Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-02-01
ENTHUSIASM
FOR SCIENCE
u By MAJ ADELER. uw


her full about ~ o'clock, and the
crowd held her down until we were
ready, and then gave the word, and
they let go, and we went ADJOINING
into the afr. One man got caught in
twist of the rope as she gave her
N E5S ssPpTFgtf esp q$ 4 ara Ela.Snd it Just
slammed him up against fence as II
he'd been shot out of a howitzer.
Smashed in three or four Of his ribs,
I believe, and cracked his leg. But
we went up just beautiful about 1900
feet, and while we were looking at
the lovely scenery we ran into cloud
and told Bob to throw over some
ballast. He heaved out a couple of
sandbags, ana one of them accident
ally fell on Major Dicks hired girl,
who was hanging clothes in the gar
den, and the other went sock into his
chimney and choked her up. He was
mad as the mischief about it when we
came down, No enthusiasm for
science. Some men don't care a cent
whether the world progresses or not.
Well, sir. we shot up about 1000
feet moro, and then Stoneman
dropped the lunchbasket overheard
by accident, and we went up about
four miles. Stoneman got blue in the
face, Bob tainted, and 1 came near
being asphyxiated myself. A minute
more and we'd all "a been dead men,
but gav0 the valve Jerk, and we
came down a-whooping. When the
boys cana to Bob said he was sick
and wanted to get out, and as we
were only little ways above ground
l threw ont my grapnel. That min
ute breeze struck her, and she went
about ninety miles an hour over some
mans garden, and the grapnel caught
In his gfape arbor, snatched it up,
and pretty soon got it tangled in the
weathelcock on the Baptist Church
steeplec cut the rope and left 1t
there, and I understood afterward
the deacons sued the owner because
he wouldn't come and take 1t down.
Raised an awful fuss, and sent the
sheriff after me. Trying to make |
scientific investigation seems like a
crime, and me working like horse |
all the time to unfold the phenomena
OF nature! If they a. loved knowl-
edge more than ignorance, they
wouldn't "a cared IL I'd ripped their
old steeple off and rammed her down
like an eZtinguisher on top of some
factory chimney.
So when we deposited the grape
arbof we went up again a-kiting, and
Bob got sicker, and said he must get
out, and rugged up another grapneJ
and threw 1t out. We were Just over
farm near the river, and, as the
wind was high, the grapneArick
through two fences and, 55r;shaII 49,
ran apaipst rshces, Mary ,o,,e ' +S Soro
hair The tamilTi;o roof off the harm
EsSS a sheep and ripped it in
Fred, and then, as nothing would hold
her. we swooped into the woods, |
whore we ran plump against tree.
The branches skinned Stoneman's |
face, nearly put out my left eye, and |
Rocked four teeth out of Bobs mouth.
1t was the most exciting voyage /
ever took In my life, and l was Just |
beginning to take an interest in it.
just getting warmed up and prepar-
ing to take meteorological observa-
ttOns, but Bob was so very anxious to
quit that / didn't like to refuse, al
though hated to give up and aban-
don my scientific Investigations.
So threw out my coat and boots!
and made the other fellows do the
same, and we rose above the trees,
and sailed along splendidly until we
struck the river, when she suddenly
lodged down, and the edge of the car
caught in the water, and the wind
took her, and we went seudding along
like lightning, nearly drowned.
Stoneman was washed overheard.
however, and that lightened her so
she went up again, and l was for
staying up, but Bob said he'd die If
he didn't get out soon, and, besides,
he thought we ought to look after
Stoneman. But said SLOVENIAN was
probably drowned anyhow, SO there
was no use in sacrificing our expert
ments for him, and told Bob man
of his intelligence ought to be willing
to put up with something for the sake
OF science. And Bob said, as for
him, science be hanged; II I didn't
let him out he'd jump out. He was
sick. you know. The man was not
himself or he'd never "a talked that
way about voyage that was so full
of interest, and that was likely to re-
veal so many of the secrets Of nature.
But, to oblige him, at last got her
down on the other side of the river,
and farmer came up and held on to
the rope.
While we were talking to him,
waB just telling him that, as the gas
was coming out of the neck of the
balloon, maybe he'd better put out
his cigar, when all OF sudden there
was terrific bang; the gas exploded
and wrapped us in sheet Of flame,
and the next minute some of the
neighbors picked up me and Bob,
burned the worst kind. Bob was
roasted nearly to a crisp. Exciting,
wasn't It? And they took him over
to the house, where we found that
they had fished out SLOVENIAN and
were rolling his body on a barrel to
| get the water out of him. When he
got over 1t they sent the invalid corps
back to town in buggy-Bob groan-
ing all the way, and me arguing with
him to show that science requires her
votaries to give up little of their
personal comfort for the benefit 1t
does the race, and Stoneman saying
he wished he was we'll enough to go
out and bang the inventor of balloons
with shotgun.
But enjoyed the trip more than
expected. So many exciting surprises,
you know. AS soon as we got home a
ccntable came and arrested me for
chucking that ignorant opponent of
scientific inquiry up against the fence
and wreekingshim. And when / was
Il in4 n m IN hofl 7 hapan IN huiId a ,,at,