The Irish standard., 1890-04-19
BOBBY FISCHER'S RIDE.

- rs
The True Story Of a Wonderful
Home-M Made Balloon.
s'It's easy enough to make balloon, :"
said Lem Purdy. His nose went up and
his mouth went down as he said this
like the mans in 'Littlo Dorrit." I'LL
bet" he continued, ''that can make
one myself"
.'Can you?'' asked Bobby Fischer,
anxiously. He, with half dozen other
urcLins, was always at Lem Purdy's
heels. Lem was the enterprising boy
of Canedy's Corners. He could jump
the farthest, run the fastest, shoot the
straightest and do the most mischief in a
given time among all the boys in town.
He was accordingly the hero OF the
place, especially to the small fry. Bob
by Fischer had hitherto regarded the
making of balloon as most intricate
and difficult piece of business, but II
Lem Purdy said he could make one and
that it was easy to make one, why, Bobby
and all the rest were prepared to be-
ieve him upon the presentation OF any
thing like suitable proofs.
"You see," went on Lem, airily, "you
want to make an air-tight bag. Isn't
that easy?"
''It's got to be pretty big, isn't it?''
yentured Hoddy Atwood.
ssBig? Yes, you goose. But what's to
hinder it's being big. You can make it
anv size YOU want to, can't your
Hoddy was squelched, and the pro-
ceedings went on.
ssThen," said Lem, oracnlarly, ''you
want to fill the bag with very light air
gas, sorter. Now I 'spose you all
know that hot. air is light air-very
iight-you know how hot air goes up,
'spose?" -
The depths of scientific knowledge
evinced by this series of statements par
alyzed LENS audience. With eyes as
big rs cookies and mouths wide open
Che boys waited further Developments.
Charley Timmens, you 60 into the
barn and look behind the corn shelter
and soc what you find there. Fetch 1t
out with you -
Charley Timmens turned a shade
palcr 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" .a
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 pecul-
lar" strodo 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 dark
and grewsome hole. The time had now
come for him to disclose it's secret.
"Boys,'' he said, confidentially, '1'Ve
got q stove down there. It was full Of
holes, but by packing earth around 1t
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 fine!"
s.Shes daisy!" and similar expressions,
all tinctured with the prevailing slang
and highly charged with admiration for
LENS genius, broke from the 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 piece Of stove-pipe at hand,
which, after lighting the fire in the
furnace, he inserted into the hole, and
the smoke began to pour upward through
1t.
By this time Charley Tmmens had
returned with curious-looking armful
Of something, which proved to be half q
dozen wool sacks, sewed closely togeth-
er, and containing pile OF newspapers.
.sYou see," said Lem, briskly, papers
are as near air-tight as any thing can be,
amt they?"
Tho boys assented, and as Lem pro-
duoed pot OF paste and brush and be-
gan to line his wool sacks with paper
they were all anxious to assist. 1t was
ten o'clock when they began, but by
noon they had an air-tight bag, and it
was pretty nearly dry, too.
.sNow, boys said Lem, as 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 q
balloon ascension, and don't you forget
iitt. & & IL
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 rothers had been adj
ST., MI TIED besides the half dozen who had
/ been there ii the morning bout ten
/ min tes aff Lem came strol ling
4 leisurely toward the impatient little
crowd. N y "a a ever felt his
]. power more sub Y
d cal ei boys, but Lem
o,l5 srai upon them. and q
"a
he'd GOALS the.
"a