tamed her like she was a dove lies cold and dead
in a western graveyard, ladies and gentlemen, and she is here, a useless
and an idle vanity without the mind that made her go!"

Well, he went on and he told a funny story about Alonzo, which I don't
believe they ever was no Alonzo Ackerman, and a lot of 'em laughed;
and he told a pitiful story, and they got sollum agin, and then another
funny story. Well, he had 'em listening, and purty soon most of the
crowd is feeling in a good humour toward him, and one feller yells out:

"Go it--you're a hull show yourself!" And some joshes him, but they
don't seem to be no trouble in the air. When they all look to be in a
good humour he holds up a bill and asts how many has them. Many has. He
says that is well, and then he starts to telling another story. But
in the middle of the story that hull dern crowd is took with a fit of
laughing. They has looked at the bill closet, and seen they is sold, and
is taking it good-natured. And still shouting and laughing most of them
begins to start along off. And I thought all chancet of trouble was over
with. But it wasn't.

Fur they is always a natcheral born kicker everywhere, and they was one
here, too.

He was a lean feller with a sticking out jaw, and one of his eyes was in
a kind of a black pocket, and he was jest natcherally laying it off to
about a dozen fellers that was in a little knot around him.

The doctor sees the main part of the crowd going and climbs down off'n
the wagon. As he does so that hull bunch of about a dozen moves in under
the rope, and some more that was going out seen it, and stopped and come
back.

"Perfessor," says the man with the patch over his eye to Doctor Kirby,
"you say this man Ackerman is dead?"

"Yes," says the doctor, eying him over, "he's dead."

"How did he die?" asts the feller.

"He died hard, I understand," says the doctor, careless-like.

"Fell out of his balloon?"

"Yes."

"This aeronaut trade is a dangerous trade, I hear," says the feller with
the patch on his eye.

"They say so," says Doctor Kirby, easy-like.

"Was you ever an aeronaut yourself?" asts the feller.

"No," says the doctor.

"Never been up in a balloon?"

"No."

"Well, you're going up in one this afternoon!"

"What do you mean?" asts Doctor Kirby.

"We've come out to see a balloon ascension--and we're going to see it,
too."

And with that the hull crowd made a rush at the doctor.

Well, I been in fight