Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-11-21
Ero.a Chambers journal. I
mr.. BROWNS LAST ASCENT.


One fine summer morning. few years
/ since, there was a wonderful exciscnlen6 in
the Irish village of Baliydeoley. All the idle
men, women and rhildren III the neighbor-
hocd-coInprehending about nine-tenths of
the inhabitants-were assembled on The large,
level common, which served as race course
and bowling green; and all thronged towards
some object in the centre, which formed the
nucleus of the crowd.
g Yca, then, what S the name of it az all, at
| all p demanded one ragged gossoon.
q Is it tied to the tail of it he's going to go
up :" asked another.
| s.Ah, don't be foolish r exclaimed an old
man the ssense-carrier' of the district don't
ye see the long ropes he's going to hold ON by 2
..Well we'll" groaned an old woman, ta-
king her iudcen, or short black pipe, out of
her mouth, and sticking it. lighted as it was,
within the folds of her cross barred necker-
chief :. them English are mighty Guare pco-
! ple I'm sure that when we heard that this
Mr. Brown, with bis sacksof goold- was COM
! ing to Ritclarn, after buying out the real old
| stock of the Deasy's we tho't he'd have car
i riagcs and horses galore, and may be fine
/ Yacht in the harbor; but it never entered the
/ head of any of us that nothing less would serve
/ him than going coorsing through the air Ike
/ a Wild goose at the tail OF a baloGe, or what
| somever they cali it"
For some time past the process of initiating
the balloon had been going on and now the
! great gaily painted orb lowered tremuiUus.y
above the heads of the gaping spectators and
! pressing against the cords iy which it vas
! Ii, Id down. it seemed only to await tie arrival
OF the bold :ereaaut to dart upward on its way.
:. Here he is u exclaimed the outward
strseglers of the crowd aud presently a car
/! = nd tcfa mod ltr
| the English millionaire, who had lately be-
eosne an Irish landed proprietor. Dir. Brown.
was dapper man, whom a very small amount
of pugiiistie force would have sufsicei to lay
! level with the soil OF his adoption. lie was
Gle OF these unluckY individuals who meet an
accident at every turn-wiIo, in entering
room, Invariably slip, tumble knock down
some piece of furniture, or sit down beside
their chair instead Of upon it he seldom es-
caped apsetsing his inlssaad sending his meat
| and drink :. the wrong way" ard then cough
| ing end choking for half all hour; cutting his
! fngers, tearing his coat or knocking his fore
head against door, that he rarely appeared
in society without sears. plasters, or banda
gcs- III practiciig gymnastics lie had knock
cd eet ihrcc teeth; in yachting at Cowes he
| had been four times nearly drowned; In
shooting Oh the mooTs CT Scotland he had left
/ the grouse u.iharnied, but lad blown cF two
| cf lis own fingers. a taste fer pyrotechny
hal n;Escd handsomely lis eyebrows hair
! aud w,iskers and as to railway travelling,
! his ka;r-brcad,h 'scapcs and moving accidents
! amid collisions, ,,psets and explosions. would
haze served to have filed two or three vol
unics cfille EugliSh Railway Guide, or the
French Bibliotneque dcs Cheinin, de Fer.
1t length having tried the threc-clcmcnts
! Of Garth, Gre aud water, it occurred to Mr.
! Brown that the remaining one Of air, as
medium OF locomotion. might be moro agree
! a!5lo and could not be more perilous than the
others. he accordingly. the year Lefore,
wilen residing on his estate IN Dcrersiiire.
had purchased an excellent balloon, and.
strange to say, had i.ae.e several ascents and
! had conc doBrra agstiit i'll Posirvt safetys on
this occasion he meditated fight over the
Green Isle, and intended to come down at
! Belfast; but the lest Informed ine,nbers of
the crowd asserted that lie was going q every
step Of the way to A,neriky-o
4 London friend who had esinc to ireland
on . fishing excursion. had promised to join
| aif Brown in his fight, bet. as it would
sce.n. bis courage fai.esl. aud he cane not
! No,sisa discouraged, however. Mr. Brown
vas just 1oeut u step in his serial car. when
/ a -taii, strongly baiit man suddenly stepped
forward, yd politely soiutiag tho ;eronaut.
said
:. May ask you question. sir2"
sCertainly"
g Is It true that you arc going to America z"
q No; merely to Belfast, wind and weather
permitting"
:. Belfast" repeated the stranger, in nlu-
sing manner--" the north of Ireland Well
that is just the direction towards which
want to go, aud bate land travelling. VIII
you, sir, accept me Us a companion 2?
he really wished for some one to accompany
hun, he aa@ no serious objection TO thc plan.
and accordingly signilied his acquicscence.
merely rell'afaing to the stranger that his COS
tarae seemed too light for the regions of the
air which they would have to traverse!
:. Bah J" was the reply. = have passed
through more changes cf climate than That,
AID / am happily very robust
We'll, said Mr. Brown, looking at the
massive frame of the unknown, =. my ear il
large enough. Conc, in the name of Pravi-
dence..D So they took their places, and ths
word was given, g Let go!p
The fifteen men whose hands were severely
pressed by the straning cords, desired nothing
better, and In moment the freed balloon be-
gan to ascend maiestieally. The crowd shou-
ted and csapped their hands
:. All! = cried Mr.. Brown. this is delight.
ful. Don; you think soiy Not receiving
any answer, he turned and looked az lis fray-
cling companion. There he was lying al
most fat on his face and hands, with his head
over the side of the car his eyes were fixed,
: his hair bristling.
g Are you afraid 2, asked N,. Rrorvn