The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-12-31


G.. 5 ascension, " said gentleman TO me,
as entered the inclosure devoted 10
the aeronautic display. He was an en-
tire stranger 10 me; but not being SUI
perstltious in matters Of etiquette, as
we might suppose "a gentleman Of dis
Junction" 10 be, | did not object TO this
brusque mode Of introduction, and so
civilly answered "Yes.n
but ! shall go further TO see it than
you WILL continued the gentleman; IL
intend 10 ascend with Monsieur G.. ~
''lou may 90 further and fare worse"
said /.
You are pleased TO be witty" said
he; "but intend TO make some exam
nation of those upper regions for my
self-to ascertain whether the stars ce-
lcstial are on duty during the day, or
whether theirs is as much sinecure as
the office Of our stars terrestrial.
Would YOU like TO ascend with US? ''
"No, thank you kindly said sin
getting into the clouds one might lose
ones self-the way is likely to be mist
Every one 10 his taste; the earth has
such charms for me that would not
change "A spadeful of it for cubic miles
of the blue empyrean.n
Vain declaration How little did /
imagine the horrors that awaited mel
How little did | foresee my dreadful
fate in hanging between the heavens
and the earth, a spectacle 10 laughing
men, gigglng women, and insensate,
hooting boys.
We entered the inclosure. There was
the vast silken bubble, putting out its
hollow cheeks like the face of a fat
clown when laughing, and rising and
tugging away at the ropes as if impa-
tient 10 leave our society.
"lou will not accompany me?' said
my friend to which | replied in the
negative.
''Perhaps the gentleman will assist in
cutting the ropes" said the aeronaut,
in French, which, singularly enough,
understood at that moment, though |
never before or since ventured TO exhib-
il my knowledge.
Certainly, " said l, "with pleasure.
THANK YOU" said the aeronaut;
''please take your station
He and my friend entered the car.
grasped one Of the ropes and awaited
the order In moment it came.
"Cut," said the voice.
mo, hold on, . said another.
was bewildered, and did both.
When the others cut did the same, and
with the direction to hold on graSped
the end of the rope still near me and
" held on" In a moment more was
80 feet from the ground.
Imagine my suspense There was |,
like freshly caught fish, dangling at
the end Of line, with the balloon rep
resenting the float. cried out to my
friend and the aeronaut, but in vain.
The spectators below, thinking | was
some aerial acrobat, who was about to
turn fifty double somerSets and then
alight upon his feet before them, cheer
ed sufficiently TO drown my voice. The
parties in the car could not see me.
But, bv the hat swung occasionally over
the side, knew they were rowing to
the crowd below. Meanwhile | was
swinging like pendulum before them,
with only ten fingers TO sustain the
weight Of one hundred and eighty
pounds q am rather stout). and 10 pre-
serve me from being thinly spread over
the ground beneath. from Harding the
lean earth" hmy human form divine
What an age Of terror The dome of
st. paul's became a parasol; men be-
came nine-pins and fine Gothic church
e. began to look like so many chicken
coops.
In the meantime my fingers stiflened,
but clutched the rope with the energy
of despair. | had long ceased calling;
| had exhausted myself. Suddenly "A
cold pcrspration broke out upon me;
knew my hour had come Ny fingers
were slipping down the rope, Oh, those
agonizing moments, Inch by inch |
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
fell-out Of bed
Being. as | before observed, corpu-
lent man, my fall had shaken the whole
house. and the alarmed inmates, aroused
from +" sweet slumbers, F" were knocking
violently at the door. which had the eff
feet of restoring me to consciousness,
when | discovered that my terrific bal
loon ascent was nothing more than a
nightmare. superinduced, am led to be-
lieve, by the festivities usual on Christ
mas day. in which | may say INDUCED
somcw hat-Nol | will not betray my
friends; but allow me to tell YOU that
such dinner rs they gave is not To he
sneezed at Boston Times.