The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-11-11
ABOVE THE CLOUDS.


around at three or four guests after din
ner, sis why everybody seems to expect
a man when telling q story orally to !
confine himself strictly TO the truth |
while no one ever demands anything Of
the sort from a writing story teller. 1t
isn't fair. Besides IL is based on wrong
principles. When q man tells story.
he ought to make it just as interesting
as he can regardless Of all considera-
tions Of truth"
Dangerous doctrine. Might be ex-
tremely demoralizing, observed the
dominic.
II can't think so," returned the
Judge. flake the case of host, for in
stance. ! 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 /
was young man, presume"
81 believe so" answered the major
doubtfully.
IT wasn't, Of course, exactly what we
picture when we think Of tramp, but
l didn't have much money and natural
ly fell in with all sorts and conditions
Of men. / reached my lowest ebb finan-
cially in Sydney, Australia At cheap
boarding house I became acquainted
with man who was by profession an
aeronaut. His name was Mudgett,
though ON the bills he scintillated as
Signor Campanella-
"He was an exec lent story teller and
q good fellow, though. like myself. he
was passing throu gh regular Oakhurst-
ian streak Of bad luck. He had lost his
balloon. Il seemed that tho thing had
blown away one particularly windy aft
ernoon lust before the ascent, and the
poor fellow was waiting In hopes that
| il would be found out in the bush some
where and brought in. 1t used to be
quite pathetic TO see him search through
the want advertisements In the morning
papers, looking for the heading OF
'Found-Balloon, bat he never came
across 1t. He also advertised 1t himself,
giving full description Of the balloon
and Offering reward Of Gl0 for its re-
turn, but in this he was equally unsuc-
cessful.
Eat last he gave up all hope. Some
woman found that balloon, he would
say, and couldn { resist the temptation
to cut it up for silk dresses. Well, she's
fixed for a good while anyhow; that
balloon ought to make an ordinary sized
woman about 200 dresses, though I'll
bet a shilling she IL get tired Of the
color along on the last half Of the second
1OO.' IL 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
man willing to furnish money for
new balloon, and after it was finished
he made regular daily ascents for fort.
I night. He asked me to accompany him.
, and did 80 several times However. i'll
! luck still pursued Campanella, and two
weeks after he got his new balloon M
one day had a row with drunken sailol
and went to the hospital with broker
head.
,, 1.-The manager came to me in despair
I Could not make the ascent? / agreet
! and went over to the grounds Here
put on the signor's gorgeous apparel and
. climbed into the basket There was I
trapeze below the basket ON which thu
signor was won't to hang by his toes ant
otherwise to playfully disport himself
: while going up. but ! judiciousiy KEEP
: off and stuck to the basket. ~
1.-THE crowd made great uproa
I about this, feeling that they were no
h getting their moneys worth unless the,
= saw man endanger his life. / coult
hear the manager explaining that
!, would begin to perform as soon as Iva
M high enough to make it worth while
!, and later understood that after ha'
a passed out Of sight above the clouds b
n assured them that I was then doing tn
Z most blood curdling feats on that ira
e peze that any human being ever at
l. tempted.
:. "There was a rather stiff brecz
! blowing and I sailed along Mt a goo
= rate. had shot up 5000 or z, 600 feet
and far below was mighty ocean
!. white cloud. Where was tho sun shon
l. brightly, and it was cool and pleasant
II but l could soon see the lightning thrash
e ing about below and hear the thunde
i growl. had no desire to go down int
thunderstorm, so / sailed on.
cat the end of two hours was still
driving along at the rate. ! estimated
o of 80 or 60 miles an hour. i had grow
Q tired of watching the raging, storm be
h low and looked of toward what / sur
Q pose may call the horizon. Far ava
Q against the sky saw speck. though
Z Il was a bird at first, but as we az
r preached nearer what was my astonisf
Q ment to see that it was another balloon
r 1--WE were being driven by current
r blow ing at right angles and were RAPID
n " coming closer together. Soon coul
: make out another person in the othe
], balloon. l waved my hand ut him. and
l. as he was hundred feet above me-
Is threw out few handfuls Of ballast.
y rose and instantly saw that we wer
" going to meet. prepared q rope, and .
the sides Of our great bags touched
threw one end into the oncoming baske
4 As the other aeronaut straiehtened y
= from making the end fast I was turtle
!. astonished when my eyes met those {
a beautiful young woman.
"TLe line was holding MS only 10
10 feet apart. / took OF my hat and,
. A total stranger. apologized for address
}. ing her. but hoped that the unusual CT
oumstances Of our meeting would excul
my apparent rudcncss Besides. 4 tai
cied that her face seemed 7famtiia