Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-09-25
ABOVE THE CLOUDS.

stand, SAID the judge as ne lookcd
around at three OF four guests after din
ner, sis why everybody seems to expect
a man when telling a story orally to
confne himself strictly to the truth
while no one ever demands anything Of
the sort from a writing story teller. 1t
isn't fair. Besides it is based ON wrong
principles When a man tells n story,
he ought to make it just as interesting
as he can regardless Of all considera-
lions Of truth"
Dangerous doctrine. Might be x
tremely d~emoralizing, " observed the
dominic.
II can't think So" returned the
Judge. 'Take the case Of ~ hoS, for in
stance. 1 hold that it is not only his
privilege but his duty to entertain his
guests with the best storieH he can tell
and give no thought to trU tn. And I'll
undertake to show you that it is not de-
moralizipg in any way. You remember
having heard me mentio,l the tramp trip
which l took around the world when ]
was a young man, 1 presume.
~ believe so, 3" answered the major
doubtfully.
II wasn't, Of course, exactly what VIC
picture when we think Of q tramp, but
l didn't have much money and natural
" l fell in with all sorts and conditions
of men. 1 reachtd my lowest cbb inan-
cially in Sydney, Australia. AT n cheap
boarding house l became acquainted
with a man who was by profession an
aeronaut. His name was Mudgett,
though on the bills he sointillated as
Signor Campanella.
HE was an excellent story teller and
q good follow, though, like myself, he
was passing through a regular Oakhurst-
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 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, but no never camo
across it. He also advertised it himself,
giving n full description Of the balloon
and Offering a reward Of $40 for its re-
turn, but in this he was equally unsuc-
cessfuL.
"At last he gave up all hope. Some
woman found that balloon, he would
say, and couldn't resist tho 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'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
u man willing to furnish money for a
new balloon, and after it was finished
he made regular daily ascents for a fort
night. He asked me to accompany him,
and l did so several times. However, i'll
luck still pursued ~Campanella, and two
weeks after he got his new balloon he
one day had a row with q drunken sailor
and went to the hospital with a broken
head.
THE manager came to me in despair.
Could not / make the ascent? l agreed
and went over TO the grounds. Here ]
put OF the signor's gorgeous apparel and
climbed into the basket. There was
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
of and stuck 20 the basket.
THE crowd made n great uproai
about this, feeling that they were not
getting their moneys worth unless they
saw a man ~endanger his life. l could
hear the manager explaining that
would begin to perform rs soon as l wa
up high enough to make il worth while
and later i understood that after / haC
passed out Of sight above the clouds h'
assured them that l was then doing tn,
most blood cuTdling feats On thGt ira
peze that any human being ever at
tempted.
''There was a rather stiff breez
blowing and i sailed along at a GOO
rate. / had shot up @, 900 or 1000 feet
and far below vas a mighty ocean @
white cloud. Where 1 was the sun shon
brightly, and it WAS cool and pleasant
but l could soon see the lightning thrash
ing about below and hear the thundo
Rrowl. / had no desire to go down ant
n thunderstorm. so 1 sailed ON.
'At the-end Of two hours was stil
driving along at the rate, l estimated
Of 80 or 90 miles an hour. / had grow
tired Of watching the raging storm be
low and looked OF toward what | SUI
pose / may call the horizon. Far ava
against the sky ! saw a speck. though
Il was a bird at FIRST, bat as We az
preached nearer what was my astonisi
usnt 70 see that II WAS another balloon
''We were being driven by current
blowing at right angles and were rapi6
ly coming closer together. Soon / coul
make out another person in the otht
balloon. ] waved my hand at him, anC
as he was . hundred feet above me,
threw Oua . few bandfuls Of ballast.
rose and instantly saw that we we