The Hickman courier., 1872-04-06

then there came the thought Of the
money, and that drove away a great deal
of my timidity, as | told myself that a
man might play such antics for bis whole
life and never fail Well, as 1 said, we
had been doing it about month, when
one evening we took our places as usual.
1t was on extra night, aud the largest
balloon was to ascend, our rope, too, was
to be heightened 70 thirty feet, and at
that distance below the car We were TO
swing about as usual.
You may say We ought to have been
used 10 it by this time; there are things,s
though, which you never do get used to,
try how you will, and this was one of
them.
The bands were playing away their
best; the people we're eagerly looking at
the half a dozen arouants who were TO
ascend; the manager of the balloon was
there the signal was given and the peo-
pie got in. Then the balloon was allow
ed to raise so high that our trapezc swung
clear, when hung by it with my legs,
hold, holding e.ossss'ssrs nay b, h1od, .,....' 0fsr
dowuwards; ana %berr-sHay we went up,
up through the soft evening air. so slow
ly that Tom hands touched the top of
one Of the elm trees as he waved about
a couple of flags.
Our custom was to hang quite still
until we were up four or FIVE hundred
feet, and then to begin our twining and
twisting, and so we did now, when Tom
pitched away the fags and We went trough
our tricks raising higher and higher,
with the faces of the dense crowd getting
mixed into 4 confused mass, and the
strains of the band growing fainter aRd
fainter, until al below vas quite mingled
in faint hum.
We had only one more trick TO do,
and that was to cast loose the bar and
each man swing by his own rope. 1 had
loOsed my end, the PRECIPITATION stream
ing down the while, and Tom had done
the same, when, swinging around towards
me with a horrible white face, he ex-
Ben, old man, IN going to
fall"
It's no use; I coulden't tell you what
! felt then if | had tried ever so, only
that 10 half second | saw Tom lying
a horrible crushed corpse far below; and
l felt so paralyzed that l thought
should have let 90 Of my own rope and
fallen myself l could act. though, and
| did, for in a fash | had given myself
a jerk forward, and thrown myself against
Tom. finging my legs round him and
holding him tightly; aud then, tired as l
was, felt that | had doubled weight to
sus a ~, for Toms rope was swinging aud
fro, and my legs clung round bis body,
his head hung down, aud l knew he must
have tainted.
How I managed to hold on, can't
tel now, for though weak with all l
had done, | managed to give hoarse
cry for help, and the next moment
heard a cry of horror from the basket
work car.
Then l felt the rope begin to jerk as
they began to haul Us up, and / managed
to shrek out: No no u for if they
had hauled any longer, they must have
jerked poor Tom from my hold.
ofteo ask myselfifi il was half an hour
or only few seconds Derore saw the
rope lowered with a big running moose,
and then I've misty notion of having
set my teeth fast on the rope, as | felt a
dreadful weight. as Of lead, dragging at
me. Then | felt that it was all over.
ana knew tndt / ldu beeu TIE ueall OF
poor Tom, for he had seemed to fall, as
| felt the rope by which I hung jerk
again violently l saw the earth below
like map, and the golden clouds up
above the great netcovered ball, aud then
a mist swan before my eyes, aud all
seemed black and thick as night
When l came too, was lying on my
back 10 the car, with a man pouring bran
~ between my lips Ny first words
we're gasped out in husky tone,
or did not know where l was; and then
remembered bursting out into quite
shrek as I cried where's Tom?'
Here, old man, he said. for they
lad managed to drag US both into the
.ar; and for the next hour we sat there
saturated with cold prespira-
ion; even the meu in he csr beiag silent,
innerved, as 1 suppose, by our narrow
escape.
Tom wanted 10 go again; but | wouldn't
ct him. Il did no. tremble," he said;
it was only a sudden fit Of giddiness
through being unwell"
went up, though many times afterwards
llone, on horses and Oh bulls; and meant
o have had car of flying swans for
grand hit, when government stepped in
md put stop it; and, as / said before,
very sorry was, for it was my living.