Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-25
viz. JOSIAH SMITHS BALLOON
JOl'RNEN,

Thrilling Stor, OF .E,iaI Navigation.
1t would be an injustice to Josiah to
suppose that he limited his quest in the
field of knowledge to that particular por
ton Indicated by his honorcd association
with distinguished society. He was
proud in his modest way, if the paradox
he permitted, when he produced his card,
on which was engraved "Josiah Smith,
+. Il. $. A." Also it was known among
his friends that casual references to his
great work on underground England
were not displeasing to him. But, rs he
was wont to say, "Thc surest way of find
ing either mental or bodily recreation is
to seek it in fresh fields of labor
Thus it came to pass one evening in
the Spring of this year that Josiah, hay
ing slut himself i'll all day with the de-
termination to make up for lost time,
found he had, with the aid of cold tea
and wet bandages, added IA much rs half
a page to his great work. Feeling the
need of little change of thought and
association, he had availed himself Of m
invitation kindly sent to him to join the
meeting of an eronautic society. Josiah
had listened with profound attention to
the various speeches made, and had
thought, really, when he had n little
more time he would devote it to the fas-
cinating science of aronautics.
Among the guests of the society," anu
indeed the hero of the evening, was Capt.
Mulberry, the famous giardsman, who
devoted much natural talent and Il con-
siderable portion of his life to the en-
deavor either to kill or hopelessly MAIN
himself. Evil fortune had kept his
sword stainless, ms far rs regular warfare
went, but there was generally II little
lighting going ON somewhere, and, the
Captains leave of absence coinciding, he
from time to time managed to sniff the
exhilara.ing smell of powder, and knew
the music OF bullet and shell. These
things were surrounded with difficulties.
1t obviously would not do for man bear
ing her Majesty's commission to lend his
sword to one or other belligerents in n
conflict between nations Mt peace with
England In country like Spain, for
example, things naturally run little ir-
regularly, and the Captain being on the
spot may have occasionally lapsed into
battle.
But these We're mere episodes. Having
tried most things. he had taken to bal
looming, as Offering the largest amount of
risk in the least possible space of time
He had been up in all kinds Of balloons
i'll all possible circumstances, and had
come down in various ways. He had Just
now achieved great feat, making voy-
age from the Grampian Hills to the Ork-
ney Islands. The society, desiring to do
him honor, has invited him to this meet
ing, and Josiah had heard him describe
his perilous voyage.
"A mere nothing" he said "perhaps
little difficult gong, but nothing at all
coming back. The difficulty in going out
was to drop on the Orkneys. The place
liz SO small that when You are up in the
air it looks as if You might as well try ia
drop on pins point. But, after all, il
was nothing-a mere nothing, gentle
men, assure you. Any one of you could
have done the same.
Every one in the room was delighted
not less with the Captains gallantry thar
with his modesty, Many moving stories
Of his escapes were retailed. Josiah lis
tened with enthralled attention to an ad
venture which it seems the Captain hat
had in Spain, and which Josiahs com
panion "a bald-headed gentleman witt
spectacles) narrated with great effect
Mulberry, in one of the marches of tn,
Carlists. to whom he had attached him
the enemy They locked him in m,
kitchen of a farmhouse near mentioninl
,nc;Jentoi,v flint in tho mornin0 the,
would shoot him. They took aWay hi
sword md nistols md would have take,
his umbrella but the CAPTAIN pleade,
hard for its society. declaring that from
early boyLood he Ind never been able d
sleen without an umbrella under his nil
low The Spaniards had heard much O
the eccentricity of Enelishmen. and no