ffenfs in
the aforesaid Lancaster county. Nick Nor
gan was the old farmers name-simple and
honest he was as the day is long-with
not ten consecutive ideas beyond the daily
routine of his farm; railroad and loco
motive he had never seen, and as to the
matter of balloons, they were altogether
such contrivances as he had never dreamed
nor heard of. Mounted upon his old sor-
rel mare, with few edibles, and clean
shirt or two in his saddle bags, old Nick
started on his tour to Pennsylvania.
The wow had preceded old Nick some
few days in his visit, and he buslled along
to join her.
Jogging along quietly and unsuspecting,
not far from his journeys end, the old far
mer and the old mare were crawling up
the slope ola little hill, when voice bawl-
ed out
"Hurry OH, old man I want to pitch
my grapnel into that hill side-hurry, hur-
rym
The old sorrel pricked up her ears, and
old Nick's eyes ''pouched out" considera-
Bile, and he screwed and twisted them be-
hind and before, right, left, and down be-
low, yet nothing could he see, when still
louder and more stentorian than before,
came the same awful voice
"Come, come, old codger; hang you,
ride on ride on, l.say, or I'll pitch square
on to you %
The old man was bewildered, alarmed,
horri6ed He reigned up the old mare,
and the poor old s'critter," as terrified as
her master, trembled like leaf Old Nick's
eyes fairly hung out in every direction but
upwards-but not the first ghost Of thing
could he see, save the hill on which he
stood transfixed, and few old stumps close
by.
To these old stumps, West, the aeronaut
who was some hundreds of feet in the
air, just over the Dutchman-wished to
tasten his graphing iron and stop his bal
loon; as night was approaching, and no
better spot could be easily found, :here and
then West was extremely anxious to alight.
But the old fellow and his horse materially
interfered with this arrangement. Time
was everything just then; the aronaut did
not wish to hook up the traveller, nor lose
his balloon, SO, getting vexed at the Dutch
mans delay, down West threw his grap-
mel, attached to many fathoms of strong
cord, but which, proving isstts too short,
just lit upon the hind quarters of the old
sorrel, hooked the Dutchman's coat tail, and
clamped the back part of the saddle tight
as wax! AT this critical juncture, puff
of wind bounced the balloon "r-,atus, and
I:a~l the mare clean and clear off her hind
legs, and but for the girth parting, the. poor
quadruped, Dutchman and all, might have
been carried bodily off! The old mare
turned up her eye just as the girth of the
saddle broke, and, espying the great bal
loon over head, she bolted as if the verita-
BILE sold Nick" himself was after her!
Poor Nick Morgan. his coat tail came
out by the roots, and he and the saddle were
hitched and hauled forty rods down the
hill, where, with all the breath knocked out
Of his body, the poor old man lay stretched
out, like spread eagle.
"7here, you internal old donkey, YOU"
bawled the aronaut, she was sailing away,
"fhere you are, cuss you'll knew itw
Old Nick revived in time to hear this
malediction, and get one glimpse of the
flying machine, when up he bounced, and
after bis mare he went ten miles an hour !.
On, on he splurged, until not two ounces
OF vital air filled his breathing apparatus
over the fence of his relatives grounds Nick
flew, and up the lane he travelled, hustled
into the house, foamed, fumed, and cut up
such wondrous strange didoes, that his
wife and friends believed he had gone stark
mad
Exhausted quite, the poor old fellow
threw himself down upon the bed, and to
all the combined efforts of his friends, the
tongue of Nick Morgan refused to operate
and unravel the mystery. At length his
roD essayed-
"Nicholas, vat ish de- matter NIT you
Umph, speak, and tell your wife vot der
matter ish, umph!'
No reply, but turning his head over, and
looking at his wife and friends with all the
subdued tenderness Of dying calf, the old
fellow offered up heavy dolclul groan.
"Nicholas! mine tere hushbant, vat ISL
de matter, umph |"
Another look, and another dreadful groan
"NicholaS, Nicholas, w don't ye tell M
vats de matter!"
The old man rose up little, stared around
caught hold Of his wife's arm to satisfy him
sell that she ,cas there, real flesh and blood
then, in voice low and strong. betoken.