A VERY TALL YARN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1504, 9 October 1883, Page 2

A VERY TALL YARN.

American penny-a-liners look down with a fine scorn from ,-■, the lofty heights of their superior imagination upon.such commonplace affairs as sea serpents and showers of frogs. This is how tliey serve up the real article in its native simplicity. At an hotel in Morehead, a North Caroline watering place, a dealer iu toy balloons presented himself. One Major ; Hawkins, of Alabama, in a ' spirit of playful wantonriessseized the balloons, tied them round the waist of a three-year-old daughter of a Mr Elliott, and tossed the child in tho air, holding out his hands to catch the child as she descended, The Major had notreckoned on the floating power of the baloons, They carried little Elliott up and up, until she was a gradually ascending object floating seawards at a good height above the hoiidus. All was horror and confusion save in the manly breast of Charles J. Vorhees, one of the most expert riflemen in the States, who being out for a pleasure sail, of course had his rifle with him. With his eagle eye he measured that the child was 400 yards above him, and was travelling over the sea at the rate of ten miles an hour. Without hesitation this heroic man commenced lirinir at tho balloons, which at that distance presented to the eye much the appearance of a button oii the child's dress. He kept on hitting the balloons and missing the child, until he had burst sufficient to allow the laws of gravity to come in operation, "and bear the child safely to sandy beach. . One need eiiy via >; 1;11 Mr Vorhees burst into tears <-! t!. ; ; successful use of his rifle praei'V; h complete a story which for aoit&uimt of incident;.wealth,.of;detail, natural simplicity, and yet utter impossibility, bats anything in print.