The Phoenix herald., 1879-07-05
Bill Arp. of Georgia.
HIS FIRST INTERVIEW WITH JOSH BIL-
 LINGS.

l
 LINGs.
 Mr. Carlton introduced us at his store, under the Fifth Avenue. Josh was a settin' there about half asleep. l thought he was a Methodist ex x'orter. Mir. Carlton, says he to me: Arp Major Arp-allow me to introduce you to Col. Bilhngs-Josh Billings. Col. Biz lings, Major Arp, from Georgy."
 Seating myself, looked at Josh and Josh looked at me. He never said still took him for an ex'orter. After a good long minute he opened his mouth solem'ly and said:
 Say something."
 Something ?p said I for had just spotted him and was looking as solem' as possible,
 "When you fled from the foul inva der you had steer with knot in his tail, !" said he.
 Yes," said I.
 '' Is he well ?" said he.
 s' As well 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:
 h6QC0 Lu6S0 Sto0IS.
 Just then Mir. Carlton called us to the door to see a balloon sailing away with balloonatic in it. We looked at it as long as we could see 1t. After awhile 1t 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:
 ssThe like of that makes me very sad. Thirty years ago embarked upon life's uncertain sea-not the wet sea shore enuf but the dry land. l started West with S4 and a good carakter-which is to say there were no indictments agin me; I wasn't 8 runnin' away from nothin'. I went on an explorin' expedi- tion like Columbus and Sir John Frank Than experimental survey of the face of the earth. I travelled afoot-that IS good many feet-in fact few hundred miles and got out of money and expe- dients about the same time-way off at little town in Indiana.
 sMy 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 a little dried-up Italian going round with hat trying to make up ten dollars. He said he could go 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 1t up when l suddenly discovered my opportunity. Housing myself as 1t were from despair, I whispered to him and asked if he would give me all over the ten dollars that I could get. 'Yes,' said he. Seizing the hat, l grew elo- quent. I 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 fired up in a twinkling. helped to fire it-and filled it so full of gas the old guy-ropes could hardly hold 1t to the ground. 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 a minute he was about a mile up in the blue ethereal vault. It 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. My only hope is that he went dead straight to heaven. May the Lord have mercy on us all"
 Billings choked up and sobbed a little as he remarked I've got his part of the twenty-two dollars, but if he's ever heard of I Il pay itsto him and three per cent interest," will E'pon honor-Arp, let's step round and take somethin' feelin' so sad. ."-Detrost Free Press.