The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-12-16
"A True Story of a Tow Balloon.

A True Story of Toy Balloon.
There's balloon man going Bly,"
Sure enough there was. Ted and
the balloons.
Blue ones and red ones'
Just like great bunch of grapes"
See 'em bob in the wind!'
ooh, oh!'
Two pairs of boy eyes gazed in an
agony Of longing at the balloons.
Uncle Mark was sitting on the porch.
He now got up and came towards the
boys.
when I was a small boy liked toy
balloons"
Il guess all boys d." said Ted mod
estly.
(which color do you want?"
Red said Ted.
Red" said Tony.
1.-TWO red, them" said Uncle Mark,
to the man.
ooh, no." said Ted, "we don't want
both red. They'd get mixed up
But I want red," persisted Tony.
WELL" said Ted, little unwilling
ly, "then I'll take blue.'
The man loosened from his bunch
the strings belonging to a red and
blue balloon. =.
'*Ketch hold keerful, now" he said,
cor they'll get away from ye.''
LET me-" said Ted.
''No-let me- said Tony.
Two small hands were stretched out
together to take the strings. And
whose fault it was-whether Of either
or both, or the balloon mans, can new
er be told-the string of the red bal
loon slipped away.
Hold on" cried Ted.
"Catch it," screamed Tony
But the balloon sailed away until it
stopped against the branches of a tall
tree, with the string hanging down.
Uncle Mark tried to seize it, but it was
just beyond his reach.
"I'll go and bring the step ladder -
| he said.
On the way back with it he heard
Loud cries from the boys. He dropped
the ladder and ran to them It was
uclI u ~ tC1A WACCuCL S4C VLACSr "V1O u
terror or merriment. = g..
| What had happened? .,>.
A. dozen or more sparrowss had been
hopping and chirping about, all busy
looking, for stuff with which to build
/ their nests One pair of the bright lit
tie eyes had spied the string hanging
| from the balloon. A flash of the brown
/ th1 ho1
away.
Look! Look!''
otis going off with itv". - -..-
*You bring that back!''
t.Whose balloon is, it?'' asked Uncle
Mark.
"Mine," said Tony, half inclined. to
cry.
But it was so funny beyond all meas
ure to see the sparrow hauling away
that balloon that even Tony could not
keep sober They laughed and scream
ed and clapped their hands until ev-
cry one about the place came to look
He meant business, that bird. They
followed him as he flew with the
string around the side of the house
Then, on ledge Just unden the caves
of the gable. they could see that he
was building a nest. Watching him
they saw him begin to weave i'm the
string.
Hes welcome to the string if only
he'd let me have my balloon, within,
pered Tony.
II wouldn't mind a bit if it was
nine" said Ted. It's so comical to
Esee it bobbing in the wind while the
little rascal works away
81 don't mind = said Tony. 70,
never had a balloon built into a bird
nest. z .s5 ssSs
An hour later the string was mucl
shorter. Before night the balloon wa
bound down to within a foot or tw.
Of the nest. And there it stayed 70
weeks, probably to the envy Of al
4 other sparrows.
AL last in q wind storm. It burs
and for the remainder Of the summe
q little dab o. red hung down frol
the nest hieh was the last Of Tony
balloon. Selected.
.,psrs 10 do Right, Dare 70 be True
{ Dear Boys and Girls The last CHI,
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