Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-12-01


That first downward plunge filled
Bert with haunting sense of bound
less waters below. 1t was a summers
| night, but it seemed to him, neverthe
less, extraordinarily long. He had
feeling of insecurity that he fancied
quite irrationally the sunrise would
dispel. Also he was hungry. He felt
In the dark in the locker, put his fin
gers In the Roman pie and got some
sandwiches, and he also opened rather
successfully half bottle Of cham
pagne. That warmed and restored
him. Then he made discovery. His
or, rather. Mr.. Butteridge's-waist-
coat rustled as he breathed. 1t was
lined with papers. But Bert could not
see to get them out or examine them,
much as he wished to do so. He fell
asleep.
He was awakened by the growing Of
cocks, the barking Of dogs and a
clamor of birds. He was driving slow.
ly at low level over a broad land lit
golden by sunrise under clear sky.
He stared out upon hedgeless. well cul.
tivated fields intersected by roads,
each lined with cable bearing red
poles. He had just passed over COM
pact whitewashed village with
straight church tower and steep red
tiled roofs. A number of peasants, men
and women, in shiny bouses and
lumpish footwear. stood regarding him,
arrested on their way to work. He
| of
was trailing.
| He resolved to rise a little and get
rid of his wig. which now felt hot ON
his head, and so forth. He threw out
a bag Of ballast and was astonished to
find himself careering up through the
air very rapidly.
Blow" said Mr.. Smallways. 1--WE
overdone the ballast trick. Wonder
when | shall get down again? Brek-
fus' on board, anyhow"
He removed his cap and wig, for the
air was warm. and an improvident i'm
! pulse made him cast the latter object
overheard. The statoscope responded
with vigorous swing to "Montee."
The blessed thing goes up IL you
only look overheard" he remarked and
assailed the locker.
| Then he took off his overcoat. for the
sunshine was now inclined to be hot,
and that reminded him Of the rustling
he had heard in the night. He took off
the waistcoat and examined it, "Old
Butteridge won't like me unpicking
this" He hesitated and finally pro-
ceeded to unpick it. He found the
missing drawings Of the lateral rotat-
ing planes. on which the whole stabil-
ity of the flying machine depended.
An observant angel would have seen
Bert sitting for a long time after this
discovery in a state of intense medita-
ton. Then at last he rose with an air
of inspiration. took Mr.. Butteridge's
| ripped. demolished and ransacked
waistcoat and hurled 1t from the bal
| loon, whence 1t futtered down slowly
and eddyingly until at last it came to
rest with contentod flop upon the
| face Of German tourist sleeping
peacefully beside the Hohenweg, near
Wildbad. Also this sent the balloon
| higher, and so into position still
more convenient for observation by
our imaginary angel, who would next
have seen Mr. Smallways tear open
/ his own jacket and waistcoat. remove
| his collar, open his shirt, thrust his
hand into his bosom and tear his heart
out-or at least. If not his heart, some
large bright scarlet object. IL the OBJ
server. overcoming Il thrill Of celestial
horror, had scrutiniZed this scarlet OBJ
| ject more narrowly, one of Berts most
cherished secrets, one Of his essential
weaknesses, would have been laid
bare. 1t was red flannel chest pro
tector. one of those large quasi-hy-
gienic objects. Always Bert wore this
thing. 1t was his cherished delusion,
| based~on the advice of a shilling for
tune teller at Margate, that he was
weak in the lungs.
He now proceeded to unbutton his
| fetish, to attack it with penknife
and to thrust the new found plans be-
tween the two layers Of imitation Sax
ony flannel of which 1t was made.
Then. with the help Of Mr.. Butter
idGe's small shaving mirror and his
folding canvas basin, he readjusted
his costume with the gravity Of n man
who has taken an irrevocable step In
life, buttoned up his jacket. cast the
white sheet of the Desert Dervish on
one side. washed temperately, shaved,
resumed the big cap and the fur over
coat and, much refreshed by these exer-
cises. surveyed the country below him.
"Wish | knew how to get down."
said Bert, 10000 feet or so above 1t all.
and gave himself to much futile tug
ging at the red and white cords. Aft
erward he made a sort Of inventory Of
the provisions. Life in the high air
was giving him an appalling appetite
and it seemed to him discreet ut this
stage to portion out his supply into
rations So far as he could see he
| might M SS a week in the air