Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-12-08
MISCELLANEOUS.
AT THE TOP OF A LONG CHIMNEY.

AT THE TOP OF A LONG CHIMNEY.
A man will go blind, and mad too, from
fear; have seen it happen, and if you don't
mind listening, l will tell you the story. l
was apprenticed to builder when L left school
and soon got to like the trade very much, es-
pecially when the work was perilous, and gave
me chauce to outdo the other lads in daring.
Spider was my nickname in those days,
| given partly on account of my long legs for
l had outgrown my proportions, aud partly
because they said l could crawl along roof
like my nnmesake When was about three
and twenty was working with the famous
Mr. -, and went down to Swansea with
his picked hands, to carry out a contract he
had taken in that town. While there, L fell
in love with the prettiest girl | had seen in
Wales, and that is saying good deal. For
a time | fapcied she liked rae, and that was
getting along very we'll with my love making
| but soon found my mistake, FOR an old lover
of hers Joined our men, and Mary gave me
the cold shoulder directly. You may believe
this sweetheart of hers (who was called Ben
Lloyd and i were not the best friends in the
world but am not the sort of fellow to
harbor malice, and when the biddings to the
wedding went round, and L knew that my
chance was gone, made tho best of it; [
kept my sore heart to myself, and determined
to beat down Jealousy, by being chums with
| Ben. .-.
1 went to the wedding and there were not
many days when did not steal half an hour
to sit by his firesidc, which was as bright and
cczy aud home like as you'd wish to SEQ
Mary being the soul of order and industry.
1t is not, perhaps, the usual way of driving
out envy, to 60 and look at the happiness an
other man has done you out of, but you know
the procerb says g What is one mans meat is
another mans poison" and so it was, got
to look upon Mary as a sort of sister, and
Ben had no cause for jealousy, although there
were plenty of evil tongues ready to put him
up to it. -a
The contract was nearly up. when light
ming conductor was to be put upon one OF the
highest chimneys over at Llanelly spring, and
the owner of the works offered our master
the job. -r. .r,r - ...r
Its just the sort of thing for you, Harry"
said MIR when he told us of it.
1 touched my cap and accepted it off. hand,
and then, Ben stepped up and said he'd vol
unteer to be the second man, two being re-
quired.
steadest headed fellows / have. The price
is good one, and every penny of it shall be
divided between you. We'll not fix day
for the work, but take the first calm morning,
and get it done quietly. .s.-- --..
| So it was that four or five mornings after,
we found ourselves at Llanelly, and all ready
| for the start The kite by which the line at
tached to the block was to be sent over the
chimney, was flown, and it did its work well !;
the rope which was to haul up the cradle was
ready, and stepping in, Ben aud began the
! ascent. ..a..s=H.
There had been very few people about
when VIC went into the yard, but as we got
higher, L saw that the news had spread, and
the streets were filling with sight-seers.
6 There's plenty OF star gazers, Ben" L
said, waving my cap to them. Z" dare say
they'd like to see US come down with run" 4"
"Cannot you keep quiet" answered Ben,
| speaking in a strange tone; and turning to
look, 1 saw that he was deadly pale, and sat
! in the bottom of the craale, huddled up to-
| gether, with his eyes fast shut.
" You are not frightened, old chap!" L
asked -5l-.8s. E.-r
"What's that to you 2"
"Oh, nothing; only VIC are getting up
! pretty quickly, and you'd have better head
for work if you'd get gradually used to the
height"
lie said nothing and never moved Then
looking up, saw we were close to the top
/ u IeW YaIuS nOEe, anu We hOulu NC luSICi CT
| those who were turning the windlass were
winding with unabated speed. y sudden
chill ran through my blood, and set my flesh
creeping. They had miscalculated the dis
tance, and with the force they were winding
at. the rope must inevitably break when the
cradle came in contact with the block. There
was no time to attempt a signal, only an in
slant to point out the danger to Ben. and then
to get hold of the rope, and by going hand
over hand, reach the coping before the cra'
| die came up. This was done almost quicker
than L can tell you, Ben. following.
/ The cradle came on /; then, as l anticipa-
ted, the rope gave shrill, pinging sound,
like a rife-ball passing through the air, and
snapped Down went the cradle, and there
were we left, nearly 300 feet in the air, with
nothing to rest upon but coping barely
eighteen inches wide.
Ben shrieked out that he was dead man
and cried, "Tell me where 1 can kneel, Har-
ry; show me where can pray to Almighty
God, for cannot die this wayY'
/ -s.Hushi lad" 1 said, ''dont lose heart
God can hear you just as we'll sitting as knecl-
ing; and if you try to get up, you'll tumble
to moral certainty. Think of Mary, man.
and keep up. l
But he only shook and swayed more and
more, groaning and cryingaout that he was