Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-03-16
Our Balloon.


never improved my mind vet with
out suffering for it, There was the
time improved il studying wasps, just
rs the man who lecturcd about wasps
and elephants and other insects told me
to. II il hadn't been for that man
never should have thought of studying
wasps.
One time our school-teacher told me
that ! ought TO improve my mind bv
reading history, so borrowed the his
tory Of ''Biackbeard the Pirate" and
improved my mind for three or four
hours every day. After while father
said; Bring that book to me, Jimmy.
and lets see what you're reading and
when he saw it, instead of praising me,
he But whats the Use of remem-
bering our misfortunes? Still, if | was
grown up, ! wouldn't get boys into diff
iicuity by telling them TO DO all sorts of
things.
There was Professor came to our
house the other day. 4 Professor is a
kind of man who wears spectacles up
ON the top of his head and takes snuff and
doesn't talk English very plain. be-
lieve Professors come from somewhere
near Germany, and wish this one had
staid in his own country. They live
mostly on cabbage and such. and Mr.
Iravers saws they are dreadfully fierce.
and that when they are not at war with |
other people, they fight among them /
selves, and go on in the most dreadful !.
way.
This Professor that came To see father 4
didn't look bit fierce, but Mr.. Travcrs ]
SAYS that was just his deceitful way. /
and that if We had had valuable old I
bone or a queer shell in the house, the I
Professor would have got up in the /
night and stolen il and killed Ills all in /
our beds; bat Sue said il was a shame. 1
and that the Professor was a lovely old /
gentleman, and there wasn't the least .
inirm in his kissing her.
Well, the Professor was talking after .
dinner to father about balloons, and .
when he saw ! was listening. he pre-
tended 10 be awfullv kind. and told me 1
how to make q iire-bailoon. and how 4
he'd often made them and sen; them up
m the air; and then he told about man I
who went up on horseback with his .
horse tied 10 balloon; and father said: /
- Now listen to the Professor. Jimmy. 1
and improve Your mind while YOU We /
got a chance.
The next day Tom Maginnis and |
mGde a balloon Just rs the Professorh had
told me TO. II was made out OF tissue
paper, and il had a sponge soaked full
OF alcohol, and when You set the alcohol
on fire the tuaelaction Of the air would
send the balloon NOR n 4 mile high. We
made il ont in the barn. and thought
we Il try il before we said anything TO
the folks about il. and then surprise
them by showing them what beautiful
balloon we had, and how we improved
our minds. Just as il was all ready,
Sues cat came into the barn. and re-
memhcrcd the horse that had been tied
30 a balloon. and told Tom we'd see if
she balloon would take the cat up with
IL.
Sowe tied her with q whole lot of
things 50 she would hang under the hal
loon without being hurt 4 bit. and then
we took the balloon into The ward 10 try
It. After the alcohol had burned lit
tie while the balloon got fall Of air. and
presently it went slowly up. There
wasn't BIZ OF wind, aud when il had
zone up about twice rs high a the
house. il stood s,ig
lou oUcht 10 have seen how that cal
howle,l; hut s;ic was nothing compared
with Su, when she came out aud saw
her beloved beast Sac screamed 10 me
10 bTing her jAaj cat this instant YOU
good-for-Hd.hiuE cruel little wretch
"on' you catch il when father comes
home.
Aow Id like 10 know how | could
reach cat that was hundred fee; up
in the air. bul that's all the reasonable
ness that girls have.