The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-15
PART II.

This time he had extra heavy lead
weights to his feet, and when every
thing was ready, l turned on the supply
of gas for him, until he judged that his
weight had been reduced to about one
third of what it ordinarily was Then
he gave me the word to turn off the gas,
and he started to walk across the yard.
His walk was only a little drunker in
appearance than it had been the day be-
fore. but he certainly did get over the
ground at "A tremendous rate, Every
time his feet touched the earth he
bounded about ten feet into the air, and
came down again a good thirty feet
from where he had started. He went
the length of the yard. which was fully
five hundred feet in no time at all. and
as he passed me ON the way back, he
was SO excited that he tried to clap his
feet together, and to crow like rooster.
| don't say this was quite worthy OF
respectable scientific man, but allow
ance must be made for an iavcntor who
finds that his invention works. But the
professor made the biggest mistake in
his life when he tried to clap his feet to-
gether. In so doing. one of his lead soles,
which had been tied on by the professor
himself, with a sort of knot that was of
no manner of use. dropped Off. and Van
WAGNER went up into the air like 4
shot. | saw him trying TO reach the
stOpcock that shut Off the gas from his
shirt, but he could not find il. ana 1t
would have done him no good if he had
found it. What that shirt needed was
some sort of safety valve for letting the
gas escape in case of accident. but Van
Wagner had omitted 10 furnish ii with
any such valve. Without his lead sole
he was considerably lighter than the at
mosphere. and consequently there was
nothing to prevent him from going up.
There was a gentle breeze from the
southwark, and as Van Wagener rose
slowly and seemed to be drifting to-
wards thickly-built part of the town
1 was in hopes that he would be able
To catch hold Of some building and mold
on till some one could come to his aid.
He never said u word as he sailed up
wards, but I'm ready tn bet that he
would have given ii good deal if the cat
could have jumped on him from'the roof
of the house and punctured his shirt
| sang out to him to keep cool which is
NV 'i'4SSt tiiiiiS ~ say w Il W lip 10
in difficulties, but he simply smiled
resigned sort of smile, and disappeared
behind the house.
| ran out of the front door and chased
the professor. keeping my eye on him
Just as a sailor keeps his eye on a man
who falls overheard. though there
wasn't any chance of sending lifeboat,
or for that matter, n balloon, after
him. He drifted along at an elevation
of perhaps fifty feet. and presently /
saw that he was heading directly for
the Presbyterian church. The church
itself was only about thirty feet high
from the ground to the roof but it had q
steeple that was Il good hundred feet in
height. though it didn't look it. In fact
it looked as if it was lower than the
Baptist steeple, which was only eighty
five feet high. and the PresbyteranS
| used tn win no end of bets by inducing
strangers to bet on the comparative
height of the two steeples. However,
that is neither here or there. Van
Wagner drfted along amid the general
enthusiasm of the inhabitants. who all
rushed out of doors to see him. and
imagined that he had contrived some
making a big success of it. Everybody
said that this time the professor had
made the greatest invention of the CEN
tury, and that New Berlinopolisville
would have a chance to put up a monu-
ment to him. after his death. that would
attract thousands of visitors. / said
! nothing, for nothing that | could say
would be of any help towards getting
| the professor down to the ground in
safety, and hadn't the heart to destroy
the reputation that he had 50 suddenly
| and accidentally made.
BY rare good luck; Van Wagner hap
| pened to hit the very top of the Presby-
| terian steeple. and caught hold of it
| and held on for all he was worth. There
wasn't much to hold on to except the
| lightning rod, for, of course. there
wasn't any cross there. and in the place
where a cross ought to have been there
was a big gilt pineapple which was too