Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1895-09-27
I'M MID-AUR


showing something like the same gen
tly rounded surface. And all the time
| Kingsley talked on Sometimes. indeed.
he would pause for an instant to inn
part some practical information. and
almost at once go back to his declama-
ton and his theories
Five thousand feet" he announced.
'Ah.nOw we have risen above the puny
mountain tops of our little island
Aftera time he announced 10000 feet.
and then $1,000. l looked below. and
it seemed to me that the slender thread
of twisting silver, darkened on both
sides by puny eXcrescences that might
be buildings, must represent Paris and
the Seine. There was hardly any wind.
Yet it was growing colder and | felt
some little oppression in breathing. l
said this to the professor. He smiled,
and, STOPPING, threw out two of our
sandbags that served for ballast. My
eye followed them, and l wondered
where they would fall. / even asked
my companion if il wasn't dangerous
he didn't answer me, but l stopped
and threw another over We were now
rising rapidly.
Twenty thousand feet" he exclaim-
ed. rubbing his hands together. "Ha!
What are the Alps? Mere molehills
dignified with the name Of mountain"
This was all very well, but now l
began TO find that breathing was mo-
mentarily becoming more and more a
labor, and that the cold was increasing
every minute l asked Kingsley if it
was not time to try his new apparatus.
"Not YETI! he exclaimed. Not yet!
/ must see how high we can go without
It first"
looked anXiously at him, but l said
no more. He went on talking by fits
and starts, and i was relieved to see
that the rarity cf the air was affecting
him, too. He must have suffered as l
did, and yet he sat still looking from
one of his instruments to another. |
wrapped heavy sealskin cloak around
me and waited as we'll as / could. l
began to feel half stupid, and it was
with start that / heard him say in
a thick voice, '.25, 900 feet All. That
will do!'' Then he put one OF his new
respirators into my hand, and as look
ed at him half stupidity he added: "Now
these will take us up to 10000
The professors invention worked like
magic In two minutes l could breathe
freely again. AS the thought passed
through my mind with a certain salts
faction the professor stopped and threw
out another sandbag The sun was
still bright. but suddenly there was a
faint cracking sound like the breaking
of glass. l looked at my feet and saw
that the floor was covered with small
transparent icicles. l put my hand to
my mouth and found that my mustache
was bristling with ice. Thirty thou
sand feet!' Kingsley announced in
voice that sounded muffied and distant.
Thirty thousand. And yet the man
talked of fifty. All, well, 1 could see
that we had only one more sandbag.
Even Kingsley by his enthusiasm
couldn't overcome the laws Of nature
He stopped and threw out our last bag
as the thought passed through my
mind. Again we rose rapidly. Like the
professor himself, my eyes were fixed
on the barometer. 1t was cold-deadly
cold. After pause he exclaimed:
Thirty -five thousand. Ha! We have
broken the record now"
| looked at Kingsley His face was
blue and pinched, but his eyes shone
with q light that was new and alarm
ing in it's wild brilliancy.
Haven't we gone high enough?"
managed to articulate, though with
difficulty.
Enough he returned In a strong
voice; enough? Are you crazy? Fifty
thousand, or we don't go back, l tell
yOu-5O, man.
The mans face had changed; his
eyes glittered and sparkled with a
strange shifting light-goOd God! He
was going mad! After all, thought,
the last sandbag is gone; mad or sane
he can't rise higher without tightening
the balloon more. / glanced at the
barOmeter-it was stationary. The pro-
fessOrs eyes were fixed on it, too
then he looked round bim-then he
glared ut me!
1--WE don't RISE he muttered to him
self; but we must. We muSt!' He
rose and made n step toward me. He
laid his hand on my shoulder. He
pointed to the barometer. 1--WE don't
rise" he repeated with n strange sig
nificance. | nodded. Somebody must
gOv' he said.
Good God, mani" exclaimed. what
do you mean?'
He gripped me on the shOulder-he
brought his face to the level of mine
he glared fiercely into my eyes.
"She won't Iise," ne muttered. "YOu
must go Outr'
/ looked at him. The man was clear
ly mad-it was In his eyes and In his
voice.