The Washington times., 1910-01-27
HIS BROTHERS KEEPER

T Whether I stayed for one minute or
/ ten. I do not know But soon the
: ChatterinE chilli left me cOu'i
/ breathe with ease, AID my head grew
/ I tore OF another scrap Of paper and
! tossed il out 1t vanished almost as
/ quickly as had the earliestt one Of all
I But not before 1 could see that il flew
rapidly upward.
/ I leaned over the car side and looked
/ downward. The upTushiug air smote
me in the face ike a fist.
Below mellow far I could not guess
{ but distant to eye-lay a vast city,
laid out with the precision OF an archi-
tect's miniature model.
For miles IN each direction It
stretched. this wonder city that had
discovered Its myriad streets, its
/ huge public buildings, its vividly green
parks giistened in the sunlight.
1houSl 1 seemed to hang moveiess
IN InlddlT Yet the city appeared 10 -
. rushing bodily upward at me. And
/ now with start of surprise, I recOg-
.----- -Fe largest of the huge build
: mss zelOw be. II vas the Capital
but seen as perhaps never mortal had
Z Before beheld it.
Yes. and the wide sweep OF Penn
Z sSiFalila avenue, turning at last, al
I most at right angles with itself; AMI
the green lawns, wherein was set a
snowy eOEiCe-the White House.
was above Washington, Above
/ IL and each second settling faster
/ ana faster downward. a few min
utes more and I would be safe on
mother earth again
safe on mother earth7 Safe in the
city whence I had fed a short week
( ago with the hue and cry at my heels
The CITY where nv arrival in q bal
{ loon would be the signal for a crowd
lplentliuliy mixed with policemen
. TO surround me?
I heaved overheard a couple OF sand
( bags / suddenly seized the other OF the
. 4
W lth an almost equally sudden jerk the
Daiioon ceased its downward flight AM
7 paused suspended. far above Tie city
Inere I leaned. still looking down on
Washington picking out one familiar
mouse or street or park after another.
/ could even see people-tiny crawling
specks-mOVinS about on some Of the
wider -h0rOUghfares
Then ] noticed that. whereas the
capitol EaG recently been just beneath
me II was now slipping nOrthward, and
] was above the shining Potomac. Then
critulg over the fat lands Of the Vir-
GINA side OF the river.
As . passed southwark, the balloon
. being pushed gently along BY a light
able place 20 sIigllt-
7 was more than twenty miles away
from my starting point at Rockville
fair grounds. I could not float fudaa-
nitely between heaven and earth. Some
where, some time, 7 must come TO earth
But ere now alarms would have been
sent forth Folk would be on the look
out Tor a man In a runaway balloon
The very fact Of my nearing earth
would b. a signal for my capture.
NOT ten saluteS OF artillery could
have heralded my approach more
completely sham would this enormous
balloon Instead OF escaping BY its
aid ] now saw I should be inevitably
captured by means Of the yellow eHr
bag I was IL worse plight than
ever.
The balloon. OF its own impulse. he
gan 10 sink earthward above a vii
iaEe- The Inhabitants were in grOuns
staring up AZ me and pointing. I saw
as ] sank nearer TO ground one man
run into q house and Teappear with
q shot gun which he leveied at me
I could even catch his far-OE hail
come down, OF I'll fire. You're my
prisoner
Now while 7 was still out OF shot
gun range I was none the less slow
iy dropping earthWard- In few
minutes ] would be close enough for
him 90 shoot.
The idea Of load Of buckshot tear
ms rent in the silken gas bag and
hurting me ike a stone to the ground
was not pleasant
Come down roared the man again
t7nd this time his words reached me
quite distinctly We got word q bout
YOU an hour ago Come down IN a
hurry or III blow a hole through
your balloon
The