Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1849-02-03
From the Yankee Blade.
THE DUTCHMAN AND THE BAL
LOON
BY FALcoNBRIpGE.


uonably looks a teetie "supernatural-like, !"
and, no doubt, makes their hair rise about
as suddenly as 60 breadstuiis" do semi-occa-
sionally.
The Pennsylvanians arc great on balloon
ing, that State having produced about ba-
ker's dozen of aerial experimentaiists, whose
performances have been attended by no dis
asters, some pecuniary advantage---to the
@ronauts-and considerable addition to the
general stock of useful science. Some years
ago, u baloonist named West, made several
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
krout, took it into his head TO pay visit to
some of his equally Dutch .frenis in the
aforesaid Lancaster comfy. Nick Morgan
was the old farmers name-simple and
honest he was rs the day is lcng-wilh not
ten consecutive ideas beyond the daily rou-
tine of his farm railroad aud locomotive
he had never seen, and as to the matter of
balloons, they were altogether such contri-
vances as he had never dreamed or heard
of. Mounted upon his old sorrel mare,
with few edibles, aud clean shirt or two
in his saddle bags, old Nick started on his
tour To Pennsylvania.
Tbs cro,c had proceeded old Nick some
few days in his visit, and he hustled 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 of a little hill, when voice bawled
out
" Hurry on, old mani want to pitch
my grapple into the hill sIde-hurry, hurry !"
The old sorrcl pricked up her ears, and
old Nick's eyes Z" poushed out" considera-
bly,, and he screwed and twisted them be-
hind and before, right, left, and down below,
yet nothing could he see, when still louder
and more stentoriap than before, came the
same awful voice
"Come, come, old codger, hang you, ride
on, ride on, say, or I'll pitch square on TO
you'll"
The old man was bewildered, alarmed.
horrlied He refined up the old mare, and
the poor old "critter,' rs terrified as her
master, trembled like leaf! Old Nick's
eyes fairly hung out in every direction but
upwards--buI not the first ghost of u thing
could. be see, save the hill on which he stood
transfiyod, and few old stumps close by.
To these old stumps, West, the mronaut
who was some hundreds of feet in the
air, just over the Dutchman--wished TO fas-
ten his graphing iron and stop his balloon !;
as night was approaching, aud no better spot
could be easily found, there and then West
was extremely anxious to alight. But the
old fellow and his horse materially ipteriered
with this arrangement. Time was every
thing just then, the gronaut did not wish to
hook up the traveller, nor loose his balloon,
SO, getting veyed at the Dutchman's delay,
down West throws his grapple attached to
many iathoms of strong cord, but which
proving leetle too short, just liz upon the
hind qarters of the old sorrel, hooked the
Dulchman's coat tail, and clamped the back
part of the saddle tight as wax At this
critical juncture, a puff of wind bounced
the balloon upwards, and lifted 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 balloon over head,
she bottled as if the veritabe sold Nick"
himself was after her.
There, you internal old donkey, you,"
bawled the mronaut as he was sailing away,
+" there you are, cuss you, knew i'll
Old Nick revived in time to hear this
and get one glimpse of the fly
ing machine, when up he bounced, and after
his mare he went ten miles an hour.
On, on he splurged, until not two ounces
Of vital air filed his breathing apparatus
over the fence of his relatives grounds Nick
flew, and up the lane he Travelled, hustled
into the house, foamed, fuGled, and cut up
such wondrous strange did0es that his wife
and friends believed he had gone stark mad
Exhausted quite, the poor fellow threw
himself down upon the bed, and to all the
coribned efforts OF his friends, the tongue
of Nick Morgan refused to operate and un /
rayel the mystery. At length his Uroc es-
sayed--
Nicholas, vat ish dc matter NIT your
Umph, speak, aud tell your wife vot der
matter ish, umphi''
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 doIeful groan.
d" Methodist mine tere husbant, vat ish de 4
matter, umphr
Another IpOk and another dreadful groan. (
- Nichola Nicholas, Wy don't ye tell me
vats de matteri''
The old man rose up little, stared around,
,aught hold OF his wiie's arm 10 satisfy him
lelf that she tcgs there, real flesh and blood,
hen, in voice low and strong, betokening
he deep soleInuity of his feelings, he spake:
Z" I've commemorative seen him"
The friends all huddled around, the Urop
eaned over the bed, and, with a voice Of
ixtreme anxiety, asked
Z" Seen him? who vos it got you seeI"
olive seen himl''
" Whoi' cried all the friends.
{" Der Di-yilm
" Der Di-yil?' echo the whole group Of
listeners.
" faasl an hol mine Got, rat pig pag
e carries on has shOuIsersf'
The L. ). COMMISSIONER TO CBrEA -
djusted his dispute with Gov. Gen. Sue