The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-04-20

The car 1CGs ddShed against the ground
Uith such force as to tltrOjc Gilbert out.
skirts of the little gathering, half in the
wide doorway, watching, with idle
smiles that now and again broke into
laughs as either disputant scored
point, the big, quivering, fat figure of
the sheriff-his red brown face, covered
with freckles, pursed up into oleaginous
wrinkles as lie listened-and Gales wiry,
nervous form and excited eyes as he
ran his thin, calloused hands through
his long, leather colored hair The ar
gument was emphasized, punctuated
and rounded out at frequent intervals
by the most astonishing and unneces-
sary profanity.
Remarks of highly personal nature
interlarded the discourse, and names
and adjectives were applied with an I'M
conscious natural freedom that would
have amazed any one unused to Evans
Gulch. But remarks as to ones mo
rallty, sanity, parentage or nativity,
when applied as aids to the open discus
sion of a subject, were unnoticed in that
locality, and were considered only as SO
many flowers Of metaphor, frightening
the dull path Of logical argument. So
Gale Whitley, in applying to the sheriff
the title of a "driveling old windbag,"
in nowise reflected upon his official ca
pacity, and likewise, when the sheriff
pointedly pronounced Whitley ''an es-
capped lunatic from some eastern asy-
lum," he did not in the least influence
| the opinion of his hearers, who knew
Gale to be good prospector and min
eralogist and man of varied accom-
| plishments.
Standing nearest to the door, with his
| face turned upward toward the western
sky, stood q lean, tall boy watching the
golden light wear off the hilltops and
turn leaden in the fading of the day.
His face, which was neither dreamy nor
| bright, wearing rather a listless, tired
| look, suddenly filed with startled and
| fearful awe as speeches. he raised his
hand and pointed toward the sky. The
man nearest to him, who had been an
| interested listener, catching the aston
| ishment and terror in the boys eyes,
turned quickly, and a shrill shout es-
capped his lips. At the same moment a
| AOdA &C GONAlASi VI 1AitlLN d1OSC. dllO
all hurried to the doorway to behold
sweeping up the slope an object new to
| Evans Gulch.
| Itwas a large silk balloon. The dying
suns rays, already lost behind the hills,
fell on its sides, causing it to resemble q
huge ripe pear hanging in the blue vault.
| The basket had solitary occupant,
who was making signs TO the people at
| the eastern end Of the gulch to catch his
anchor rope. They stood in amazed de-
| light, however. and the monster came
sweeping along, the ropes end trailing
up the street until Gale, seeing the OBJ
ject of the aerial voyager's shouts and
signs, cried:
''Get hold of his rope, boys, and stop
himr'
| A moment more laughing, rolling
mass of men hilariously tumbled over
each other in their efforts to seize the
rope, like lot of frolicking boys, and
an instant later the giant mass swayed
and tossed few feet from the ground
in front of ''Keenan's joint"
The aeronaut, leaning from his basket
car, directed them to draw him down,
and alighted among them with CRATE
full word of thanks. He was man Of
about forty-fve, brown bearded, pale
and serious, but there was firm look
1 in his blue eyes that showed pluck and
skill, and his mouth, clean cut, tride
thin, but graceful, gave evidence of de-
termination and perseverance.
The first words of the aerial visitor
after thanking ''the boys" were earthly
and feshly.
| Can get anything to eat here, gen