Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-21

I like nm impatient elephant. A large
/ crowd was gathered. on working my
| way through the jam l found that
/ ropes were stretched in the form OF
| square to keep the people back. l man
] aged TO reach the ropes, lodged under,
! and was seized by a John Darn"
| shouldered him to one side, and just
Z as he wus about 10 draw his sword
/ Prof. lie Guliger rushed forward, all
| IN spanBled tights. He embraced me,
I and kissed me on both checks. lie in
| ltuduced me TO the asAemblagc, first to
I the east. then to the north. then to the
l west then 70 the south, The crowd
cheered Justify.
soon the other two passengers APP
1 peared. One was tall, slim man. the
| other short and stout. They were em-
br5ced by the professor, and duly in
| troduced, first to me, then to the crowd,
east north, south and west
My shpmates were both Frenchmen,
ana spoke no English, I was neither
/ frightened nor nervous but stlu | had
prayed hard that at least one Of them
I might speak English, l wished 10 hear
my native tongue again before l left
{ the earth.
But there was no time for disap-
pointmrnt. The professor seized me
by the arm. marched mo around to the
other side of the swuyinE basket and
pointed to the rope ladder / consult
I 90 my watch; It was just o'clock. 1
climbed up and found that my col
leagues had preceded me.
On standing in the basket the top
! came nearly level with my shoulders,
The tall mans head was a foot above
mine and the little stoUt mans u foot
| bclow--hls face deathly pale.
The professor perched airily on the
edge of the basket and gave orders to
cast on. Then II was that the little
! stout man got HIS hands ON tho side of
the basket and tried frantically 10 get
out,--he had changed his mind The
! professor slid down ana grnsped him
| by the legs, ondcavnring to hold him
| back. / took a hand too; we forced
/ him to the floor, while all the time the
| crowd cheered
| Then there was silence. stood
| on the PROSTATE form OF the fat man
! and looked over the side To see what
this sudden quiet meant Just then a
| shrlll feminine voice came to my ears:
Why. thnts the man who built the
EiHcl Tower"
/ looked down and there. TO the front
OF the crowd, was my friend Of -tho day
! before. She waved her parasol at me
and / was going to call buclS an ante
mortem statement, but my attention
was diverted by seeing that the anchor
ropes, which We're held by dozen
men moment before, were now dang
ling.
We were on No, we were not NOV
Ing at all: the earth was slowly slip
ping away from us and turning at the
same time, The north Of Paris was
aloughing around TO the northeast,
The Eiffcl Tower pushed down and
| away, 1t slid down until we were at
the first landing the second we were
even with the top; II glded down be-
meath us a hundred feet. l reached
over the basket aud spat violently.
| The tall man jabborcd In French.
shcok my hand. and the professor all
| the while tumbled out curds. dodgers
and sundry advertisements Tin the In
| terest OF science" And Htill the little
man lay In the bottom OF the basket
and the great city slowly swlrled and
/ slipped away, away away.
The houses were only painted play
| blocks gently rocking up aud down,
I ana the horses We're surely out Of n
Noah's ark collection. We We're over
I the Champs Elyaees. approaching tho
/ Arc de Trlomph,
The people appeared as black ants
| might when viewed from tree top.
| Some were moving, some evidently had
discovered us and were standing still
| There they were, three millions OF
! them, below us. eating. sleeping, fight
/ ing, praying; in houses, on roofs, on
/ ladders, on fences, few M the Ethel
| tower, but all on earth. Some were In
| love. some disappointed, some laying
] plans to get the money OF others; black
7
| ants; black ants seeking to reform ANTS
| blacker than themselves. All born In
| sin and therefore deserving elimination.
I Yet some were to be saved by special
{ enactment How pick out which were
/ tn be saved and which not? They were
all alike. So damned them ALL and
| then forgive them-electlng them TO
Tullleries In the skies.
Paris with Its long line OF white
/ houses was drifting away, The black
ants could no longer be distinguished.
the boulevards were reduced to mere
threads and the winding Seine was
only a long, crooked chalk mark.
NJ. lie Gallisar had thrown out all
! his advertising matter and was slash
/ Ing bags of sand and emptying them.
The air was cold and he was shaping
his hands; ! slapped mine too. The
face OF the tall man was plnched and
blue.
The earth had given us the slip now;
II had faded from sight and below was
only great, white, spreading cloud.
| And yet, strnngel 1 could plainly hear
human voices. Thcy came as sounds
do across q quiet lake.
The professor consulted his lnstru-
ments, aud made notes, then he pulled
at cord. The cloud envcloped us,
covering our faces with mist.
The beating Of sheep could be heard
the voices became plNlner-the green
OF the earth came back, but Paris was
only a gray bank Of clouds on the
horizon.
The earth was rising to greet US.
Mon, women and children were leaving
their houses--aome running across the
felds In our direction.
Two drag ropes were out. one with
mn anchor. Again the acronaut pulled
at the cord: the earth came nearer.
The basket dashed against a tree
and bumped It's freight all together.
We apoioglzed. Then we hit a stone
wan. but shot up again ten feet In the
4, The anchor failed 70 catch. but fate