Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-07-25
Bill Arp, Of Georgia.
HIS FIRST INTERVIEW WITH JOSH BIZ
LIN00.

LINGs.
Mr.. Carlton introduced MS at his store.
under the Fifth Avenue. josh was Q
settin' there about half asleep. I
thought he was q Methodist ex'Orter.
Mr.. Carlton, says he to me: carp
Major Arp-allow me to introduce you to
Col. Billings-Josh Billings. Col. Bill.
lings, Major Arp, from Georgy."
Seating myself, I looked at Josh and
Josh looked at me. He never said
nothin' and never said nothin' for I
still took him for an ex'orter. After Q
good long minute he opened his mouth
solem'ly and said:
"Say something"
Something ?" said for I had Just
spotted him and was looking as solem'
as possible,
"When you fed from the foul inva-
der you had steer with knot in his
tail, )" said he.
YES" said I.
is he we'll ?" said he.
81 As we'll as could be expected, con-
siderin'" said I.
"Considerin' what ?" said he.
He is dead" said I.
Billings sighed, and, wiping his eye,
said, with much feeling:
"Hence these steers"
just then Mr.. Carlton called us to
the door to see balloon sailing away
with balloonatic in it. We looked at
it as long as we could see it. After
awhile it drifted clear out of sight and
we sat down to ruminate. Billings
sighed again and the corners of his
mouth dropped very low. Said he:
The like Of that makes me very sad.
Thirty years ago embarked upon LIES
uncertain sea not the wet sea shore
enuf but the dry land. started West
with 81 and good carakter-which il
to say there were no indictments agin'
me; I wasn't runnin' away from
nothin'. I went on an explorin' expedi-
ton like Columbus and Sir John Frank
lin-an experimental survey of the face
of the earth. travelled afOot-that is q
good many feet-in fact few hundred
miles and got out of money and expe-
dients about the same time-way of at
little town in Indiana.
my natural aversion to muscular
exercise had about brought me to the
verge of bankruptcy when l spied .
crowd moving round in the suburbs.
There found little dried-up Italian
going round with hat trying to make
up ten dollars. He said he could 60 up
in his balloon for that sum and NO less.
The crowd hesitated, and talked and
laughed and joked, but they didn't
contribute. The little fellow looked
sad and discouraged, and was about to
give it up when suddenly discovered
my opportunity. ROusing myself as it
were from despair, whispered to him
and asked if he would give me all over
the ten dollars that could get. Yes
said he. Selling the hat, grew elo.
quent. let fly my homely wit and
got every body in good humor, and in
about five minutes had raked in twenty
two dollars.
1.-THE rotten old balloon was fred up
in twinkling. I helped to fire it-and
filed it so full of gas the old guy-ropes
could hardly hold it to the ground. l
saw that the little fellow looked anxious,
but felt gaily and was bound to give
him lively send off.
"When we cut the ropes he shot up
like sky rocket in less than minute
he was about mile up in. the blue
ethereal vault. 1t was . calm, still day
as you ever see, and he went up so
straight it almost broke our necks to
look at him. Up and up and up he
went until the balloon was bare speck
in the sky-and higher and higher it
went until the speck was gone, and not
even sky glass could find it.
my friends, from that day to this
nobody has ever seen or heard of that
little Italian, and somehow or somehow
else have always felt responsible for
him. Ny only hope is that he went
dead straight to heaven. May the Lord
have mercy on us all"
Billings choked up and sobbed q
little as he remarked: I've got his
part OF the twenty-five dollars, but If
he's ever heard of II pay to him and
three per cent Interest," will u'pon
honor-Arp, let's step round and take
somethin-Tm feelin' so sad."-Detroa
Free Press.