The Virginia enterprise., 1903-07-03

bothering with them for some min
utes.
Then suddenly the first gust of the
OncOming shower struck us.
What followed came quickly. The
balloon swayed over, before the wind.
Down it bowed until the cord strung
out far aslant.
Good gracious!" I cried, holding
hard. She'll get away from me, Jarve!
Touch her off quick, or she will break
away!"
In the darkness we could not see
just where the balloon was, or what
it was over.
Wis had managed at last to connect
the wires and touch off the balloon.
There came a sudden blaze and tre-
mendous detonation, as if the whole
town had cracked clean down
through the center of the earth!
The shock bowled us both over, and
we heard crash of timbers follow
ing the report. The thing had ex-
ploded about 80 feet over the barn
and shed of a worthy inhabitant of
B., who lived near the ball grounds,
and kept a lazy horse which he
hired to the boys at such high prices
that they had nicknamed him 'Old
Gripus."
"We've done it now!'' gasped Jar
Wis, as he scrambled hastily to his
feet. 'That's Old Gripe's barn!"
But that was not the worst. Shreds
of the burning paper and cloth from
the; balloon must have fallen among
hay and straw, for even as we stood
staring in that direction a bright
flame shot up from the building.
The only thing left us now was to
run to the house and shout: '4Fire!"
That we did with a vengeance, and
soon reused the fire department.; the
new steam engine and two old hand
"tubs' responded.
Through their united efforts, aided
considerably by the shower which
soon began to pour copiously, the old
mans house was saved from the fire.
but the barn and shed and an old
buggy were consumed.
Jarvis and I were greatly worried
and, indeed, were on the verge of
honorable confession of our act; but
now, I am sorry to say, to our relief,
we found that it was the unanimous
opinion of every one, including the
fire department and the owner him
self, that the barn had been struck
by lightning! For everybody in
town had heard what they believed
to be an awful clap of thunder!
Jarvis nudged me in the crowd, and
we went home to talk it over. We had
very little spare cash, and disliked ex-
ceedingly to go home, own up to
such a prank, and try to get $3.50
each from an unsympathetic father.
"Chum," said Jarvis, with a down
cast look, "this is a pretty low game,
1 know, but hadn't we better let well
enough alone-for awhile, at least %
It was a terrible temptation, and T
have to confess that, after a great
deal of mental agitation. we surren-
dered to it.
There was $500 Insurance on the
barn, but the loss was estimated
at $500.
We never mentioned the matter to
each other during our two remaining
years in college, for we were far
from richi yet I knew by the way
Jarvis would look at me once in
awhile that he was thinking of it..
and trying to discern how I felt.
But : we said nothing. Directly
after our graduation Jarvis went out
to Hawaii, and / did not see him for
three years; but we wrote every
month Or two.
I knew that we should have to set
tie for the damage before we could
feel right; still, did not like to open
the subject to Jarvis, for I did not
know exactly how he was situated.
1t transpired that he felt the same
way. about it as I did; but the sense
of dishonor wore him out first. ~
II say, Jack" he added, as a post
script to his letter last New Years
day, ''Gripe'ssold barn is pretty heavy
on my conscience. Hadn't we bet
ter fix that up? In equity it will be
a matter of $500, interest and all,
which we owe to the Phoenix com
pany, and $3.50 to Gripus;s 1925 each.
Hadn' we better do it?''', s.1 =. 81, 5sIz ,#
We squared up the long-stAnding
conscience account" last & month";.
and thus-after six years ended our
effort to make il rain In b. on the
night before the Fourth Of july.