MARK TWAIN
people gathered together. The officer locked his arm in
mine and presvsed through the crowd to see what the mat-
ter was. We could sec an immense balloon swaying about,
above the people's heads. We elbowed our way through
and stood beside the car. It was made fast to the ground
by a rope. A man was making a little speech. He begged
the multitude to be patient. He said he was only waiting
a minute or two for his assistant to come and make a
line fast to something—a valve, I think he said, and then
he would be off. The balloon was distended with gas and
struggling to get away. An idea flashed like lightning
through my brain. I tore loose from the guard, snatched
the hatchet from his hand, threw my tools into the car,
jumped in and cut the anchoring rope with a single stroke!
"Whiz! I was a thousand feet in the air in an instant."
That is all. We shall never know the rest of
that story. We should like to, for it has move-
ment and possibilities.
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