The Chinese Village wuz jest like goin' through China or bein' dropped down onbeknown to you into a China village.
Two hundred Chinamen are here by a special dispensation of Uncle Sam.
And next to China is the Captive Balloon.

I had wondered a sight what that meant.
Josiah thought that somebody had catched a young balloon, and wuz bringin' it up by hand, but I knew better than that.

I knew that balloons didn't grow indigenious.
And it wuz jest as I'd mistrusted--they had a big balloon here all tied up ready to start off at a minute's notice.
You jest paid your money, and you could go on a trip up in it through the blue fields of air.

I told Josiah "that it wouldn't be but a few years before folks would ride round in 'em jest as common as they do in wagons." Sez I, "Mebby we shall have a couple of our own stanchled up in our own barn." "You mean tied up," sez he, and I do spoze I did mean that.
But now to look up at the great deep overhead, and consider the vastness of space, and consider the smallness of the ropes a-holdin' the balloon down, I said to myself, "Mebby it wuz jest as well not to tackle the job of ridin' out in it that day." Jest as I wuz a-meditatin' this Josiah spoke up, and sez, "I won't pay out no two dollars apiece to ride in it." And I sez, "I kinder want to go up in it, and I kinder don't want to." And he sez, "That is jest like wimmen--whifflin', onstabled, weak-livered." Sez I, "I believe you're afraid to go up in it." "Afraid!" sez he; "I wouldn't be afraid a mite if it broke loose and sailed off free into space." "Why don't you try it, then ?" I urged.

"Wall," he sez, a-lookin' round as if mebby he could find some excuse a-layin' round on the ground, or sailin' round in the air, "if I wuz," sez he--"if I had another vest on.
I hain't dressed up exactly as I'd want to be to go a-balloon ridin'.
"And then," sez he, a-brightenin' up, "I don't want to skair you.