The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-10-10

when I felt good mother earth under
my feet.
Ny friend Laughton gave me tick
ct, certifying to the fact of my exploit
assuring my friends that for the last
thirty minutes L had been far above the
planet, and rushed home.
1 had no sooner told my story at the
table than my plucky little wife said:
"Well, if you can go up in balloon
so can L"
"Youl Up in balloon9" My eyes
were wide open.
"Yes, 1, and up in a balloon Why
not? After dinner 1 shall take a TRIP
to the moon, or as near to that very re-
spectacle orb as l can get"
1 supposed that she would regard me
as fit subject for a lunatic asylum
when 1 told what 1 had done, but ]
| found she only envied me my exalted
position, and determined to go as much
higher as circumstances would permit
Such is life, and such is woman.
tried to reason with her, but who
ever got the better Of his wife in an
arguments She had two reasons for to
every one against.
Ii she will she will you may depend ont;
1fshe won't she won't, and there the end ont"
These two lines are the battle cry OF
| freedom with the other sex, so l sub
mitted with as good grace as l could
extemporarily master.
When we reched the roadstead where
the Castle in the Air was anchored the
sun broke through the clouds, and we
were assured by the professor that we
should have a splendid view. After
climbing into the car, and taking our
seats, the signal was given, and slowly
| we began to leave the earth. This time
there were two persons who clutched at
the ropes, and our pulses ran up from
the normal seventy-two into the nineties.
There were the houses far below pre-
senting their roofs and their chimneys
to break our fall in case of accident.
The sad thought was that we should
have to drop more than five hundred
feet in q straight line before we could
even land on chimney. We did not
seem to be going away from the earth,
but the earth appeared to be dropping
away from us. The elegant carriages Of
Columbus Avenue looked small enough
to hang on ones watch-chain for charms,
and as for the human beings, the effect
of our elevation was very peculiar. We
saw them, of course, greatly shortened
They seemed to be not more than foot
or eighteen inches long. But when
they walked we could see the full length
of the stride. 1t was a very curious
sight-men only foot long, taking
steps three feet in length. The old
seven-league boots seemed no longer O
myth.
Pretty soon caught the professor
emptying huge sand-bag.
"What for, sir :" said.
"To go up higher" he answered.
1 looked at the little woman who sal
beside me, and said:
Higher Z"
A nod in the affirmative.
There's pluck, said in my heart, and
in half-a- minute we could look down
on the entire city, and far out into the
bay beyond the lower light, and upon
Brookline, Dorchester, Charlestown
and, indeed, upon such view that one
could hardly speak so impressed wa.
he with the the magnifcence of the
great picture that lay far, far beneath
him. To say that we enjoyed it, aftel
the terpidation was over, is to speak il
feeble language. Who would not enjoy
sitting in the lap of a friendly CLOUD
and looking down upon miles on miles
OF green pasture and throbbing city p?
But all excitement must end, SO w,
took an affectionate farewell of the up
per air. and of the mists that brushed
us, and soon stepped again upon th'
planet, glad to have been for once " VI
above the world so high"