Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-02-06
UP IN i BALLOON.
The Aeronsut Tells Story Out Of His
Experience in the Profession.

The Aeronaut Tells Story Out Of Ills
Experience in the Profession.
Something or other suggested the sub
ject, aud the tall man, who sat at tho
hotel table where he couldn't see the
man opposite owing TO the caster which
stood between, stuck his fork into Il po-
tato and began talking.
81 suppose" lie said, "that when
Elijah went to heaven I'M hand basket,
he liked it and it was all right; but, rs
for me- I'd rather 20 by land. y
The min mt tho foot of the table look
ed up questioningly.
"By the graveyard, of course, I
mean, +" hastily explained the taller
"You sec this aerial navigation business
amt any good after you've had u 'ras-
sle' with it that pulls all of a mans
nerves out by the roots, twists them
around stump ;lnd then begins to yanl,
aud SAW on them. You understand what
Imcan? fused to bc an acronaut, l did.
I guess must have made 1000 asccn-
sions. Out i'll my state for long time
no county fur WAS complete without
me- and 1 got the topography of the
state down so fine from my birdseyc
view of it that [ could draw IL map of
the whole layout with my eyes shut.
Great thing it WAS to be sailing through
the air i'll them days, and l thought [
never would get enough of it until one
fine afternoon IL rope broke in Il ticlllish
place, and it gave me IL kind Of nervous
fit, just us it does Il railroad engineer
when he has an accident and isn't hurt
that anybody c;ul see Just the same, hc
is hurt, and so WAS l, but 1 kept on; so
does the engineer
after that, though, I didn't go up
feeling quite as SISSY us [ used to feel,
and sometimes as | would go shooting
upward I'd wonder how hard the ground
was i'll case IL man had TO light sudden.
/ always done IL trapczc act i'll conncc-
ton Will; my performance. and, if [ do
say it myself, il WASH { any SLOUGH of -
trapczc slow. Ard ! didn't like chat
half us well aster thc,o?c broke as I cid
before either. !.,:acd, ! begun to tlii.ll,
the whole ,e!,i, i.:llc,A IL ;.les; v;::;n t
what il WIS CO l:cd H. ta=le. Ms
thinking Il =: ting .. - ;.i'oca'el i.iy
waist so ~ create, :, j q il.i...'a ii l
fell, bur | Z. at l1u Ill. ll:c.g -!
there YVES ;.!,o,.t ...t.,=f l; -; ...,
hung chi t. an ;.:4.iy4 q Il y, , &
hook on IL a.d to X, - % land
when tie si.cy' w. CT.
The day ] rJti.ed f.yil l-';finess
there Nas Il state far !,cllS ca ii..t
week, and went up cvely day. 1t was
Il fine day, with Just c.oush wind to
move the balloon along majestic, as tie
papers said. and when [ shot upl WAS
so nervous that actually said my pray
CTS as saw the ground dropping away
under me. But took brace OH my
self and begun my trapozc act, tho
balloon going up faster than | ever
felt it. BY this time L WAS up half a
mile, and my turn was TO swing with
my knees around the bar, which looked
mighty dangerous, but it really WASH t
any worse than if had been in Il tic
alter with Il net Well, give myself the
swing, and never did know why, bat
lost my grip, and with Il swish l felt
myself fly out into space. The Lord
knows what 1 thought about, but it
wasn't for long, for didn't know any
more until / came to III the room ut the
hotel where l was stopping.
Come off, s" interrupted the man at
the foot of the table. You can't tell
this crowd YOU fell half mile and
didn't get killed. You are Il plain, un-
vanished liar, that what you are. y
You re another if you say / said l
fell half Il mile, " responded the retired
pronaut and it locked as if there might
be Il scrap.
"What / did do, lie continued when
peace was restored, "was TO strike that
anchor line within ten feet of the end
of it us it trailcd under ne, and by some
act of merciful Providence the anchor
few around my body and caught the
rope above, thus looping me in. There
l hung until the balloon came down,
and rs everybody below saw the acct
dent YOU may imagine that I had a big
reception when landed, though l didn t
know anything about it. 1 did know,
though. that l couldn't tempt Provi-
dence twice, and so I quit and went to
editing country newspaper, which is
more lingering than falling out of u
balloon. New York Sun.