The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-11-13
,.SeltrftS Gale
THE BABES IN THE CLOUDS;
Or Comets and Balloons. q a.

W. FaaHa a y ! 81 Ia
( Just ten wears ago, there suddenly
burst upon the Western world, "a mag
nificent stranger from foreign parts,
with all his travelling glories on" 1t
was the great comet of 1898, on the
grand tour of the universe. -.
1t seemed strange that petty hTman
ife could go on as usual, with its eating
land drinking, toiling, traffiking, and
pleasuring, while that "flaming minis
ter. on his bullion-leagued circuit, was
preaching the wonders of infinite i'm
mensity aud power, and the nothing
ness of earth. But science has robbed
celestial appartions of that old porten.
tous Significance. The comet no long
er suns his kindliug1 race, like Vice-Al-
pines henchman, with his fiery cress,
announcing war and disaster. assas
S Herald Of battle, fate and lear, ~
He is on his own business not ours.
Under the tail of this ,,articularcomet
doubtless many tale of love was told
lin the light of his swift splendors
many tender look exchanged. The
astronomer coolly swept the-starry field
with hin glass, unawed by the irregular
nightguard patrollilIg the heavens, and
the robbcr aud murderer disdained The
awful witness. He left us as he found
us-ioined to our mortal idols-wise in
our conceit,, weak, and worldly, and
wicked, but no castaway OF the universe
after all. 1N
We remember that comet summer,
not so much for its great Astronomical
event, as for two singular incidents that
more nearly to, ched our human sympa-
thies, which will grovel in poor earthly
affairs even within esight-ef- the most
august celestial phenomena.
One pleasant Saturday afternoon du-
ring the comets appearance, an aero
naut after aprosperohsvoy wage, descend
ed upon far y IN the lneigllborhOod OF
a large mar ket town, In one Of the West
eru States. He was soon surrounded
by a ctI ieus group of. the farmers fam
ily and laborers, all asking eager qiles-
tons about the voyage and the manage
ment OF the balloon. That, secured by
an anchor and rope in the hand ofthe
mrouaut, its car but n foot or two above
the ground was swaying lazily backward
and forward intaeeveuiug air.f Itwas
a good deal otit of wind, and was slee-
py and innocent monster in the eyes oil
| the farmer. who. with the owners per-
| mission. led it mp to his house where, as
he said, he could .shisc il" 20 his fence.
But before he thus secured it his three
| children, aged respectively ten, eight
and three, begged him to lift them ''intc
that big basket, that they might SIT OH
"those pretty red cushiens.r While the
attention of the aerOnaut was diverted
bv more curious qliestioners from a
leighborlng farm, this rash father liite'
his darlings one by one into the ear
Chubby little Johnny proved the ''onncl
too muci'' for the @iial camel, ant
brought him to the gfound; and then
mluckily, not the baby, but the eltles
hope of the family was lifted out. fh
relief was too great tor the monster.-
The volatile creatures spirits rose a
once, he jerked his halter out of the far
mer's hand, and with o Wild boun'
mounted into the. air I Vair was tn,
eronaut's anchor. 1t caught for a mo
men. in fence, but it tore away ant
was off, dangling uselessly after th
runaway balloon. which SO swiftly an'
steadily rose that in few minutes thos
two little white faces peering over tn
edge of the car. grew indlstinet, an
those piteous cries of"Papa J" "Mam
ma !" grew faint and fainter, up in tn
air. q. o
When distance and twilight mists ha
| SWallOWeu&u up @VO1ccS ana RACES. all
nothing could be seen but the dark cru
ell shape, sailing triumphantly away
with its pre-, ious booty, like an aeri;
privateer, the. poor father sank dow
helpless and speeches.; bit the mothe
frantic with grief. still stretched he
yearning arms toward the inexorabl
heavens. aud called wildly up into tn
unanswerhig void. = 81 heaS
sThe eronaut strove to console tn
wretched. parents with assurances tina
the balloon would descend within thu
, ty miles of the town, and that all ni:gl
be we'll with the children, provided
did not come down in water, or in dea
woods In the event or its dcsccndin
in favorable spot, there was but OF
; dapger to be .apprehendedj lie thougi
, that the elder child might step out, lraN
ing the younger in the balloon. Thei
it might again rise, and continue itsvo!
aye. p. 49,,
sAh, no.nreplled the mother, "JeI
ME would never stir from the car, Will
| out johnnie in her arms J"
The balloon passed directly over Il
town, and the children seeing mar
people in the streets, stretched out the
hands ami cried loudly for help. 81
the villagers, though they saw the brig
!, little heads, heard no call 1itI
| Amazed at the strange apparItio
! | hox fh.apul1E