The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-03-12


those hours She NAV have feared
coming in collision with a meteor-fol
many were abroad that night, scouts
and heralds of the great comet-or,
| perhaps being cast away on some DESC
late star-islaud, or more dreary still,
hOatng and floating on, night and day,
til 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
the little girls wandering hand to a
cord connected with the valve some
thing told her to pull it. At once the
balloon began to sink, slowly and gent.
ly, as though some celestial pilot guided
it through the wild currents of air, not
letting it drop into lake, or river, lofty
wood, or impenetrabIe swamp, where
this strange. unchild like experience
might have been closed by death OF
unspeakable horror but causing it 10
descend as softly as a bird alights, on a
spot where human care and pity await
ed it.
The sun had nos yet risen, but the
morning twilight had come, when the
little girl, looking over the edge of the
car, saw the defr 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 a tree. Yet she saw they
were near a house whence help might
soon come, so she awakened her brother
and told him the good news, ard to-
gether they watched and watched and
waited for deliverance, huPging ca h
other for Joy and warmth, for they were
cold.
Farmer Burton, who lived in a lonely
house, on tae edge of his own private
prairie. was a famous sleeper in gen
e:al, 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 awak-
ened to inform her OF bis unaccOuntable
wakeiulness, "It's no use, I'll just get
up and dress, and have q look at the
comet"
The next that worthy woman heard
from her wakeful spouse was a haety
summons to the outer door. 1t seems
that no sooner did he step forth from
his house than his ey es fell on strange
POtCAbOOo OAOJCy AiAuE1LS Oh al id1 SS
pear tree, about twenty yards distant.
He could see no likeness in it to any
thing 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 perpIexity he
did what every wise man would do IN a
like extremity; he called upon lis
valiant wife. Reinforced by her, he
drew near the tree cautiously recon
noitering. Surely a pear tree never bore
such fruit.
Suddenly there descended from the
thing a plaintive, trembling little voice:
"Please take US down. We are very
cold"
Then a second little voice said ::
" Aud hungry, too. Please take us
down"
"Why, who ale you? And where are
you?"
TIE first little voice said: ':It's us,
and we runned away with a balloon.
Please take US down"
Dimly comprehending the situation,
the farmer, getting hold of a dangling
rope, succeeded in getting down the
balloon.
He first lifted out little Johnny, who
ran rapidly a few yards toward the
house, then turned round, and stood
for few moments, curiously surveying
the balloon. The faithful little sister
was so chilled and exhausted that she
had to be carried into the house, where,
tire milling, she told the wonderful
story.
Before sunrise mounted messenger
was dispatched to the HarwOOd home,
with glad tidings of great JOY. He
reached it in the afternoon, and few
hours later the childred arrived, in
state, with banners and music, and COW
cred hay-wagon and four.
JOY bells were Tung in the neighbor-
ing town, and in the farmers brown
house, the happiest family on the con-
tinent 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 involuntary ascension, similar to the
one | have related, but more tragical in
its termination.
An aeronaut, while, if ] remember
rightly, repairing the network of his
balloon, was seated on a slight wooden
cross-piece suspended under it the car
having been removed a few feet above
the ground by merely a rope in the
hand of an assistant. From q too care
less grasp this rope escaped, and in an
instant the gigantic bubble shot up
ward, carrying the 8ronaut on his frail
support; a rider more helpless than
Mazeppa bound to his Ukraine steed.
vOyager more helpless than a ship
wrecked sailor afoat on spar in mid
ocean.
The balloon rose rapidly, but un-
steadily, swayiug and pitching in the
evening wind. As long as it remained
in sight the form of the eronaut could
he distinguished, swinging beneath it.
Aud as he was knO to be a man of
uncommon nerve and presence of N nd,
it was hoped that even from his dizzy
perch he might manage to operate on
the valve, or at least to punctu;e a
small hole in the balloon, and thus eff
feet descent.
But such efforts, if he made any, were
vain, as for many days and nights there
was anxious inq airy 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 a wild spot, the wreck of the
balloon was found, AMI that was all.
Still, wifely love hoped on, until, a
month or two later, some children nut
ting in a wood, many miles away from
where the balloon was found, discov-
cred. half buried in the ground,
strange dark mass that locked like a
heap of old clothes, but there was a
something. shapeless and fearful, hold
ing it together
1t was thought the eronaut parted
company with his balloon by loo=ering
lis hold on the cords above him, in
desperate efforts to open the valve but
he may, after whirling in swift vortices,
or plunging and mounting, through
cloudy abysses Cf air, have become un-
nerved by the awful silence of the up
per night, by the comets ft tarful com
panionship, by whelming immensity
and infinity, and wearily let go his hold,
to drop earthward.
WEIGHT AND HEIGHT OF AMERICANS
According to q receUt work Of Mr.. B.
A. Gould, actuary TO the United States
sanitary commission, in which some
very interesting figures relative to sol
diers in the last war are given, it ap