Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-04-02
BOBBY FISCHER'S RIDE.

BOBBY FISCHER'S RIDE.
Tho True Story Of a Wonderful
Homemade Balloon.
cts easy enough TO make . balloon"
said Lem Purdy. His nose went up and
his mouth went down ~ he said this,
like the mans in Little Dorrit." "I'll
bet" he continued, ''that can mako
one myself"
"Can your" asked Bobby Fischer,
snxiously. He. with half . dosen other
urchins, was always at Lem Purdy1
heels. Lem was the enterprising boy
of Canedy's Corners. He oould jump
the farthest, run the fastest, shoot the
straightest and do the most mischief in .
given time among all the boys in town.
He was accordingly tho hero Of the
place, especially TO the small fry. Bob
BY Fischer had hitherto regarded the
making Of a balloon as . most intricate
and dificult piece OF business, but If
Lem Purdy said he could make one and
that 1t was easy to make one, why, Bobby
and all the rest were prepared to be-.
neve him upon the presentation Of any
thing like suitable proofs.
"You see," went on Lem, airily, "you!
want to make An alright bag. Isn't
that easy9"
"It's got to be pretty big, isn't it7"'
ventured Hoddy Atwood.
big? Yes, you goose. But what's to
hinder it's being big. You can make it
any size you want to, can't you?"
Hoddy was squelched, and tho pro-;
ceedings went on.
"Then," said Lem, oracularly, ''you
gas, sorter. Now ! 'spose you all
lght-you know how hot air goes up, I
'spose?"
The depths Of scientific knowledge
evinced by this series Of statements par
alyzed LENS audience. With eyes as
big as cookies and mouths wide open
the boys waited further developments.
Charley Timmens. you 60 into the
barn and look behind the corn shelter
and see what YOU And there- Fetch It
out with you
paler than usual with asense Of his own
Importance and obediently ran into the
barn.
"Now we will go out to that stump
there, continued Lem, land I'll show
you what I've made there"
The boys trampled on one another's
heels in their haste to get at that won
derful stump. What could be there?
But Lem, grand, gloomy and peoul-
lar" strobe along at their head and re-
fused to answer any of their questions.
The stump reached, Lem took board
of from heap of newly-turned earth
which lay close by and revealed a dark
and grewsome hole. The time had now
come for him to disclose Its secret.
Boys" he said, confdentially, "T've
got stove down there. It was full OF
holes, but by packing earth around II
and making this slit here for draught,
It's a furnace regular furnace. See
this iron tube? That leads to my
crucible, where can make gas-balloon
gas"
-"Good for you, Lem!" That's hnep'
''She's daisy!" and similar expressions,
all tinctured with the prevailing slang
and highly charged with admiration for
Lem's genius, broke from tho boys and
each in turn applied his eye to the hole
in the ground which was the only means
Of viewing LENS wonderful furnace.
Lem had Q piece Of stove-pipe 1T hand,
which, after lighting the fire in the
furnace, he inserted into the hole. and
the smoke began to pour upward through
it.
By this time Charley Timmens had
returned with curious-looking armful
OF something, which proved to be half .
dozen wool sacks. sewed closely togeth-
or. and containing pile Of newspapers.
"You see," said Lem. briskly, papers
are as near alright as any thing can be,
amt they?"
The boys assented, and as Lem pro-
duced a pot of paste and q brush and be-
gan to line his wool sacks with paper
they were all anxious to assist. It was
ten o'clock when they began, but by
noon they had an air-tight bag, and it
was pretty nearly dry, too.
"Now, boys" said Lem, ~ they sep
arated for dinner, ''you want to keep
awful mum about this, but you come
back about two O'Clock and you'll see
balloon ascension, and don't you forget
It,"
At two o'clock they were all back
again. In fact, they were most of them
there by one o'clock. Only three or four
favored cousins or brothers had been ad-
mitted besides the half dozen who had
been there in the morning. About ten
minutes after two Lem csme strollin1
leisurely toward the impatient little
crowd. No monarch had over felt his
power more sublimely.
"Hurry up!" called the boys, but Lem
only smiled lndulgently upon them, and
came calmly onward.
There's fine bed Of Goals in the
furnace, and we've got lot Of wood 10
put on" said Hoddy Atwood.
AnnolIncen