The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-10-23

ana IN moment the Skylark polsed st
the end of two hundred feet of light
rope. The previous strong breeze had
lessened. but under its influence the
balloon was next pushed near the
ground, and bobbed up and down so un-
easily that began hauling in my cable
to give less play and get more under the
shelter of the tall forest trees I wanted
to make solid connections with earth
before letting out gas to such de-
gree that the wind could hollow tho
balloon underneath and pull harder.
1t was also principle with me
never to exhaust gas till perfectly
certain of not wanting to 20 up
again. Thus my line extended earth
ward on slant, like kite-string, and
l was pulling it in from the kite-end,
when became conscious of an uproar
in the air. Looking around in the
direction of the COWS l saw approach
ing me one member of the group. and
l concluded from the attitude and
antics that it was bull. and further
more that he owned that pasture. He
approached with his head down and
his horns lowered in way alarmingly
suggestive OF scooping me up, ell the
while roaring and plrng;ng like loco
motive OF the track. stopped haul
ing in rope. and got pumpkin ready
TO offer my coming guest, for thought
h might prefer pumpkin to me. 1
threw one down. 1t went to smash;
tight where he could smell it most
easily, and its loss lifted me gently out
of his reach. He snulcd at it SUSPECT
ously, paved the fragments contemptu-
ously. stabbed spite uliy at the biggest
riece and tried to get it on his horn. I
was just above him now. and 1 con-
GUIDED that if he got mad SO easily at
ny hospitable overtures, and really
preferred one in his horn rather than
internally, I'd give it to him there. l
dropped one so accurately that it stuck
fast quite . little while, making him
look comically vain. and. really, mad
bull. with big golden pumpkin on his
horn, looks very funny to one up in .
balloon. After wrestling with tho
pumpkin for awhile, he managed to
fire it up at me, and paused in an atti-
tude signifying: That's a sample of
the work done here!'' With all his
pride, was still a little too uppish for
him. He had the range, but not the
elevation, and herealized it, but he fiat
tered himself that he had got me freed,
and could wait for me to come down.
As l continued to disdain his intimate
acquaintance he began sparring with
my anchor rope, and presently got it
tangled with his horns. Here was pre-
dicament! Of all the aerial navigation
schemes for balloon propulsion, no one
ever thought of bull power till l discov-
cred tor it discovered me! Pretty
soon the bows and genteel capers of my
captor dislodgcd the anchor, and we
paraded the arena, making quite an i'm
posing procession. The cows wildly
fled at our approach. How it might
have ended know not, but old bovine
stumbled and tripped so repeatedly
from my anchor continually catching
rs it dragged behind him, that his style
of locomotion became worse than slut
tering. and he finally became so en-
tangled, lassoed, and wound up in my
two hundred feet of rope, that at last
he tumbled helplessIy and failed to rise
again. After capturing my anchor 1
cut off all the rope old bovine could
spare, and with the deposit of one more
pumpkin / paid my way to more hospit-
able regions above. Half an hour later
l landed in . ''sunset calm at COM
Portable farmhouse, where l was cor
daily assisted and entertained. Here l
left my remaining pumpkins, with the
generous recomm ndation that they
were can extremely valuable and high
priced variety, of my own Importation
and raising, good for man or beast,
high climbers without polling, and great
travellers. now can not eat pumpkin
pie without tears. Ciere and Leader.