Then a lecture about me by the doctor.
All in all it takes up about an hour and a half.

Then the doctor makes a mighty nice little talk, and wishes them all good afternoon, thanking them fur their kind intentions and liberal patronage, one and all.
"But when will the balloon go up ?" asts half a dozen at oncet.
"The balloon ?" asts Doctor Kirby, surprised.
"Balloon! Balloon!" yells a kid.

And the hull crowd took it up and yelled: "Balloon! Balloon! Balloon!" And they crowded up closte to that rope.
Doctor Kirby has been getting off the wagon, but he gets back on her, and stretches his arms wide, and motions of 'em all to come close.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he says, "please to gather near--up here, good people--and listen! Listen to what I have to say--harken to the utterings of my voice! There has been a misunderstanding here! There has been a misconstruction! There has been, ladies and gentlemen, a woeful lack of comprehension here!" It looked to me like they was beginning to understand more than he meant them to.

I was wondering how it would all come out, but he never lost his nerve.
"Listen," he says, very earnest, "listen to me.

Somehow the idea seems to have gone forth that there would be a balloon ascension here this afternoon.