Weekly Trinity journal., 1860-02-25
A E'crilous kEour.

determined to stick to the shore, | got work with
builder whose peculiar line lay in erecting long
chimneys. ] had always a very good head, and
could stand on an elevation that made most men
dizzy, and so | was soon favorite hand with my
master.
We had on ono occasion to fastcn lightning
conductor which bad sprung very near TO the top
Of very high chimney, aud Mr.. Staining chose
myself and one James Cooley to do it, rs the
most daring Of his men. About halfa dozen Of
us w,rt that morning, with hand cart contain
ing The ncceseaiy ropes. blocks, the kite, and a
hoX or cradle. Having flown the kite and drop
ped it, line across the top OF the chimney, we
soon drew up a rope. at the end Of which was
block, through which ran the line whereby we
w,re to be- drawn up.
Cooley had only been married fortnight !;
and as we stepped into the cradle the men asked
him il he hadn't a last dying speech to leave to
his wife and tdcn Mr.. Staining having shaken
hands with us, and bid US be cool and steady, we
were drawn slowly up. 1t was known all over
the town that the conductor vas to be fixed,
though as the day was not named, did not eX-
ptct we should have many spectators but as we
got higher and the view opened under our feet,
saw that the street was already thronged with
StaFpIe Cooley was very quiet, and when
waved NY cap to The people, said snappishly, that
he thought might think Of better things than
bow to amUse those gaping fools who, be dared
say, desired no better fun than to see us meet
with an accident.
had come up in the hest heart, thinking, in
deed nothing about the danger we incurred bat
as we drew nearer and nearer the top, and had
nothing, as il seemed, belonging TO this world
near us, Lut this strained rod, began to see the
peril OF the undertaking. What Cooley thought
Ol If, don't kn0w.-he sat at the bottom OF The
cradle, never looking ont, though | told him hc
would do better to keep his eyes about him, so
that be might get used to the hight.
Good Heavens! What was this? Here we
were within a yard OF the top and still they
were winding away without abaing speed in the
least ! | guessed in moment that they mstook
our hight and that with the great purchase Of
that WindlaSs the rope would be- broken when the
cradle came TO the block. | sprang up, and
catching the rope climbed hand over hand to the
coping. Cooley, too, sprang mp and followed
me lie, toO got up safe and sill they went
on winding up till the rope sung again with the
strain there was upon it. Then it snapped, and
the cradle. hauling line. aud the main rope with
its block, fell down. Thus were two men left in
Il most desperate situation.
Poor Cooley was completely crazed with the
attight and the moment he got upon the coping,
which only foot and halt broad, he called
out "Where can pray? Where can kneel
aud may:'' Aud so said, very solcmnly " Sit
down Jem- God will hear us if wc pray to Him
sitting down.
The color of his face was transparent blue,
and it was distorted and tWiching as if he were
in lit. His eyes were very wild, and drawn in
to a squint and be couldn't sit steady, swaying
his body backward and forward, SO that | felt
certain that he must topple over.
{" Come Jcn, lad." said, thinking to take
the fright out Of him it's bad enough but
it can be mcnded. Hitch up bit, aud put
your arm around the rod may be it will steady
you"
"Where are you, and where is the rod ~ he
asked in IL hollow voice, though he was looking
! right at NE, and the rod was only a foot or two
4 from him. by this time knew that he was gone
blind with the fright, and self-preservation said
-" Don't 20 near him = but then remembered
/ his newly welded wife, aHd that, taking him ali
, through, be was always a very decent fellow and
/ ! thought how should have liked him to have
done bad been in his place 50 determined to
run bit Of risk in his favor OF course dare
not stand on my feet, bat, working myself on my
hands, got TO him, and putting my arm around
his waist, and telling him rs chcerlully | could
/ TO keep cool, ] got him with bis arm around the
rod. IL had, however, sprung the stapling for
some yards down. and was so loose that it swayed
with lin, and ! expected every minute to see
him falling head and heels down, and the rod
tearing away with him.
Gdiere was a great bnstle down below people
were rushing round the yard and pushing TO get
in but as yet there was some score of men at
the foot Of the chimney, and by close looking I
saw them put somebody on board aud carry
him gently away towards the engine house. One
Of the men followed after with hat in his hand !;
then knew that somebody had been hurt with
! the fallen cradle, and that it nuSt have been poor
Mr. STAINING as none Of our men wore hats Not
face was turned up 10 Us. | learned &itGrWurd,
that our men were % taken up with sorrow that
80 good Il man and kind master should he
killed, that for while they had never thoa ght
about us--aud the people outside imagined that
/ we had come down with the cradle, 50 thus we
were left in total isolation for full twenty min
. utrs.
While ] was watching them below, feeling
very sorry for my poor master was startled by
/ a wild laugh rom Cooley, who began making cat
calls. and yelling if he were possessed Then
/ ! knew, of course that be had gone mad.
Even now | trembed to peer down the shaft,
/ black, sooty, and yawning, and scarcely less so
10 look outside at the flight OF pigeons sweeping
round at IA considerable less height than W. were.
/ Then Cooley thank God he was 50 dazed that
be could not see mr-cnled my name three
times, as ! sat fairly cringing in dread that his
sight might clear, and with CHASTITY grin, and
chewing with L.s mouth, he Eegan working him
eelf towards me- ! worked away as nOiselessly
as could. with every hair in my head standing
on end. lie followed me twice around that h0r-
rid coping, making most hlde0us noises, and be-
ing come a second time to the rod, he got An idea
in his muddlud brain that | had fallen over, for
he never lost Il sense Of whore he was all through
the trying time. Then he tried to get on his
feet, but ut The risk of my own life, / could not
let the poor fellow rush on certain death, without
one more effort and / cried out to him 10 sit
down, aud he covered down like Il whipped dog
all trembling. | sappose il had been pat in his
head that was dead man speaking to him.
That morning my wife had got a letter from
Canada, AID as there were parts we could not
make cut, had put il IN my pocket to get our
limckeepcr to read it for me- had a scrap Of
uncovered paper at the bottom, and 10y another
GOOD Providence happened to have bit Of red
lead pencil in my pocket. | wrote on the paper,
"Gct us down Cooley gone mad - this shut
in my tobacco box, and was fortunate enough to
deposit it at the feet of two meu, who were
standing at the engne-house door.
Directly all was hustle to rescue MS. They
got the kite up again, and watched it mounting
slowly y-slowly, aHd when the slack twne fell
between Cooley aud myself took it in my hand
and could have kissed it, Poor Cooley, with his
teeth chaiterinP. still lunciod was spirit. and
did all in my power to favor that idea till they
got another cradle up to us, Then having got
l.I Il,