The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-04-24

piazza. Moreover, altnOugn iona OF
children, he could not help remember
ing his disappointment in not being
able to marry Evelyn Carter, and the
sight of pretty child frequently made
him melancholy by reminding him that
he had none of his own. Besides, he
had been at the hotel only two or three
days when the important event con-
nected with Birdie took place. 1t is
certain that he had not once seen her
with her mother, and did not even
know her name.
One afternoon, when brisk wind
was blowing off-shore, the colonel had
gone out in his boat with Ben Piver,
taking his gun as usual, and promising
himself shot at some stray sea gull If
he could find no better game. Some of
the visitors were bathing on the beach,
others were sitting on the steamboat
wharf, and some were promenading in
front of the hotel, while group of
children at the Indian tent, net far
away, were buying bead moccasins and
birch-bark baskets. The veranda was
crowded, and Mrs. Tredloe was sitting
there with little Birdie, when benevo-
lent old DIR. Haygood happened along,
and asked the widow if he might take
the child down to the tent to buy some-
and the old gentleman and his little
companion descended the steps to-
gether. Before they had reached the
tent, and as they were walking along
the high ground close above the water,
they met an Italian peddler who had
couple dozen toy balloons for sale,
all fastened by long strings to stick,
and bobbing merrily in the air above
his head.
"Oh, beautiful big applesl" ex-
claimed Birdie, rapturously, her spark
ling eyes fixed on the large elastic
crimson globes, which she seemed to
mistake for fruit. "Give Birdie one?"
DR.. Haygood began to bargain with
the Italian, and took the stick from
him to select balloon from the bunch.
His small friend was delighted, mag
ming that she was to have the entire
bunch.
"All-all for me?" she cried, and
clapping her hands, she stretched them
out toward the coveted treasure of the
dancing air globes.
This so amused the kind-hearted
doctor that he resolved to humor her,
for moment at any rate. So gathering
the long strings together, he tied them
around BRIDES waist, then let 90, and
the balloons all fioated up around and
above her head and shoulders, making
a gay spectacle of her. The doctor and
the Italian both stood by, smiling at
her satisfaction, when suddenly, to
their amazement, a strong gust of wind
caused all the balloons to sway to one
side, sweeping Birdie off her feet and
gracefully up into the air.
1t happened so Unexpectedly that,
before they could do anything to pre-
vent, the light little creature was borne
away by the cluster of fantastic-lo looking
crimson balls, up and off over the
water. And as the wind was off-shore,
it seemed inevitable that she would be
carried by it across the mouth of the
inlet straight out to sea.
"Great heavens!" shouted the doc
tor, in helpless horror.
The Italian, smitten with despair at
the loss of his balloons, began fren-
zied dance, at the same time exclaim-
ing to the unhappy old gentleman,
" You payee me-a for ALA those-a! you
payee all-al"
The bathers in the water observed the
extraordinary sight of little girl cheer
fully sailing through the air with her
improvised tlying-machine, and stood
gaping upward in amaZement. Every
body on shore became aware of the
catastrophe in an instant, and began
running to and fro in a hubbub. Mrs.
Tredloe, on the veranda, tainted, and
DR.. Haygood was called up to restore
her, while the Italian vainly tried to
keep one eye on him for security of
paym ent, and to follow with his other
eye the flight of the balloons in the op-
posite direction.
A dozen men hurried to the waters
edge, launching row-boats and sail
boats, with which they tried to chase
the shadow of Birdie and the balloons,
so as to be on hand at the right spot
whenever she should drop into the
water. But it was hopeless pursuit.
"She don't show any signs of drop
ping" shouted Mr.. Middleby, who was
steering the foremost boat. "She
moves through the air faster than we
can get over the water; and unless
those air-bags explode or fall off, she will
be swept so far from land that we never
shall get her."
All at once help came from an I'M
foreseen quarter, and one at least of
the balloons did explode. 1t happened
in this way: Colonel Welsted's big cat
boat was seen rounding the point, with
the wind on her beam, preparing to
tack into the harbor. Ben Piver at the
helm uttered a startled cry.
"Thats the queerest game-bird that
l ever see," he declared, pointing up
in the air with big yellow thumb.
Its got shoes and skirt and about
twenty-five heads, / should judge, but
no wings"
The colonel was on the alert, but the
strange object in the air was some dis
lance away, and so unlike any flying
thing they had ever seen before that it
took both men two or three minutes to
comprehend what it was. Even then
they could not account for it. They
did not fully understand what had hap
pened. But Colonel Jack made up his
mind that, whoever the girl was or
however she had got into that situation,