Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-12-04

So "'tho' Will haHSS ike a luminous
cloud above. fuli of hazy, uncertain
hado"s, a faint circle of light trimming
it round, arches and huge piers encom7
passing it. From the west a snhS,,ad
crimson glow; eastward the choir darL
and somber; the windows of the ansa
showing as stray luminous patches the
altar gloOmlng IN the distance like some
funeral catatalque. White figures gleam-
ing here and there in shadow recesses
marble warriors, heroes, statesmen.
Cnder the dome in the great omen snace
was a vast crowd OF chairs-wooden rush.
bottomed chalrs-lashed together in rows
looking toward the east. CHOOSING ono
of the most central Of these | sat down
and began to dream, peopling this wide
area with a vast, invisible congregation,
In soft, longdrawn cadence the bell of
Paul's struck out the hour of ten. T had
been in the place nearly an hour. felt
chilled and numb. Enough of dreams.
Let me walk briskly up and down and
think OF the busy scenes awaiting me; the
warm, glad welcome; wife and children
holding out eager arms-right at the other
side OF this huge world.
| paced rapidly up and down an avenue
between the chairs. | had seen enough.
l was anxious to be released, to ret away
from the world of shadows into the livinr
world outside. For a moment | stood in
what seemed to be the very center of the
dome, and looked upward. A faint cir
Gle OF light marked the apeX of the soar
ing vault, and just above my head | saw
my eyes beng now accustomed to this
hait-Hght-l saw, | say, 4 rope hanging
down from the vast height above.
Then l remembered the spider-webs |
had seen outside the ball and cross. And
as l stood, and looked, and listened I
heard faint sounds of hammering and
knocking. Men were at work hundreds
OF feet above; a light shone here and
there, twinkling like a star.
In years gone by ! used to be a famous
gymnast, and the sight of the rope hang
ingjust above my head put me in mind of
my ancient proves. was heavier now,
my muscles less elastic; still, there was
times, | wondered, could |, hanging to
that rope, draw my chin up to my
| knuCkles?
The rope was just out Of reach, but |
leapt up and caughtit-once, twice, thrice.
| felt a kind of emulation with nv old
self; l wanted to persuade myself that |
had not lost much OF my former proves;
and so went on drawing myself up and
down, not touching the ground, till | grew
tired, and stretched myself out, expecting
just to reach the pavement with my toes.
But | could not reach it. Casting a glance
below me, | saw with horror that the
flooring had vanished under me. | was
swinging suspended by my hands high
up in the dome.
Perhaps, if l had dropped at that mo-
ment, | might have escaped with only a
serious shaking; but i hesitated. and was
lost, Slowly and steadily, the rope was
being wound up. shut my eyes. Sure
ly this asahideous delusion that another
moment would dispel. Butno; as | looked
down, the floor below was almost lost to
my sight. There [ swung, a tiny human
speck, halfway between heaven and earth.
| couldn't hope to hang on much longer.
My muscles were weary with the task |
had given them. made a desperate eff
fort to raise myself hand over hand, so
that | might grasp the rope with my feet
also; but it was impossible; [ could not
do it. Even the desperate energy OF self
preservation could extract no more force
from my muscles; could only hold on.
| was now on a level with the plinth
that surmounts the great arches of the
dome. The gilded groundwork Of a new
fresCO in the spandrel cast a sort of glow
upon me; the colossal figures seemed to
mock my agony. must be half way up
now, and for the moment a ray of hope
shOne IN upon me that | could hold on to
the end. But, to my despair, | now saw
that the seeming dome was a false one,
above which rose the veritable conical
root, another hundred feet or more; and
that through q vast round oritice in the
sham dome, the rope was to ascend to the
uppernost peak of the roof. In that no
ment OF torture | recognized my fate as
inevitable. | might prolong my agony
for a few seconds; my muscles were invol-
UNFAIRLY relaxing; my grasp would fail;
in another minute at furthest | must fall
TO be dashed 10 pieces on the adamantine
floor below.
A thousand confused thoughsts whirled
through my brain, like the mOke and
sparks Of an approaching confagration;
but especially clear in my minds eye, |
saw-I did not think but saw this vision
the picture of my far-off home, the roll
ing plains of grass, the herds and 1ocks,
a galloping h~orseman-:here was my
home. My wife stood in the pOrtico,
shading her eyes with her hand; the
children were clustering about her; there
was news Of daddy coming-perhaps
daddy himself. 1t was bitter to die thus.
Ny limbs relaxed; my senses almost de-
| Stlitt lit, Il UltiClluI ODl1N loH, llC iHtoAl-
cation of despair, stole over me; voices, |
thought, were calling-perhaps adelusion
Of failing sense-I was slipping, slipping,
and | fell
How do you feel now, sir" heard a
voice say close in my ear. Was it posi-
ble-was | still alive? Yes; my brain
was yet conscious. But the frame? Shat
tered, no doubt, a mere human wreck, to
which life would be a mockery. | only
dared to use my eyes. Any other muscu-
lar eXcrtion might bring on torments to
which | was then insensible; and yet |
had no feeling of pain; perhaps some
merciful paralysis had cut me OFT from
torture.
An old man was bending over me, the
same who had admitted me-, he had a
wine glass in his hand with some liquor
in it; a candle burned by his side, form
ing a little chamber of light about US.
Am | knocked all to pieces?" | whis-
pered.
Il don't think so, sir; I don't think
you're hurt a bit. Bless you! you didn't
fall more than three feet"
| stretched out my ~arms-they were
whole: my legs-they were sound and
unhurt. What a happiness to be alive,
after seeing death inevitable!
"How is this ?" | cried, sitting up, and
/ 1nnE;Dr about mo 81 thprpht was