Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-12-14
A Steeple- Climbers Adventure.
A Narrow Escape from Terrible Death.

4 i
afraid TO Acknowledged. ! was workin, on
CHURCH which had splre Of shape which Nlu'e
common. What kind of architecture il Is [
have been tod. bat forgotten. Il goes up ever
so straight. and ends with kind OF swell. | sc
an onion OF turnip, and had 70 work on he
under side. The party as was preparing the
church wasn't paid what the Job vas worth. bv
the congre CATION. and things wss beng fs--d
down fine L wanted scaffold, but she
wouldn't stand the two or taree extra dsy
work it wonld have cost 10 rig T., 81 th1a; ~
I'D do il with only q rope Twas the stating as
had been badly done, and the wind was a rio
ping them of, SO that the work hal to be pa che
up at once. 1t was mighty high mp and az tough
a job as l most ever worked on. studied 4 n ,,
as mostly does all the Jobs have AMI Va
obliged TO work from the top down. and crawl
under the lower part. let myself down vita \
new inch and a quarter rope, and. gettiag NV
, feet against the largest part Of the rs md
pushed ctf little, lowering myself some six t.et
so that when swung in should get 70 tas nm
der part when | would geta clutch and no 4 en-
to couple OF big iron hands sad get a secure
footing. Though tieklish job, had done the
same before, aud so 1 got all right sfoer the
: first trial. Well, worked away steady taking
| out tie old slate and putting in nsw, AMI nail.
ing down those that were loose. I must have
/ been two hours at work. when wanted to 20 uD
| tor more nails, so confmsncsd to haul away,
! kicking myself from time to time clear OF The
| swell or the come. So far 80 good. When was
| almost half way up l thought I'd stop Just A
| minute to take breath, as il was a hot slltry
! day, and warm even ny as nigh a. l was. Ny
toe was on level with one layer of slate, VIII IN
or so, when IL stopped; then it began again, and
! l went down most eight inches; then STOPPED
| again for a minute, and lower went by hair
course OF slate. was thoroughly alarmed. Of
course, reasoned, il could only arise from ona
! of four things-either the rope was stretching
| and that wasn't possible. or the double hitch
| had given to the rope round tba head OF a STAIR
| csse vas slipping, which, again, too, wasn't
| possible, it being contrary to the rule OF kn).s
or the staircase was getting puued ont, winch
wasn't likely, or, what was wore, and whish
| W. o.
/ ting and settled on that. watched TO notice
/ If there was any inclination TO twist the rope,
but couldn't see it, Now, 1 knew that If | III 10
! any violent motion, L might increase the dam
| age clutched all could TO sides of the states,
| trying to take advantage of even a nail that
might be sticking sp, but couldn't get NOR
| hold than AGAIN glass. L was now under the
! larger part of the swell of the DOME with hun
dred feet clean undOr me. To get below to
where had been working was impossible. [
| was afraid to swing out on the rope now, which
| would have caused jerk. 1t was no to h1l-
| Ter, for no one could have heard me; and there
| wastno use OF making signs, as was on the side
away from the street, and nobody cOnId see me.
! Up j must 20, and may be, thought, if the
! rope VIII hold, | may getupyet Slowly vent
up, with quiet steady pull It was about IN
down, and as l got up, inch by inch, saw the
sun shine On a biz of jagged tin, about twenty
feet above ne, and saw it was that which had
been cutting slowly but surely into nv rope.
With the strain had given it, three or foUr Of
! the strands looked a if they hal been cls
through with sharp knife, and was hanging
4
fast TO my tools; now let 90 my hammer j->t,
and then some twenty states, and heard ~ m
smash with a CHATTER below on the tOmbstn-
Slowly crept up, nearing the point ii' =
where the rope weSCu'tng. just thenI go az
head over the top of the round. had a prsJtv
strong knife in my pocket, 30 jabb Il " IN rs-
tween the edges Of the slate, until Il took a % 4
in the woodwork, and bTaced my heel against
IT. II had had two knives, could have III an
aged trst-rate, using one Tor one foot and ne
other tor the other, so aS to take the s.rai. - T
/ N
OF the tin, but seeing it was still under a str n
with my hett In il, ] couldn't i'igr it. Velf. [
never should have knoHn 80 thiS day nov I
would have pulled through If it hadn't been tor
a woman who iu-t then stuck her blessed Old
head out OF = little window in tae church be-
10 " me. " Mister" says she, don't YOU knBy
your trade better than to he throwing down
slate and things that way? And NV child ~
came A. near a could be having his he I'd piit
open with slate, and m the seNtons VIE,
yestIy meets tonight"
Says /, - For Gods sake don't scold, for am
here III 2 scrape. My rope is cut, and getting
cut all the time IN talking TO you, and YOU are
just as likely not to be the last person a. vii
hear my final VIII and testament"
Lord mercy" says she, 8 IT! scream"
don't" says /. - Is there any men al Dgt
here3"
'sNot soul hut me. What shall do?"
SCOT any rOp4-nO rope in the church,
4" We don't TT this church with bells, and
there ain't no bt ropes, and there amt no slJp
as keeps any AFRO md here ="
" Well, see here" says |: Its matter OF i've
minutes, or ten at most 18th me"
:" I've got clothes line. dries the clothes
ometmes in the loft up there, bu. it ain no
new line, nor II amt very long"
"That will do, says 1. " Now come up. aal
be quick about it, with the clothes line" She
was gone minute, and presently 1 could bear
something moving inside o. the little dyle,
and soon she as al the window.
"NOw!" says |, "stretch out your cord, and,
Just v here. the middle Il, pass il three t,gUes
round the upright at the head OF the :; ave Se,
make a good cOuble knot at the loose en,k. iIs:
as you would on double thread when yDl are
sewing, and throw the enCs to 4'@." How the
poor cid woman fuSterod, and wiped her "a e
with her apron, aud how that Old clothes l.ue
for l could see 1t plain, was all tangled 2lf
twisted Presently all was ready, aud taxing
coed aim at me, she flung tue knot,ed emf ~
ward me. 1t wouldn't reach me by nearly three
feet. managed TO get my knife blade some
few inches higher up, but even this eXertion and
the strain had given on the rope stretched out
the hbers. 1T was jump had to make, aui il
wanted nerve, and thank God had il. and got
a good hold, with one hand, of the clothes line.
In a second was up ten feet and above the cut
in the rope, and DOW was ali right. That Old
lady-she was worse off than ! was when was
by her side-she kissed me first, and then went
OIL intoa compton. After il was al over |
hauled in my cid rope. You have heard tell OF
the man who was i'll the mine, as was lowered
down by rope, then left hanging until his
strength gave out, and al last he let 20. think-
ing he was to be smashed to atoms. When they
did pick him up he had fallen six inches. hut
was in dead faint. Well sir, my case wasn't
like his. hauled up the old rope. and the old
lady, she took hold of one part and 1 OF tue
other, and when she ierked il, she snapped the
last bits OF the strand like darning- cotton: aud
that was all Twas hanging to.
Maileable Glass
LOST LINKS IN THE CHAIN EARLY