The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-11-15
II was the same gentleman whom

not so much OH account of his overhear-
ing James incidental allusion to her legs,
if, indeed, he did overhear it, as that he
should presume to correct her statement
in regard to what the balloon was filed
with.
She "hated" that man; and could her
eyes have annihilated him on the spot he
had persisted then and therel
Jane had acknowledged her obliga-
tons to the gentleman by bowling to and
thanking him. Eliza expressed her feel
ings in the premises, not only in the
manner stated, but by tossing her head
contemptuously, and derisiyely saying:
"Gas, eh? / sh'd like to know what
kind Of gas. H'm, faint house gas, 1
know"
She didn't say this directly to, but at
the gentleman, switching her dress and
curling her lips as she spoke.
Understanding your meaning, mad
anne, in respect to house gas as you
term it." said tho gentleman, smiling, ~
would say that that is the kind of gas
ordinarily employed in balloons coal
gas"
"Cold gas-ha! hal hal Well, faint
likely they'd use hot gas, mister, and
have the balloon on fret Can't you tell
us something else?'
Jane looked at her appealingly, but
the look might as well have been di-
rected at the balloon. Eliza was In
belligerent mood. hH1
"You misunderstood me, madame.
Coal and not cold gas-gas evolved from
COAL" and the gentleman pronounced the
two words very distinctly.
"Gas revolved from coal! You can
tell real funny stories, can't you, mis-
ter T-c confident that the gentleman was
"rupnipg a saw" on her and Jane, so to
speak, or, as she would have expressed it,
Crying to stuff them up" she was de-
termined to let him know that she was
cup to snuff as it were, and not to be
"fooled," hence her derisive and ironical
utterance.
"You are in i'll humor Eliza. The
gentleman was very kind, Pm sure, to
give us the information he did. Pm
thankful, myself, and Jane glanced her
thanks to the gentleman.
'Oh, you are, Ell? Well, let him tell
how coal gas if there is any such
stuff makes balloon 60 up, and Il be
thankful too"
The speaker tossed her head and
compelled to pay tribute to the gentle
man in the shape of thanks.
"-imply, madame, because the gas is
lighter than air." the gentleman re-
spohoed. L IN 70
Lighter than ARP To Jane: ri
s'pose YOU re thanful for that most ride
ulous piece of nonsensew Very sarcas-
tic she was but turned at once upon the
gentleman: "Now, amt you smart,
mister. Coal gas lighter than air. Ha!
ha hattie ideal"
"Most assuredly i is, madame"
"'Tain't no such thing, now know
you. You're trying to stuff us up, but
you can't do it-not me you can'tp' and
she looked superior to the vain arts of
the "stufIer."
81 am not trying to stuff you, madame,
assure you. simply state a fact, that
is all, in saying that gas is lighter than
air.
"You get out; you can't fool me, 1
tell you. Nothing is lighter than air,
nothing-the idea! How can it be? Air
don't weigh nothing, and what can be
lighter?'
"Some things that you can see, mad
anne, are lighter than air-clouds and
smoke, for instance"
Eliza was tethered, as it were, but
kicked, nevertheless.
"Well, them things l s'pose is. Any
how, clouds stay up in the air. and
smoked go up. But balloons, baskets,
and people in 'em amt lighter'n air,
anyhow, if gas is. guess you can't git
over that, now," and Eliza felt conscious
of victory, if looks went for anything.
You are right there, madame - her
eyes sparkled and flashed with satisfac-
ton -" but gas is SO much lighter than
air that it will lift a weight in proper
ton to the amount confined. "A larger
balloon than that, filled, would take up
| larger number of persons or greater
weight of anything-understand?'
A! Jane nodded affirmatively, while Eliza
| looked incredulously and defiant.
H'mW she sneered, then, | s'pose
you'd tell us that balloon big enough
could carry up this big hotel and all the
people in ite.'
Most assuredly, madame"
An incredulous and derisive smile
played on Eliza's lips
What whopper! The most ridicu-
lcus thing | ever heard of in all my born
days. To Jane: :" suppose you are
thankful for that, too h M" To the
gentleman: Why, you must take us
for fools, mister! Biemby you'll be tell
ing us how heavy air is, gas being so
very light Dol Be funny, now, and
tell us"
viii, madame Air is compare
lively heavy fluid, and its weight can be
increased within certain space or de-
creased. You can rarity or expand,
compress or squeeze it, so to speak"
There, mister, that's too funny for
anything. Squeeze airl Ha! hal hal
Well, if you amt the funniest man /
ever saw, l wouldn't say sol Amt you
thankful, Jane, to him for telling us that
air can be squeezed? How Rll make the
Hackensack peoples eyes stick out when
tell 'em how heavy air is, and how it
can be squeezed. My! won't they think
me scientific, thought
Jane, as little informed as Eliza in re-
gard to the subject expounded by the
gentleman, but who felt that he was
honestly stating the facts for the in
formation of herself and Eliza, again
cast an appealing glance at the latter,
who, riding the high horse of disputa-
ton, needed not the glance.
Smiling and unruffled, the gentleman
continued: