Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-22
THE BOUNCING coy,
A Remarkable Lie Told by a Foreign
Stranger.
That Women Talk the Most Proven-A Most
Remarkable Snap Shot.


a queer looking little man with a
patriarchal beard and an expression
of the most childlike innocence"
said a laxative visitor, the other
day. Il am not adverse to talking
with strangers. and we soon fell into
conversation. When he heard that l
was from the metropolis, he said:
New York? I had more fun in
that town one afternoon than you
could shake a stick at
do you mind telling me what you
did, | asked. scenting a story.
mind telling you? Why. you
| couldn't stop me; honest. you couldn't
Five years ago l was living in New
York. Now, / never cared for children
as children. but I've often thought
that there We're possibilities laid up in
4 boy that to person with an inven-
tive turn of mind and no compunc-
tons might yield good results. / had
just invented a pneumatic suit and I
wanted a boy to try it on. went to
an orphan asylum and picked out a
boy. l asked for one extraordinarily
light framed and with small bones. and
I got him. He weighed about 40
pounds and he was 10 years old. /
took him to my lodging and began to
reduce his weight
How did you do ito I asked.
How would any one do? l starved
him. l fed him just enough each day
to give him strength to get about and
that was ALL In six weeks he weighed
Il pounds and was ready for my pur-
pose. 1 dressed him up in the pneu-
matte suit. 1t was made in such a way
that it could be inflated with gas. and
Billy-that was the boys name
would then look about as we'll develop
ed as any boy of 10. He didn't look
fat al all. Then over the rubber suit
put light cloth suit. and we filled
the inner one with gas. and there We
were Well. sir. when he was inflated
it was all he could do to keep his toes
on the ground. He went swaying
round like 4 balloon when it's being
filled and I held tight on his hand for
fear I'd lose him.
'Where'd you take him?' / asked.
MY friend finished his soup and
then said:
Why. I took him down to Madison
Square to give a public exhibition of
him. You sec. there was to be a re-
view OF the firemen. and l judged that
the open space opposite the Fifth Ave-
nue. hotel would be the best place to
show him off. On the way down I told
him what he was to do, and he seemed
to enjoy the prospect. | left him in the
crowd and started to walk off across
Fifth avenue and Broadway to Madi-
son square. OF course, a policemen
yelled to me keep back. but kept on.
Then Billy ran up behind me. and
tried to pick my pocket. 1 turned and
caught him in the act, and taking him
by the nape of the neck 1 hurled him
up in the air.
The cops al stood still and the
fcrowd forgot to breathe. He came
down like a bit of thistle down and l
landed a kick in the middle of his back
that sent him over the Worth monu-
ment He laughed as if it were great
fun and half the ragged urchins in the
crowd wished they We're as light as he.
The coppars were too astonished to say
q word. | kept up a running fire OF
seedlings at Billy and every time he
came down I sent him higher, until at
last he landed on the Fifth avenue roof.
Then yelled. You'll pick my pocket
again. will you? Come down here and
I'll teach you
"EiIly grinned, and to the great JOY
of everybody he jumped off the roof OF
the hotel and started down. But
storm had been brewing over toward
I.cnc Island and now there came
mighty gust of wind that caught poor
Billy ard blew him seaward. / never
saw him again. for | took an afternoon
train for Pennsylvania, which was my
next state. But I'll bet that New York
crowd never forgot the fun | had with
little orphan Billy. I've often wonder
| ed what became of him.
MY friend beamed eXpansively, and
went out and pondered on the eX-
ample of Ananais."
THE most remarkable snapshot pic
| turo in world is owned bV a friend of