The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-03

You will not be .ong, love-: SAID
Frau IIilda. in a caressing tone, Dut
with a peculiar glance in her eyes.
"Only an hour, dearest" answered
Jenkins, and with that we went out.
After leaving the house Jack seemed
TO resume something of his old hearty
manner, and began to think that
would be able to take soTae comfort
with him. We threaded a labyrinth OF
narrow. ancient and crooked streets,
and at length emerged upon the mar
ket place, which was almost filled with
the people of the town, anxious, like
ourselves, TO see the balloon go up.
1t was about seven-oclock of an Au-
gust evening. The air was balmy ana
the dusk was beginning to settle down.
/ thought it strange, at first, that any
one should make an ascension at this
hour, but il was not strange at all, Tor
the balloonist was in the employ OF the
military authorities, and he purposed TO
make some experiments with electric
searchlight or some other kind of light,
or burn some kind of fire, the result OF
which might be found useful in the
military operations Of the empire.
When we arrived they had about
finished initiating the balloon, which was
swaying back and forth above the heads
of the people, in about the center of
the square. We gradually pushed our
way through the crowd until we came
quite near to it, and / saw that it was
rather small and capable of bearing
aloft but one person. After delay or
| fifteen or twenty minutes the aeronaut
| appeared and signified his readiness TO
make the ascension; but he did not go
up. The balloon went up without wait
| ing for him..
1t was laughable accident, but did
| not wonder at it. / must rather have
been surprised if it had not happened.
They had piled number of bags of
| sand in the wicker car of the balloon to
keep it down while they were initiating
it, and, besides this, they had tethered
IL to n neighboring post with rather
small-sized rope or thick cord. These
precautions they supposed to be per-
fectly adequate, and they perhaps
would have been under ordinary cir
1
fully inflated and the aeronaut had re-
moved several of the sand bags pre-
paratory to getting into the car there
came along a smart gust of wind, the
great silk dome bobbed suddenly tc
one side, the rope which tethered the
car broke like piece of string and the
machine was out of reach before any
one had presence of mind enough te
, seize it,
For some reason or other, probably
because il was weighted too heavily, i
! rose only TO an elevation OF about
hundred feet; then it foated away owe
the heads of the populace, first this wa,
and then that way. as different pun
of wind took it; and the crowd scurria'
along in it's wake, with their chins il
the air and their mouths open, and
great many ran up into the building
and got out on the roofs, with the fool
ish idea that they might capture it.
Then it grew darker, and it was i'm
possible any longer TO distinguish tn
balloon from the Clouds and Jack and
who had followed the rabble hither an
tbither in their erratic chase, gave tn
!, thing up and turned our steps home
ward.
Now. for the first time, we though
of looking at our watches, and JenKin
found to his dismay that it was ha
past nine o'clock. For two hours he ha
been parted from his angel, as he pc
sisted on calling her. whereas he ha
|, promised to return in an hour. ga,
the matter naturally no concern br
!, with my companion it was differen
He fairly led me on run to his hous
, On the way he seemed to be distrait an
!, preoccupied, he answered my remark
at random, and it was very evident thu
there was weight Of goodly diIncl
|, tions upon his mind. Why" thought
|, twill man, who is born to the nobili'
of freedom. voluntarily, yes, longing
make a slave of himself 10 creature
pettieoats, so that he trembles at Il
:. anticipation of her displeasure?"
8 When we arrived at the house, FRA
. Jenkins received us calmly and with
/. suspicously gentle tone. With me 81
was coldy, but studiously, polite and
:, noticing that her manner had st
!, further depressed my unhappy frieu
7 took leave of the couple with all has
!. possible. and retiring to my chamb'
threw off my clothes and crawled in
bed, for had had a trying day OF
!, and proposed TO get good nights re
!, 1t was not TO be, for just then
Jenkinses commenced to talk. That
, to say, the angel talked and the victi
!, once in three or four minutes, gave Q
n faint and submissive monosyl'ah
;, ! Their chamber was evidently next
;. mine; the partisions were not over a
= above thick. ard | could very well q
;, tinguish the tones, the manner AMI
4 infection, without the words the
- selves reaching ms. Her voice was lc
a il was plaintive. but at the same time
~ sistent, end il was monotonous; and. c.
\, opd nnon cnme thDt one protesting,