Daily Kennebec journal., 1882-08-09
GaIes aao Skftfbes.
sxIrH.s BALLOON JOURxEY.
fContinued from Yesterday. J

you've no engagement, and if you bad
Won couldn't find it by holding your book
upside down. You come along with me.
There's not the slightest danger. and it's
not every man who has crossed the chan
mel in balloon"
"The ChaDnel.'' cried Josiah feebly.
He had thought of some little excursion.
Perhaps In the fields 10 or % miles off. II
don't think would like to start with the
Channel. Suppose We begin somewhere
else and try the Channel later on. 1t will
be he ter-if anything happened, you
know-to have the water warm"
"Nopsense. said the Captain. .cheerily
1--WE shall never be nearer the water illan
1000 feet. Well dine in Paris tomorrow
night, and I'll take you 10 the Closerie
after dinner 1t xill do 'hem good TO see
you there. Now that. settled. and you d
better go to bed straight off. Well have
to he up early in the morning TO catch the
mail train for Dover. I've got my balloon
there's all ready and wei start about noon.
This was perfe' tly horrible. Josiah
felt - il it was hideous nightmare, and
he had dim hope that presently he would
wake up.
"Ill see you don't oversleep yourself.
were the last words of the Captain as he
went off "I'Il look you up and take You
down to Victoria in my hanson. You
nerdn'i bring any luggage, You know. A
clean shirt and Il toothbrush will see you
through"
Thus faded Josiah's last aud secret
hope, one he had cherished even whilst
he drank his claret and talked boldly of
aerial navigation. He might, he had
thought. peradyenture oversleep himself
and miss the train, and all wonld be well.
But the Captain would call for him, and
there was plainly no escape.
How he got to Dover he did not know.
II all seemed dream. He had a dim rec
objection of the Captain laundering AT his
door at 6 O'Clock in the morning. He re-
membered lighting his Etna, making his
cup of coffee and thinking as he drank it
IL might be his last. Then they must have
caught the train. In fact. he remembered
the sound of the rushing carriage, the
darkness of the tunnel. the glories of the
dawning day, and telt around him the
bright fresh sunlit air that made ali nature
glad.
They drove out 10 the balloon, which
was down by the gas-works. and was now
in process of imitation. Josiah looked
upon the monster. swerving first TO the
right and then to the left, and threatening
every moment to break Its bonds and 90
off on its own account. There settled
upon Josiah a certain mood of quiet
despair. What must he must. and il was
better To avoid scene and initiate as
closely as possible the cheerful indiffer-
.nce oi the Captain.
Now old man, in you tumble" said
the Captain. "Sit down in the bottom Of
the ear. and keep quiet till we get past
this stack of chimneys. IT we run into
them it's all over; but | reckon I'll take
you clear"
He got in and sat in the bottom OF the
car Ii was. he noticed. something like
one of the oracles ot which he had made
mention in the preface to underground
England" There was something good
in that The Romans made long jour
neys in the coracle. II the worst came to
the worst they might float.
Even in the anguish of his mind. he
couldn't help wondering when Captain
Mulberry would finish coming in. He
had never noticed how tall he was. Till he
had found the necessity of getting out of
the way of his legs rs he crept between
the ropes into the car.
let go all - cried the Captain. and
Josiah felt that his last hour had come.
He held hi breath and stuck to his hat.
being under the impression the whole at
fair would shoot up into the air like II
rocket. lie expected tn be deafened with
the noise of whizzing through the air, and
to be half suffucated with the rush of
wind. Looking over to get last look
at tine nature of the soil on which he
would presently tall, Josiah beheld Il
strange sight. As far as he knew. the bal
loon was mntionlesS. while the earth was
dropping rapidly from under them as if
the laws of gravitatinn were irrevocably
broken and the world was falling through
space.
Done it, he heard the Captain cry in
voice that sounded curiously remote.
"Done WHAT" said Josiah. anxiously
looking up.
"Why. the chimney-stack. Just clear
ed it bv halt foot. didn't ike to say
much about it. but it was a pretty near
touch -and-go affair. That's the worst Of
filling balloon. You must do it near
gasworks. and there's sure TO he a stack
of chmneys at hand
1t seemed but moment since Josiah
had heard the Captain call ont Let gu
ALL" and there they were in space Il
thousand feet above the level of the land
sailing calmly along in bright warm sun.
light. and with no more motion percepti
Bile than it they were still sitting in the
room in King sireet--that cherished a
partment which Josiah felt his eye would
never light on more.
This won't do" said the Captain
sternly: we've got into wrong eur
rent. and instead of going out to sea are
going inland. In half an hour we'll be a
Canterbury"
II have heard Canterburv's 4 verv nice
old town." said Josiah. ut wouldn't bt
bad place to stop at and if the wind,
contrary to-day. it might be right to-mor
row."
The balloon slowly rose till the aneroiC
marked height of 500 feet, and still
the current drove it steadily northwest
Looking southwark. Josiah beheld sigh
which. il il were the last he was ever tt
| look upon, was at least a glcrious gimp
Sc OF earth. and sky. and sea. There Ia,
the Channel cleaning in the sun, broad
belt of silver. Beyond it, like cloud
was France. The fields. stretching gu, il
| illimitabie extent, far as the eve coult
reach. seemed to form a gigantic carpet
with patterns chiefly diamond-shaped, ant