Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1863-07-09
Terrlflc Balloon Adrenlnrc.

lCIGlulC uhllVOu Aut6utAECt
You are about 10 witness Monsieur
G's ascension, said a gentleman % me
as entered the enclosure devoted tC
The aromatic display. He was an en-.
tire stranger 10 me but not being su-
perstitions tn matters of etiquette, al
we might suppose gentleman Of dis.
iinctionH 10 be, did not object 10 thi:
brusque mode Of introduction, and 80
eiyiiy answered Eyes"
''Bus I shall 60 farther to see il than
you will.' continued the gentleman
Il intend 10 go with Monsieur G."
"You may 60 faster and fare worse,
said /.
"You are pleased to be witty" said
be; ''but / intend 10 make some exam
ination of those upper regions for my
self-to ascertain whether the stars ce.
lestial are on duty during the day, or
whether theirs. Is as much sinecure as
Ihe officers Of our stars terresirial.-
Would you like to ascend with Us
No, thank you kindly said II; in
getting into the clouds one might loose
oneself-the way IS likely TO be MIST
Every one 10 his taste; the earth has
charms for me that / would not change
spadeful of il forcubic miles Of the EN-.
pyrean. / am no poet"
Vain declaration! How little did ]
imagine the horrors which awaited me
How liule did foresee my dreadful
fate ID hanging between the haevens and
The earth, spectacle 10 laughing men,
giggling women, and insensale hooIing
boys!
We entered the enclosure. There
was the vast silken bubble. putting Out
It's hollow cheeks like the face of fal
clown when laughing. and tugging away
at The rope, as if impatient 10 leave our
society.
You will not accompany me !'' said
my friend 10 which ! replied in the neg
ause.
perhaps The gentleman. would assist
in cutting the rope" said the eronnait
in French, which. singnlaIly enough, |
understood at that moment, though |
never before or since veniured tn exhibit
my knowledge.
Certainly" said | %with pleasure. F"
THANK yon' said the eronaul please
take your station"
He aud my friend entered the car. /
grasped the rope and awaited the order,
Ia a moment more il came.
"Cuir' said one voice. "No hold on
said another.
was bewildefed and done both.--
When the others cut j did the same, and
with the direction TO bold on, grasped
the end of the rope still near me, and
,.held on" In moment more was
fifty feet from .she ground.
Imagine my suspence (! There was |
like feshy caught fish. dangling al the
end of The line, with the balloon repre-.
senling the float / cried on. to my
friend and the Hronaut but in vain
The spectators below, thinking | was
some aerial acrobat who was about 10
turn fifty doubble summerseis and then
light upon his feet before them. cheered
sufficiently to drown my voice. The
parties in the car could not see me-
But by the hal, swung Occasionally over
the side, / knew they were bowing to the
crowd below. Meanwhile / was swining
below them, with only ten fingers TO sus-
tain the weight of one hundred AID
eighty pounds tI am rather slout) and to
preserve me from being thinly spread
over the ground beneath from Harding
earth" with my human form divine.
What an age of terror. The dome of
ST Paul became q parasol men bacayne
nine pins and fine gothic churches be-
gan to look like so many chicken coops
In the meanume my singers stiffened
but clutched the rope wllh the energy.
OF dispair. 1 had long ceased calling.
i had exhausted myself. Suddenly
cold presperatiOn broke out upon me
| knew my hour had come My fingers
were slowly slipping down the rope
Oh those agOnizing moments Inch by
inch | approached my doom. First the
left hand lost its hold and then as [
felt the end slipping BY the little finger
of the right, ] gave one brief prayer and
tell--ouT OF BED
Being. as I before observed, a corpu-
lent man. my fall had shaken The whole
house. and the alarmed inmates. arous-
ed from 'sweet slumbers, were knock
ing violently at The door, which bad the
effect Of restoring me 10 consciousness,
when discovered that my ''terriific bal
loon ascent" was nothing more than
nightmare, superinduced, / aIa led TO be-
lieve by the fesliviues usual on----day,
in which NAV saw I indulged some
,vha, on Rfonaav last. .lin---No. / will
not betray my friends but allow 20 zen
you, dear reader, that such Snanglel
dinner as they gavellA not p Oe sneezeo
at.
Il is beautiful saying Of somebody
that gratitude is the music of the heart
when its chords are swept BY the gentle
breeze of kindness. , Many hearts, how
ever. might as well be strung with bed