“One of this firm’s got to stay with the ship,” Gale had said, finally. “Now, if you’re going with the balloon, Johnnie, who’s going to stay? Nick or me?”
She gave it up, then, and perhaps she had never been really serious in the matter. Only she couldn’t bear the thought of our going away into the undiscovered lands without her. No one but Ferratoni and Mr. Sturritt were to accompany Gale and myself on the voyage inland, and Mr. Sturritt only on condition that the balloon in its trial ascension proved amply buoyant. He had counted on it from the first, having been with Gale in every undertaking for many years. Then, too, he wished to attend personally to our experiments with the food lozenge.
We were astir early on the morning of the twentieth, and had the gas going and the balloon inflated by ten o’clock. It was a clear winter morning, but still, and to us it seemed warm. Our entire population was gathered for the occasion.
“So you gwine to sail off into space, now, is yeh?” observed Zar, as we prepared to start.
“Yes, and your Miss Edith is going along,” I answered, jestingly.
Zar whirled about.
“Look heah, honey! You don’t mean to say you gwine up in dat skiff to pernavigate de skies, does yeh?”
“Of course, Zar. Why not?”
Miss Gale made a move as if to take her place in the boat, but the old woman, with a nimbleness and strength not consistent with her years, suddenly stepped forward and bore her off bodily, as she had so often done in childhood.
“Put me down, Zar!” pleaded Miss Gale, “put me down! I won’t go—I promise!”