Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-05-14
your wife, for there Is always danger

| He turned toward The Car OF the bal
| loon as he spoke, with good-natured
, smile on h face, but close observer
would have noticed = strange CLEAN III
| Ills eyes.
Mr.. Thorn bade his wife adieu, and
then took seat in the car. As the
last line was about to be cast off. the
aeronaut glanced toward Mrs. Thorn,
who stood several PAGES distant. She
caught his eye, aud her face grew as
white as marble, her eyes seemed to
dIlate with horror. Raising her hand
as il about 10 speak, she sunk in a
swoon upon the ground.
simultaneously, the Balloon shot up
ward like rocket, amid the cheeis of
the populace, ami in a few minutes
was something ike mile high, drift
ing away in a uortheasterly direction.
When Mrs. Thorn recovered con-
sciousness, she found several sympathiZ-
ing friends bending over her. chatting
her hands and cooling her temples.
| Without needing their questions, she
sprang TO her feet and gaZed upward.
| The balloon WAS just discernlble. far
away in the northeast. 1t InomentarIly
became smaller, and finally disappeared
! from view.
Il shall never see my husband again!
The recognition came too late! May
Heaven have mercy on his soul'
Mrs. Thorn uttered these words i'll a
tone that seemed TO come from the
very depths of despair; and, without
noticing the wondering looks of those
around her, she turned her face home
| ward.
At the time the balloon was being
released from bondage, Mr.. Thorn WIS
leaning over the car, conversing with a
friend, and knew nothing of his wife'S
swooning. Grasping the side ropes as
the balloon shot upward, lie had all he
could do to maintain his equilibrium,
without paying any attention to the
shouting crosd beneath.
With the aeTohaut, however. the case
was different. Leaning far out over
the side Of the car, H.. waved his hat to
the shouting multitude; and although
at that distance he could not distin-
guish faces, he saw that some one had
tainted. He co tinued waving his hat
until several hundred feet high. and
then turned his attention to Mr.. Thorn.
why, bless me, Mr.. Thorn, where
are your eyes? Look toward the east
there, and you will Sc we are begin
ming 10 get a fine glimpse of the Allan
tic ocean. The wind Is freshening. and
II YOU Z" dll " ldhc d SOOt VIC" vi Olu
New Hampshire, you will have to use
your eyes. for by two O'Clock We shall
be lowering over the State of Maine
All right. Mr. CrozIer; shall see
all that is worth seeing, never fear. uu-
less he added. we get so far from
earth that seeing will be impossible
oh, no danger os that said the
aeronaut, as he emptied bag of sand
over the side of the car; we haven't
begun 10 get out of the impure air yet,
aud as he spoke, over went another
bag.
The balloon, relieved of so much
weight, rose rapidly, and was soon two
or three miles high. sweeping through
space at the rate of ten or fifteen miles
an hour, toward the northeast boundary
of the State. by four O'Clock L. NJ.
the aeronaut and Mr.. Thorn got fine
view of the city of Portland, Me-, is
they passed II several miles TO the ives,
and few minutes after sunset they
were sailing directly over Augusta, the
capital o. Maine.
For some time Mr.. Thorn had noticed
that the aeronaut appear ii restless, aid
seemed dislnclined 10 Converse, at tunes
casting his eyes upward, and then horI-
zontally, as if absorbed in some mental
ten O'Clock In the evening he glanced
at his barometer, and said:
we have settled considerably during
the last half-hour, Mr.. Thorn. We are
not over half a mile from the groUn /,
and must be somewhere in the vicinity
of Bangor. Yes, there is the light OF It
now. away to the right there, aud there
goes a sky-rCcket. In half an hour we
shall be over a bowling wilderness, un-
less we succeed in landing before that
time. BY George, l must be quick!'
AS he said this, he reached up to the
valve and permitted some of the gas TO
escape. In few minutes the balloon
began TO settle rapidly, and the aero
nau: again took his seat in the Car with
Mr.. Thorn.
Presently change in the atmosphere
was perceptible. Mr. Thorn, who had
been shivering with cold for two or
three hours, began to regain his wontei
spirits, and, as ms teeth ceased TO chat
ter, his tongue was lei loose.
Mr.. CroZier, how far are We from
the ground nowp' said he. trying TO
peer into the darkness.
Nearly a thousand feet, | should
say. Objects Will soon be distinguish
able
There seems to be no wind down
here. Do you think we can land safely
oh, certainly; there is not the least
danger in landing when there is no
wind If a smart breeze was blowing,
We should have some trouble in man-
aging our bird. But here We areI'
As the aeronaut spoke, the 10 er
part of the car brushed through the top
of a wild cherry tree, soaring several
hir,lS from hair 'Tha
ment the aeronaut and Mr.. Thorn were
holding fast to a rail fence that ran
parallel to country road. In a few
minutes they had the balloon secured,
SO that it could not rise without taking
the fence with it, after which they
began TO look about them.
A few steps brought them into the
middle of a turnpike road, which ran
nearly north and south. On the west
side of this road was a little brown
school-house, several PAGES to the west
of which was a dense growth OF spruce
and tir bushes. O.I the east side Of the
road and nearly opposite the school,
house, was a piece Of low, marshy
ground, covered with growth of young
juniper trees. interspersed here and
there with birch, ash, and maple.
For some time Mr.. Thorn and the
aeronaut stood looking up and down
the road, trying to discover some signs
of a farmhouse in which to seek shelter
for the night. At length Mr.. Thorn
spoke:
Have you any idea as to our locality.
Mr. CrCZier?'
Yes, L have an opinion, though it
may not be correct. 1 think we are in
the town of Orono, and IN the vicinity
CI.,xx II ,l- II hlxy in I.tG
part of the country before, though in
Ibis darkness IL Is di fficnlt to detprmine