Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-07-15


i shambling along awkwardly, his eyes
fixed vacantly on the bits of cloud in the
sky; and the manager moving along ma
iestically before them, his red face
wreathed in 81 lies of professional eour-
tesy for the benefit of the crowd. In the
band stand the musicians struggled man
fully with the Mendessohn Wedding
March, and the great event of the day
IAN aerial wedding, 500 feet above the
earLn as the posters announced it
having arrived at last, the crowd let
itself loose aid howled. Thus they made
the way through the lane opened up in
the crowd, and came finally to the bal
loon, where solemn faced young clergy
man awaited them.
The manager turned and caught the
! girl in his arms.
I'm we 60 he said cheerful.y, as he
| lifted her into the car.
The groom to be elambered in clumsily,
and the clergyman followed, his method
of embarkation detracting somewhat
! from his dignity The rope was unreeled
from the big windlass, and as the balloon
crept slowly upward, the cheers of the
crowd redoubled. The young man slipped
an arm about the girl
| Don't look down." he cautioned.
II amt scairt, jim" she replied brave
ly. although he felt her trembling
Presently they were aware the balloon
was stationary. The clergyman opened
book and began the ceremony. AS the
service droned on, the man essayed one
look over the side of the car, but those
upturned faces far below gave him u
queer sensation, and drawing the girl yet
closer to him, he fixed his eyes ON the
clergyman's face.
| A moment later there was a slight
shock He was aware of feeling of
giddiness; he heard a cry of horror from
the crowd far below The ceremony
stopped short. Indeed, the clergyman
dropped the book from his nerveless
hands. The girl chung unsteadiIy to the
side of the ear, while the two men,
clutching the ropes, peered over the side.
What they saw struck terror to their
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 treach-
erous rope swayed and danged 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 suddenuess of it all 1t was the girl
who recovered her wits first.
"We-we--cant help it," she faltered,
but anyway, wen be married"
1t was indeed a strange wedding The
! clergyman chung to one side of the car,
| which swayed and rocked dangerously,
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 the cloud bank the
! two were pronounced man and wife.
For nearly an hour they floated along
above the clouds Then the great ball
above them began to shrivel somewhat,
and they sank gently. At sunset they
were quite near the EARTH travelling. as
they could plainly see, 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 brushing the tree
tops which tilted the car sharply and
threatened momentarily TO spill them to
earth. The clergyman, poking beneath
the seats on either side of the car
emerged triumphantly with a graphic an
Choir and a coil of light rope. Breath
| lessly he cast the anchor over the side
For time it swung to and fro like
huge pendulum then caught fast in the
branches of an elm near d big, white
farmhouse. The rope pulled taut the
car ierked and tilted and swayed. then
the balloon sank gently into the branches
of huge apple tree and the perilous voy
age was at an end.
From their perch in the apple tree they
saw men running toward them with lad
ders, and three women following stur-
Oily in the wake OF the men In a few
minutes the unwilling voyagers were
standing on solid earth again, answering
as best they could the many questions
of the chtatering group about them.
May ask where we are?" the clergy
man ventured when the curiosity of their
rescuers had been somewhat appeased
You're in Clinton Mills, in the north
ern part of Ridgway county" one of the
men replied
The bride took a step forward.
There amt a Sereny Hawkins round
here, is there ?" she asked eagerly.
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.
20 Jim she whispered. its turned
out beautiful weddin' Journey. after
Richard Barker Shelton in New
Orleans Times Democrat.
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A Locksmith's Adventure.