The Ordway new era., 1911-02-24

Edith Hulse up n . balloon. boys"
proposed to her when they we're 10000
feet In the air while the other man in
the basket was looking the other way:
and now they are married!
| Dr.. Stowell tried something differ.
snt. He might have proposed to her
yacht by moonlight. or even In the
hammock on the back porch: In other
words. he might have proposed Just as
millions Of other men have proposed.
But on the spur OF the moment he
chose the air as the scene In which
to bring his wooing to a climax-and
won out.
When his good airship landed In a
rocky pasture he had the promise; the
rest was easy. thanks to this new way
Of winning her. The 100 pounds or
20 OF ballast" Is now Mrs. Stowell.
At the beginning 1t looked as II DR..
Stowell stood little chance. Miss HUI
Sc. daughter Of Schuyler Hulse. Of
Pittsfield. Mass, was one of the bellies
Of the Berkshires. DIR. Stowell prac-
tised In Pittsfield too. and one day he
met Miss Hulse.
lure Of the City Felt.
At length he gained the coveted In
vitation to call. The handsome young
physician took the very first oppor-
trnity. The visits continued until one
day the young woman remarked In .
very off-hand manner. I'm going to
New York to study nursing"
What" answered DR.. Stowell. bare
! ly stifiing gasp.
YES" ratified on Miss Hulse, its
all arranged. I'm going to Bellevue
hospital there and shall take the full
course. Won't 1t be fine?"
Miss Hulse left PittsHeld soon after
ward and DIR. Stowell never got the
chance he longed for. He stayed at
home while Miss Hulse went to New
York. AutomoblIng had always been
his hobby. but folks had the balloon
fever In Pittsfield just then and DR..
Stowell got 1t. too. He Joined the
! Aero Club OF Pittsneld-the premier
place for the sport In the east. with
Its big gas works and Its host Of aero
sharps. Soon he had the bug" as
they say.
I'm going to qualify as an air-pilot."
declared DR.. Stowell 10 his friends. and
he went about 1t in a atter.of.fact
formal way. with each flight. making
his records and studying the science
Of aeronautics AS II he intended to
make 1t his life work.
He essayed the air for the first time,
going up as a passenger with william
hn Ni iUh aul
the pair were blown to Tyngsboro.
Mass. but they landed In safety after
a Wild trip through the clouds. That
i started his qualification for air-pilot.
Under the rules Of the Aero Club OF
Pittsf1eld Il candidate must make six
flights with at least one passenger.
and one OF the flights must be at
! night. All these Dr. Stowell made.
but not without peril
Peril In Night Flight.
The night flight was punctuated by
terrific thunderstorm in which the
balloon was In momentary peril OF be.
ing struck by lightning. In another
Night he was blown across the State
of Massachusetts. dipped down till he
hit the waters OF the Hudson river.
/, only to rise again and bang against
the rock.bound sides OF the Palisades
But one by one. the flights were made
There was but one left. and then he
would become a full-nedged captain OF
the air. He could fly alone now. II he
chose. or take a persop.
He decided that his first passenger
should be John p. Manning OF Pitts
field. 1t CHANGED that day that Miss
Hulse was in Pittsfeld too. on leave
of absence from the hospital In New
York. She. went to see the balloon
flight and was in the crowd that gath
cred about the Juggling thing OF silk
and gas that half a hundred men could
barely hold down.
They had chatted and laughed to
gether before things were ready. ant
Miss Hulse stood close to the baske,
to see the cast.off. DIR. Stowell was
busy setting things to rights and get
ting everything ship-shape when ha
noted that his sirship seemed ever
too buoyant. 1t was plain to his 81
psnsnced eye that she would shoot
up in the air like = rocket-somethina
that every aeronaut breads.
He glanced about There was ne
more ballast-yes. there was Miss Hui
Sc, who stood smiling by the side o.
the basket to watch DR.. Stowsll make
his upward shoot into the air. Per
haps something else beside mere bal
last was in his mind too.
Perhaps there was something in I
pair OF merry eyes!
Invitation Acosptsd
Anyway, the budding man Of the ali
made up his mind right then and there