The National tribune., 1882-02-25
Our Balloon.
BY JIMMY BROWN.

I've made up my mind that half the trouble
boys get into is the fault of the grown-up folks
that are always wanting them to improve their
minds.
never improved my mind yet without suffer
ing for it. There time l improved it study
ing wasps, just as the man who Iectured about
wasps and elephants and other insects told me to-
If it hadn't been for that man l never should
have thought of studying wasps
One time our school-teacher told me that l
ought to improve my mind by reading history,
so | borrowed the history of Blackboard 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 what's the merchandising our
msfortunes? Still, if | was grown up, l wouldn't
get the boys into difficulty by telling them to do
all sorts OF things.
There was a Professor came to our house the
other day. A Professor is kind of man who
wears spectacles up On the top of his head and
takes snuff and doesn't talk English very plain.
I believe Professors came from somewhere near
Germany and | wish this one had staid in his own
and Mr. Travers says they are dreadfully fierce and
that when they are not at war with other people,
they fight among themselves, and go on in the
most dreadful way
This Professor that came to see father didn't
look bit fierce, but Mr.. Travers says that was
just his deceitful way, and that if we had had
valuable old bone or queer kind of shell in the
house, the Professor would have got up in the
night and stolen it. and killed us all in our beds
but Sue said it was shame, and that the Pro-
fessor was lovely old gentleman, and there
wasn't the least harm in his kissing her.
Well the Professor was talking after dinner
to father about balloons, and when he saw was
listening. he pretended to be awfully kind and
told me how to make a fire balloon and how
he'd often made them and sent them up in the
ait: and then he todd about man who went UP
on horseback with his horse tied to a balloon;
and father said, Now listen to the Professor
Jimmy and improve your mind while you've
got chance"
The next day Tom Maginnis and l made a
balloon just as the Professor had told me to-
1t was made out of tissue paper, and it had a
sponge soaked full of alcohol, and when you set
the alcohol on fire the tumefaction of the
air would send the balloon mornamile high
We made it out in the barn, and thought we'd try
it before we said anything to the folks about it,
and then surprise them by showing them what
a beautiful balloon had, and how we'd inn
proved our minds Just it was ready, Sues
cat came into the barn, and / remembered the
horse that had been tied to balloon, and told
Tom we'd see if the balloon would take the cat
up with it,
So we tied her with whole lot of things so
she would hang under the balloon without being
hurt a bit, and then we took the balloon into the
ward to try it. After the alcohol had burned a
little while the balloon got full of air, and
presently it went slowly up. There wasn't a bit
of wind and when it had gone up about twice
as high as the house, it stood still.
You ought to have seen how that cat howled;
but she was nothing compared with Sue when
she came ont and saw her beloved beast. She
screamed to me to bring her that cat this instant
you good -for-nothing cruel little wretch, won't
you catch it when father comes home.
Now I'd like to know how | could reach a cat
that was hundred feet up in the air; but that's
all the reasonableness that girls have.
The balloon didn't stay up very long. 1t be-
gan 70 come slowly down. and when it struck
the ground, the way that cat started on run
for the barn, and tried to get underneath it with
the balloon all on fire behind her, was something
frightful to see. By the time / could get to her
and cut her loose lot of hay took fire and be-
gan to blaze, and Tom ran for the fire-engine,
crying out Fire!" with all his might.
The fremen happened to be at the engine