The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-03-11

the bottom OF the car, with his head
leaning against his sisters knee, slept as
soundly as though he were lying in his
own little bed at home, while the elder
watched through the long, long hours,
and the car foated gently on in the still
night air, till it begun to sway and rock
on the fresh morning wind.
Who can divine that simple little
child's thoughts, speculations, and wild
imaginings, while watching through
those hoursl She may have feared COM
ing i'll collision with a meteor-for many
were abroad that night, scouts and her
aids of the great comet-or, perhaps
being cast away on some desolate star
island, or more dreary still, floating and
floating on, night and day, till they
should both die of cold and hunger.
Poor babes in the clouds!
At length, happy chance, or Provi-
dence-we will say Providence-guided d
the little girls wandering hand to a cord
connected with the valve something
told her to pull it. At once the balloon
began to sink, slowly and gently, as
though some celestial pilot guided it
through the wild currents of air, not let
ting it drop into lake, or river, lofty
this strange, unchild-like experience
might have been closed by a death of IN
speakable horror but causing it to de-
scend as softly as bird alights, on a
spot where human care and pity awaited
it.
The sun had not yet risen, but the
morning twilight had come, when the
little girl, looking over the edge of the
car, saw the dear old earth coming
nearer" rising towards them," she
said. But when the car stopped, to her
great disappointment it was not on the
ground, but caught fast in the topmost
branches of tree. Yet she saw they
were near q house whence help might
soon come, so she awakened her brother
and told him the good news, and together
they watched and waited for delivGrance,
hugging each other for Joy and warmth,
for they were cold.
Farmer Burton, who lived in lonely
house, on the edge of his own private
prairie, was famous sleeper in general,
but on this particular morning he awoke
before the dawn, and though he turned
and turned again, he could sleep no
more. So, at last, he said to his good
wife, whom he had kindly awakened to
inform her of his unaccountable wakeful-
ness, cts no use, I'll just get up and
dress, and have look at the comet"
The next that worthy woman heard
from her wakeful spouse was hasty
summons to the outer door. 1t seems
that no sooner did he step forth from his
house than his eyes fell on a strange por-
tentous shape, hanging on q large pear
tree, about twenty yards distant. He
could see no likeness in it to anything
earthly, and he half fancied that it might
be the comet, who, having put out his
light, had come down there to perch
In his fright and perplexity he did what
every wise man would do III like ex-
tremity; he called upon his valiant wife.
Reinforced by her he drew near the tree,
cautiously accommodating. Surely pear
tree never bore such frAit.
Suddenly there descended from the
thing plaintive, trembling little voice
cold"
Then a second little voice said: "And
hungry, too. Please take us down."
" Why, who are your And where
are you z"
The first little voice said: cts us,
and we runned away with q balloon.
Please take us down."
Dimly comprehending the situation,
the farmer, getting hold of dangling
rope, succeeded in pulling down the
balloon.
The first lifted out little Johnny, who
ran rapidly few yards toward the house,
then turned round and stood for few
moments curiously surveying the bal
loon. The faithful little sister was so
chilled and exhausted that she had to
be carried iAto the house, where, trem-
bling, she told the wonderful story.
Before sunrise a mounted messenger
was dispatched to the Harwood home,
with glad tidings of great Joy. He reach
ed it in the afternoon, and few hours
later the children themselves arrived in
state, with banners and music, and con-
veyed in a covered hay-wagon and four.
Joy-bells We're rung in the neighboring
town, and in the farmers brown house
the happiest family on the continent
thanked God that night.
1t would seem that this comet had
some occult maddening influence on the
balloons, for during its appearance there
occurred in another Western State an in
voluntary ascension, similar to the one l
have related, but more tragical in its
termination.
An aeronaut, while, if I remember
rightly, repairing the network of his
balloon, was seated on slight wooden
cross-piece, suspended under it the car
having been removed q few feet above
the ground by merely a rope in the
hand of an assistant. From too care
less grasp this rope escaped, and in an
instant the gigantic bubble shot upward,
carrying the aeronaut ON his frail support.
The balloon rose rapidly, but unstead-
ly, swaying and pitching in the evening
wind. AS long as it remained i'll sight
the form of the aeronaut could be dis
tinguished, swinging beneath it. Aid
as he was known to be man of uncom-
mon nerve and presence of mind, it was
hoped that even from his dizzy perch he
might manage to operate on the valve,
or at least to puncture small hole in
the balloon, and thus effect descent.
But such efforts, if he made any, were
vain, as for many days and nights there
was anxious inquiry and patient search
over a wide extent of country, with no
result. We gave him up. Only wifely
love hoped on, and looked and waited.
At last in wild spot, the wreck of the
balloon was found, and that was all.
Still, wifely love hoped on, until, a
month or two later, some children nuttiug
in wood, many miles away from where
the balloon was found, discovered half
buried in the ground, a strange dark
mass that looked like a heap of old