The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-20

on him while he kept going up higher and higher. Then my eyelids began to get so heavy, I closed them for a second; had dream for 1 was suddenly trans still heavier they got and then I must have ported to d great field where q balloon was being inflated.
 The aeronaut asked everybody to please come and help him hold the big bag down, so my good nature forced me to step over and lend him a helping hand The first thing I knew l was going up in the air clinging to the rope. The aeron- aut was q. little lower than me and he yelled at me to turn loose l looked down and couldn't The whole bottom of the earth had caved in and it was all drop ping inwards.
 The aeronaut then started swearing at me and l started climbing down my rope after him. was going to punch his face if we were 1000 feet above the earth. As l got alongside of him I swung back and went sailing towards him. then drawing my arm back, let it fly at him. But the scoundrel cut loose his parachute just as l hit at him. and the force with which 1 swung at him sent me flying around and around. It jerked me so that l lost my grip. Ugh Such q sickening sensation when I began to fall. The sick ening sensation soon passed away and a s l rushed downward through the air began to calculate on just how hard would hit the earth. 1 glanced down and saw something black. then I landed on something which dropped and then began to soar up. again.
 ''T caught my breath and looked around. l was in the midst of a drove of wild ducks and had landed upon the back of a huge drake The whole bunch were squawlSing and flying southward as fast they could. l balanced myself on tine drake's back and began to think, The ducks were thinking, too, for they gath cred close together and began squawkins in an undertone. They evidently arrived at some decision quickly, for in a mo- meat they spread out again and began soaring directly upward. Every once in awhile one of the other ducks would slide under me and give the drake rest
 This performance kept up for a year it seemed to me. until something white flashed before me. In a minute I recog- nized it as the moon, but there wasn't much of 1t there; only thin watermelon slice. I wondered what the ducks were up to and found out pretty quickly Fly ing up to the highest point of the moon they turned me over on the sharp point above the Man in the Moons head. Then they left me. I looked downward and started to jump. but my nerve failed.
 "Then l sat down on the sharp point and began to ruminate. The ducks were already out of sight There I was 30,- GOO miles above the earth, nothing to eat, nothing to drink, no prohibition nothing but my reflections, while the point was edging up.
 Something began climbing over the point at the other end of the moon and l began to feel creepy. and then, by jim iny, the prettiest creature that ever hap pened began walking over the Man in the Moons face towards me. A smile that made even the smiling skies look sad lit up her face and sent me splash ing into a of sugar coated ecstacy. She was robed in the greatest assort- ment of fluffy ruffles I have ever seen and she looked as if she had just lain down and rolled over and over in it until she had it wrapped about her.
 "She came right up to me. put her arms around my neck and kissed me. while I went crazy DO you know me-? she asked but I was compelled to answer no, Don't you. sure enough@ No. I'm Venus What was I sitting on that sharp point kissing the goddess who had all the nations lowing down and worshipping her five thousand years ago. I told her to repeat it, which she did sealing it with a kiss.
 "She might have been caressing me yet if that durned point hadn't begun to assert Itself. It finally did so so forcibly that | went tumbling over the side of the moon. As I fell I clutched at something and took it with me. Again I felt that sick ening sensation. then it passed away and I began to calculate where l would land this time.
 'I took look at the thing I had seized as I left the moon and to my horror dis covered that I had caught Venus fluffy ruffles dress by the train and brought the whole dress along with me. bright idea struck me and as I kept dropping downward through space l began climb inb up the fluffy ruffles. bringing the train up behind me. When l reached the top l secured a good grip on the neck and swung myself outward. holding the train in one hand and the neck In the other.
 "The result That fluffy ruffles affair spread out above me in the greatest para chute that was ever invented Oh! but it was great. It checked the awful rate at which I was travelling and the nice dreamy sensation of dropping downward at a slow pace caused such a feeling of relief to come over me that I began to sing from sheer joy. Lower and lower. Then
 "I opened my eyes and found myself in terrible mixup. Somebody was on top of me and my head was being pounded against the ground horribly. My mouth was packed full of something which was trying to get out. nearly pull ing my teeth out in doing so. Then it was out of my mouth and I fell back on the ground. The next thing l knew somebody had poured bucket of water on me-
 Someone was kind enough to explain. It was simple. After running down the track I had gotten immediately under the balloon and stood gazing upward at it with my mouth wide open. Then I went to sleep and. of course, stood there with my mouth open. The aeronaut de- scended on top of me and his foot landed in my mouth. hence the terrible pain in getting rid of the mouthful l had
 Slide over and give a fellow shoulder hold on that post. Gee. but I bet Venus caught cold after I leftH'