The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-08-05
ABOVE THE CLOUDS.

ner, lis why everybody seems to expect
man when telling story orally to
confine himself strictly to the truth
while no one ever demands anything of
the sort from writing story teller. 1t
isn't fair Besides it is based ON wrong
principles When a man tells a story,
he ought to make it just as interesting
lions of truth.
Dangerous doctrine. Might be ex-
tremely demoralizing, observed the
dominic.
II can't think So" returned the
Judge. "Take the case of host, for in
stance l hold that it is not only his
privilege but his duty to entertain his
guests with the best stories he can tell
and give no thought to truth. And I'll
undertake to show you that it is not de-
moralizing in any way You remember
having heard me mention the tramp trip
which took around the world when j
was young man, presume +"
az believe so, answered the major
doubtfully.
81 wasn't, of course, exactly what we
picture when we think Of tramp, but
| didn't have much money and natural
| " fell in with all sorts and conditions
of men, reached my lowest ebb finan.
cially in Sydney, Australia. At CHEAP
boarding house / became acquainted
with man who was by profession an
aeronaut. His name was Mudgett,
though ON the bills he scintillated az
Signor Campanella.
HE was an excellent story teller an0
good fellow, though, like myself, he
was passing through u regular OakhuTst
ian streak of bad luck. He had lost his
balloon. 1t seemed that the thing had
blown away one particularly windy aft
ernoon just before the ascent, and the
poor fellow was waiting i'll hopes that
it would be found out in the bush some
where and brought in. 1t used to b.
quite pathetic to see him search through
the want advertisements in the morning
papers, looking for the heading o.
Found--Balloon, but he never came
across it. He also advertised 10 himssss
| giving full description of the balloon
and offering reward Of R10 for its re
turn, but in this he was equally unsuo
cessful.
"At last he gave up all hope. Some
woman found that balloon, he would
say, and couldn't resist the temptation
to cut it up for silk dresses. Well, she'i
fixed for good while anyhow; thai
balloon ought to make an ordinary sized
woman about 200 dresses, though I'll
bet shilling she'll get tired Of the
color along on the last half of the SECOND
100 1t was before the day of big
sleeves, so dare say he was right about
the number
"But my friends fortunes changed
finally, temporarily at least. He found
a man willing to furnish money for O
new balloon, and after it was finished
he made regular daily ascents for fort
night. He asked me to accompany him,
and did 30 several times. However, ill
luck still pursued Campanella, and two
weeks after he got his new balloon he
one day had row with drunken sailor
and went to the hospital with a broken
head.
1.-THE manager came to me in despair.
Could not / make the ascent? l agreed
and went over to the grounds. Here
put on the signor's gorgeous apparel and
climbed into the basket There was q
trapeze below the basket on which the
signor was wont to hang by his toes and
otherwise to playfully disport himself
while going up, but / judiciously kept
off and stuck to the basket.
1.-THE crowd made a great uproar
about this, feeling that they were not
| getting their moneys worth unless they
saw man endanger his life. could
hear the manager explaining that
would begin to perform us soon as was
up high enough to make it worth while,
and later 1 understood that after had
passed out of sight above the clouds he
assured them that was then doing the
most blood curdling feats on that ira
peze that any human being ever at
tempted
"There was u rather stiff breeze
blowing and / sailed along at good
rate had shot up 6, 900 or Z, 600 feet,
and far below was mighty ocean OF
white cloud. Where / was the sun shone
brightly, and it was cool and pleasant,
but could soon see the lightning thrash
ing about below and hear the thunder
growl. 1 had no desire to go down into
thunderstorm, so l sailed ON.
"At the end of two hours was still
driving along at the rate. estimated,
of 90 or 60 miles an hour. / had grown
tired Of watching the raging storm be-
low and looked off toward what l sup
pose may call the horizon Far away
against the sky / saw speck. thought
it was q bird at first, but as we ap-
preached nearer what was my astonish-
ment to see that it was another balloon.
"We were being driven by currents
blowing at right angles and Were rapid
ly coming closer together. Soon l could
make out another person in the other
balloon. / waved my hand at him, and,
as he was hundred feet above me,
threw out few handfuls Of ballast
rose and instantly saw that we were
going to meet. prepared rope, and ma
the sides Of our great bags touched
threw one end into the oncoming basket.
AS the other aeronaut Strengthened up
from making the end fast was further
astonished when my eyes met those OF
u beautiful young woman.
''The line was holding us only 10 or
~ feet apart. took off my hat and, as
a total stranger, apologized for address
ing her. but hoped that the unusual cir
cnmstances Of our meeting would excuse
my apparent rudeness. Besides, l fan
cied that her face seemed familiar,
though this, Of course, was fiat lie.
She smiled and gracefully accepted my