American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-12-25


ASCENSION said gentleman to me as
entered The Enclosure devoted to the areo-
nautic display He was an entire Stranger
to me; but not being supersiItious IN mat
tiers of etiquette, rs we might suppose a
gentleman of distinction to be, did not
object to this brusque mode of introduce
ton, and SO civilly answered Yes
But l shall go further to see it than
you WILL" continued the gentleman; 1"
intend to ascend with Mons. G."
You may go farther and fare worse"
said I.
- You are pleased TO be witty" said he !;
"but intend to make some examination
of those upper regions for myself-io as
certain whether the stars celestial are on
duty during the day, or whether theirs is
as much a sinecure as the Office of our
stars terrestrial. Would you like to as
cend with us:'
mo, thank you kindly" said l; in
getting into the clouds one might lose
ones self-ihe way is likely 10 be mist!
Every one to his taste; the earth has such
charms for me that l would not change a
spade ful of il for cubic milvs of blue en-
pyrean."
Vain declaration How little did l
imagine the horrors that AWARDED mel
How little did foresce my dreadful fate in
hanging between the heavens and the
earth, spectacle to laughing men, gig
Cling women and insensate, hootng boys.
We entered the Enclosure. There was
the vast silken bubble, pulling out its hol-
low checks like the face OF fat clown
when laughing, and rising and Juggling
away at the ropes as if impatient to leave
our society.
You will not accompany me?" said
nv friend; TO which replied in the mega
tive.
"Perhaps the gentleman would assist
in cutting the ropes" said the aeronaut in
French, which, singularly enough, I'M
derstood at that moment, though l never
before or since ventured to exhibit my
knowledge.
"Certainly," said 1, "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 one voice.
{" No. hold on" said another.
was bewiIdered, and did both. When
the other cut l did the same, and with the
direction to hold on l grasped the end of
the rope still near me. and held on" In
a moment more was fifty feet from the
ground.
Imagine my suspense! There was 1,
like a freshly-caught fish, dangling at the
end of o line, with the balloon represent
ing the float / cried out to my friend
and the aeronaut, but in vain. The spec
tators below, thinking l was some aerial
acrobat, who was about to turn fifty
double-somersets and then alight upon his
feet before them, chccTed sufficiently to
drown my voice. The parties in the car
could not see me. But, by the hat swung
occasionally over the side, / knew they
were bowling TO the crowd below. Mean
while was swinging like a pendulum be-
low them with only ten fingers TO sustain
the weight of $50 pounds Q'm rather
Stout, and to preserve me from being
-thinly spread over the ground beneath.
from Harding the lean earth" with my
human form divine. What an age OF ter
ror! The dome of st. Paul's became
parasol; men became nine pins; and tine
Gothic churches began to look like SO
many chicken-coops.
In the meantime my fingers stiffened,
but clutched the rope with the energy OF
despair. / had long ceased calling; had
exhausted myself. Suddenly cold per-
SEPARATION broke out upon me. L knew
my hour had come. My fingers were
slipping dom the rope! Oh, those
preached 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," were knocking
at the door, which had the effect
of restoring me to consciousness, when l
that my "terrific balloon as
cent? was nothing more than a night
mare, superinduccd, 1 am led to believe.
by the festivities usual on Christmas
Day, in which may say l INDUCED
l will not betray my
friends; but allow me to tell you that such
a dinner as they gave is not to be sneezed
at -Bosfon Tfmes