Year: 1866

4 Thrilling Tails oi aa Involuntary AeroAaut
Ia s52 4 tamolu as4nalt advertised that he aoqa


ulaks #n ascension trom g4kana California Il vss


ta@l H9v -9 uiaa su.ts af those he addressed


ans ess public rasbed 70 see bin IN oro@ds lu the
center g tae face from '7fic9 tha ascent Wis 20 be


made, ta Ea4a spasre ieata3 held down 90 vulgar
earth by dozen ropes grasped by as many persons
elected from among the bystanders The navigator of
the Heavens bad not yet made his appearance and the
audience were growing inpatient as wars manifested
by their shouts and curses. He was probably playing
4 treeze-out poker with some flush miner in some adj
joining tavern, Ia Artemus Ward, and could not be
choked OIL. In a few minutes more the machine "
would have been torn into threads, when gust of
wind arising, the balloon suddenly wrenched from
the hands that held it. aud rushed like rocket to-
wards the clouds. Did we say wrenched from all ]?
No. not from all cry of horror rose from the lately
turbulent crowd for there clinging to slight wood
piece attached to of the cords, small
dark object which every one pronounced to be human
being


A lad who had been selling papers among the crowd
was one of those who had volunteered to hold the
guys and not being sufficiently alert had been carried
Off with the balloon. The spectators were appalled,
and every observer momentarily expected to see him
drop. But the young adventurer had no such idea
and those who had glasses saw him Chamber up the
e0rd and seat himself astride the eroSS-pece. The
balloon ascended upward in the glowing rays of the
sun it seemed like speck then vanished altogether


1t would have been difficult just then to have in
sured the life Of that boy at any premium. As for the
involuntary 9ronaut what musthave been his feelings
as be found himself thus severed from the firm earth
to which he had been accustomed At first his little
heart was in his throat, and he seemed to have sud-
denly fallen from some vast heights into an abyss of
fathomless air The world vanished nstantaneously
from sight. The boy had unfortunately wound the
cord about his hand in such manner that it was i'm
possible to let go at Yet knowing the fate that
awaited him, should he fall he had by the excrtion of
an amount Of strength wonderful in one so Young
contryed to assume the position Of comparative safety
already noted.


There he saw the wind-lriven clouds Of different
strata rush past him with rightful velocity and look
ing down could dimy discern the landscape and the
ocean with its ships, spread out on map. During
the afternoon the people of Benicia saw the car dash
by and little thought of the throbbng heart that from
that awful emnence awaited in cold anxiety the COM
ing night. The blood began to CONCEAL in the veins of
the little traveller; the act of breathing grew difficult
his muscles increased to such fearful tension were
to relax a numbuess seized ON the fingers
that grasped the cord. few minutes more must cyi.
IDENTIFY terminate his terrible ride through space


All at once the rope attached to the valve was
thrown against tile boy He clntched it in bis despair
as an additional hold upon life. joy! The valve
opens the gas rapidly escapes the balloon is once
more nearing the earth! 1t rushes into the leay en-
brace Of grove of trees and after violent struggle
rests. ...g .s..r =. E#.ee


When some rancheman, who had been watching the .
Descent reached the spot he found the young adven
urer seated on the ground at the foot of an oak look
NS the very picture of astonishment, but the
prse for his journey except few scratches.


We have heard of persons whose hair from terror
tined gray in single night. The hair of the lad on
cding down bright red but as it was red before
he'ent up, we do not know that this anything re-
maf1ble. We meet him--the boy then, the man
noNday; he looks like another mortal, and seems
to I've forgotten all the circumstances to which he
was llebted for his elevation.


INali.oma Saadar l.ercnrE