Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-08-15

same little boy had seen struggling
with the two girls-his sisters, as l
afterward learned.
There he was, astride the sandbag
and holding on to the rope for dear
life. A puff of wind heeled the bal
loon slightly and he swung out into
space for 10 or a dozen feet, and back
again, fetching up against the tight
canvas with a thud which even shook
me, 80 feet or more beneath. l
thought to see him dashed loose, but
he clung on and whimpered. They
told me afterward, how, at the mo-
ment they were casting off the bal
Icon, the little fellow had torn away
from his sisters, ducked under the
rope, and deliberately jumped astride
the sandbag. 1t has always been a
wonder to me that he was not jerked
off in the first rush.
Well, | felt sick all over as looked
at him there, and | understood why
the balloon had taken longer to right
itself, and why George had called Of
ter me to ride her down. Should l
cut loose with the parachute the bag
would at once turn upside down, emp
ty itself, and begin it's swift descent.
The only hope lay in my riding her
down and in the boy holding on. There
was no possible way for ne to reach
him. No man could climb the slim,
closed parachute; and even if a man
could, and make the mouth of the bal
loon, what could he do? Straight out,
and Is feet away, trailed the boy on
his ticklish perch, and those Is feet
were empty space.
/ thought far more quickly than 1t
takes to tell all this, and realized on
the instant that the boys attention
T1ust be called away from his terrible
Canger. Exercising all the self-control
| possessed, and striving to make my
self seem very calm, | said cheerily:
Hello, up there, who are you?"
He looked down at me, choking back
his tears and Frightening up. but just
the the balloon ran into cross-cur-
ront, turned half around and lay over.
Thsi set him swinging back and forth,
and he fetched the canvas another
bump. Then he began to cry again.
Isn't it great?" / asked heartily, as
though it was the most enjoyable thing
in the world; and, without waiting for
him TO answer, Whats your name?"
Tommy Dermott," he answered.
Glad to make your acquaintance,
Tommy Dermott," l went on. "But
I'd like to know who said you could
ride up with me?"
He laughed and said ne just thought
he'd ride up for the fun of it. And so
we went on, sick with fear for him,
and cudgeling my brains to keep up
the conversation. | knew that it was
all | could do, and that his life depend
ed upon my ability to keep his mind
off his danger. | pointed out to him
the great panorama spreading away
to the horizon and 1000 feet beneath
US. There lay San Francisco bay like
a great placid lake, the haze of smoke
over the city, the Golden Gate, the
ocean fog-rim beyond, and Mt. Tam
Rlpias over all, clear cut and sharp
against the sky. Directly below us
could see buggy, apparently crawl
ing, but l know from experience that
the men in it were lashing the horses
on our trail.
But he grew tired of looking around,
and | could see he was beginning to
get frightened.
How would you like to go in for
the business?" l asked.
He cheered up at once, and asked,
DO you get good pay?"
But the Little Nassau" beginning
to cool, had started on its long de-
scent, and ran into counter currents
which bobbed it roughly about This
swung the boy around pretty lively,
smashing him into the bag quite Sc
ycrely. His lip began to tremble at
this, and he was crying again. tried
to joke and laugh, but it was no use.
His pluck was oozing out. and at any
moment l was prepared to see him go
shooting past me.
| was in despair. Then, suddenly,
remembered how one fright could de-
stroy another fright, and l frowned up
at him and shouted sternly:
"You just hold on to that rope! If
you don't I'll thrash you within an
inch of your life when l get you down
on the ground[ Understand"
"Ye-yeyes, sir" he whimpered, and
| saw that the thing had worked. l
was nearer to him than the earth, and
he was more afraid of me than of fall
ing.
why, you've got snap up there on
that soft bag" | ratified on.
Yes" | assured him, this bar
down here is hard and narrow, and it
hurts to sit on it.
Then a thought struck him, ard he
forgot all about his aching fingers.
when are you goirg to jump" he
asked That's what | came up to see.
l was sorry to disappoint him, but |
wasn't going to make any jump.
But he objected tc that TT said sd