The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-06-12

of one house to another so it was braced
and wouldn't spring, I'd go across it with
out trip, slip or stumble. It's all habit and
| command of ones nerves. OF course there
l Is things which annoys me, and one is to
have big gaping crowd of fools q look.
| ing up and staring at you. It's mighty
| big temptation not to spill pot of paint
| accldently, or to let piece of slate or SO
fall among enr | seed woman with an
opery- glass looking at me once, out of q
top story window, and following every mo.
ton of mine. amt queer, sir, but that
woman's ipquisitiveness bothered me. ]
made up my mind I'd get shut Of her and
her opery-glass, if had to sicken her. So !
| took good chance where there was an
ugly place, and did one of them common
circus tricks. l let go my hands from a
| cross-beam l was holding on by the hands,
let myself fall some five feet and caught
hold of another one below-an ugly kind
of looking drop. couldn't hurt myself
anyhow, as there was scaffold a little
ways underneath. Where she was look
ing at me was most half block, but l
heard her scream all that distance. She
didn't use her opery-glass any more
When was young that used to be one of
my jokes, sir. You had better believe
am careful. Rope that use, sir, look all
over before and after every job. When
there is any hanging work to be done, 1
don't allow anybody to put hands on the
scatfold l uses; if it breaks it amt no.
body's fault but mine. When a fellows
dangling between heaven and earth, and
all he's got to hold him there is an inch,
or an inch and quarter rope, he's fool
If he don't take his precautions.
It's not an unpleasant kind of work to
be up ever so high ola summers day. 1t
may be sweltering hot on the pavement
but up on the steeple, working, comes
mostly a cool breeze, blowing all the time.
Then, in them undisturbed places, there
are little bits of grasses and MOSES that
don't grow down below. Then it's so aui.
ct; for the noise of the street cries, and the
rumbling of the vehicles comes up to YOU
in hushed and softened kind of way
It's good pay, sir, for the risks-and there
are risks-tor there amt none of the stee-
pie climbers as hasn't had their shocks now
and then. It's only summer work, for
when the cold comes, the chill would freeze
all the strength out of you, and when it
blows hard we don't try it on neither. I've
been ketched halfdozen times in regu-
lar summer storm, when I've been hanging
from steeple without scaffold, and it
amt nice to take. Yes, l have had some
narrow shaves. Since it was scaffold.
Just as had finished the job-it was the
setting up of a cross ON new church-and
had screwed the bolts all we'll in, was
getting my tools together. It's kind of
habit have, whenever am working up
very high, to pass slip-knot of very thin
rope around my waist, which | secure to
something know can't give away. 1t
being an easy job, this ere cross, I hadn't
used my rope much. There was wrench
| had mislaid, which l left just out at the
furthest end of the scaffold. walked out
to get it rather careless. The stuff must have
been rotten, for it went all to splnters under
me, and thought was gone, and the fact
is did say amen. The first thing know
ed was hitched up under the arms by my
own rope and was hanging comfortable
When | had put the rope around me
never knew it was force of habit, l sup
pose. 1 got scare, but it was over again
in moment and | haven't given it a
thought since that day. But once, sir, I
was frightened, and l amt afraid to ac-
knowledge it. l was working on church
which had spire of a shape which amt
common. What kind of architecture it is
I have been told, but forgotten. 1t goes up
ever so straight and ends with swell,
like an onion or turnip, and had to work
on the under side. The party as was re-
pairing the church wasn't paid what the
job was worth, by the congregation, and
things was being pared down fine.
wanted scaffold, but they wouldn't stand
the two or three extra days work it would
have cost to rig it, so l thought I'd do it
with only rope. 1t was the stating as
had been badly done, and the wind was
ripping them off so the work had to be
patched up at once. 1t was mighty high
up, and was as tough a job as most ever
worked on. 1 studied it up as mostly
does all the jobs have, and was obliged
to work from the top down, and crawl un.
der the lower part. 1 let myself down,
ting my feet against the largest part of the
round, pushed off little, lowering myself
some six feet, so that when l swung in
should get to the under part, when l would
get clutch and hold on to a couple of big
iron bands and get secure footing
Though ticklish job, 1 had done the same
before and so I got all right, after the first
trial.
Well 1 worked away steady, taking out
the old slate and putting in new, and nail
ing down those that were loose. l must
have been two hours at work when | want
cd to 60 up for more nails, so | commenced
to haul away, kicking myself from time to
time clear of the swell of the DOME So
far so good. When was almost half way
up thought I'd stopj ust minute to take
breath, as it was hot sultry day, and
warm even up as high as l was. My toe
was on level with one layer of slate, when
l thought noticed was lowering an inch
or so, when it stopped; then it began
agsin, and l went down most eight inches;
then stopped again for minute, and lower
l went by half course of slate. | was
thoroughly alarmed. OF course, l reasoned
it could only arise from one of four things
either the rope was stretching, and that
wasn't possible, or the double hitch had
given to the rope round the head of the
staircase was slipping, which, again, too,
wasn't possible, it being contrary to the
rule of knots or the staircase was getting
pulled out, which wasn't likely or, what
was worse, and which struck me must be
the fact, the rope was cutting, and settled
on that. l watched to notice if there was
any inclination to twist in the rope, but
couldn't see it. Now l knew that if l
made any violent motion, might increase
the damage. Iclutched all could to the
sides of the states, trying to take advan-
tage of even a nail that might be sticking
up, but could get no more hold than agin
glass. l was now under the larger part of
the swell of the dome, with hundred feet
clean under me. To get below to where /
had been working was impossible. l was
afraid to swing out on the rope now, which
would have caused a jerk. 1t was no use