The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-09-16

where the lane made the last sharp
turn toward the beach.
remember the rising in the air, the
crash through the top of the edge, and
my own fall, which was followed by the
most unearthly yell it is possible to
imagine shrek that seemed to die
away in the bowels of the earth. Then
hundred stars danced before my eyes
there was strange dizziness in my
head-all grew dark, and / knew no
more.
How long L lay there before coming
to myself / cannot tell; nor could /
recollect, for a considerable time after
my senses returned, what it was that
had happened Ntlmbed with the in
tense cold, L was lying onmy back, with
the wind shrieking around me; but
where was the horse? And what meant
the awful yell | had heard after taking
the leap?
| found that / was lying on a slope,
and turning over on my right side |
rea he'd out one hand, intending to
lean upon it and raise myself. To my
horror grasped nothing, fort makes
me shudder to think of it had
turned over into the mouth of partly
disused pit Already | was hanging
half within it while struggling to re-
gain my balance, | could feel myself
slowly but surely slipping further into
the hideous gulf yawning to receive me.
/ | gave one cry for mercy, and then
grasped wildly about till 1 succeeded
il grasping one of the boards with
which the shaft was lined. In another
second my body had slid down with g
jerk that nearly wrenched my hands
from their hold; but the strength OF
despair vas in that clutch, and [ held
on. Then deathly faintness came
over me as | thought of the
depths below, and imagined myself
falling helplessly into them. The strain
upon my arms became intOlerable, and
to ease them l tried to insert my toes
between the creYlceS Iii the boards,
crying frantically but family for help
the while, though the sound of my OWL
voice startled me, it was 50 strangely
hollow. AS [ raised myself little
piece of the rotten wood broke off, and
for dreadful moment | was hanging
by one hand; but, ere my quailing
heart could give another futterine
throh, L had regained my grip, and
found foothold, too. More than this
[ dare not venture in that profound
darkness, bu5 ] told myself that | was
comparatively safe as long as my ach
ing limbs would sustain me- When
they failed [ knew that | should &c
downtown | lay, &
mangled corpse, by the side of the poor
horse whose dying 6y still rings i'll my
ears.
4 Those were minutes of horror, and
believe ] must have gone off my head 9
bit, for l fancied that fearful sounds
came up from the pit, and that some
invisible power was trying to drag me
into it. Then a temptation assailed
me to let 90, to end at once the ankle
ties OF my life, and the pain and ter
ror [ was enduring. But the poor
pale face of Mary-Mary, who was
watching for me at home-rose up be.
fore my eyes, and with renewed
strength | held on, and prayed to Heav.
en- to help me.
As if III answer to the prayer, CLEAN
of the moons light broke through the
murky clouds - vanished II and then
shone out again so clearly that [ was
able to perceive the ladder not many
feet away. As cautiously as my
cramped limbs would permit, | worked
my way towards 1t, and, before the
clouds gathered again, L was kneeline
on the bank above the pit-Saved.
Cold, weary, and sad, L made my
way home without interruption. and
told Mary what had happened. As she
chung about my neck, shiyering and
sobbing, she made me promise that ]
would never again be drawn into any
thing which my conscience told me
wasn't Just right; and thank God
| am able to say--comc fair weather o.
foul / have been faithful to my word