The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-08-12

opened a book and began the ceremony. As the service droned on. the man es- sayed one look oyer the side of the car, but those upturned faces far below gave him a queer sensation, and draw ing the girl yet closer to him, he fixed his eyes on the ciergyman's face. A moment later there was a slight shock He was aware of @ feeling of giddiness; he heard cry of horror from. the crowd far below. The cere- mony stopt short. Indeed, the clergy man dropped the book from his nerve less hands. The girl clung unsteadily to the side of the car. while the two men, clutching the ropes, peered over the side.
 What they saw struck terror to their l hearts. The crowds, the fair grounds. the whole earth, was falling away from them with sickening rapidity, Many feet below them the broken end of the trecherous rope swayed and l dangled in the breeze
 We've broke loose'' gasped Jim in tones of horror.
 The three, White-faced and trembling, stood staring at one another, stunned by the suddenpess of it all. It was the girl who recovered her wits first.
 "We-we-can't help it." she faltere6, "but anyway, we'll be married"
 It was, indeed, a strange wedding. The clergyman chung to the side of the car, which swayed and rocked dan gerously, and the contracting parties grasped the other side. But somehow | the service was hustled through and just as the balloon was lost to sight in l the cloudbank the two were pro- nounced man an wife.
 For nearly an hour they floated along above the clouds. Then the great ball above them began to shrivel some what, and they sank gently. At sun set they were quite near the earth, travelling, as they could plainly seee, rapidly toward the northwest. Fields and villages flew past beneath them and always they sank lower as the hot air in the balloon gradually cooled. Presently they were burning the tree tops, which tilted the car sharply and threatened molnentarily to. spill them to the earth. The. clergyman, poking beneath the seats on either side of the car, emerged triumphantly with a gap pie anchor and coil of! light rope. ] Breathlesslys he east the anchor over | the side. For a time it swung to and fro like a huge pendu- lun. then caught fast in the branches l of an elm near a big, white farmhouse. The rope pulled taut; the car jerked and tilted and sWayed; then the bal 1 loon sank gently into the branches of 8 huge apple tree, and the perilous voy- age was at an end
 From their perch in the apple tree 1 they saw men running toward them with ladders, and three women follow | ing sturdily in the wake of the men. In few minutes the unwilling voy- agers were standing on solid earth again, answering, as best they could the many questions of the chattering group about them.
 May ask where we are?" the clergyman ventured when the curious ity of their rescuers had been some what appeased.
 you're in Clinton Mills, in the north ern part of RidgeWay county,'' one of the men replied.
 | The bride took step forward.
 There aint a Sereny Hawkins round here, is there?' she asked eager ly.
 Yes, dearie." said one of the women. 'Sereny Hawkins place is about a mile beyond here"
 The bride pressed her husbands arm and turned to him a glowing face.
 70 Jim,' she whispered, tits turned out a beautiful weddin' journey, after all,-Richard Barker in New Orleans Times Democrat,
 FIRH IN WATERTOWN. ] A large ice house in Watertown; own