CHAPTER II.
THE BALLOON ASCENSION
WELL, Tom got up one thing after another, but they all
had tender spots about 'em somewheres, and he had to shove 'em aside. So at last
he was about in despair. Then the St. Louis papers begun to talk a good deal
about the balloon that was going to sail to Europe, and Tom sort of thought he
wanted to go down and see what it looked like, but couldn't make up his mind.
But the papers went on talking, and so he allowed that maybe if he didn't go he
mightn't ever have another chance to see a balloon; and next, he found out that
Nat Parsons was going down to see it, and that decided him, of course. He wasn't
going to have Nat Parsons coming back bragging about seeing the balloon, and him
having to listen to it and keep quiet. So he wanted me and Jim to go too, and we
went.
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