The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-09-17

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the lightning-rod. It's close to your
hand"
No answer. Through the clear night
came the rush and shrek of the mid
night train out from the city.
Bernie you can hear come, Just
grab the rope and pull it off, and we'll
have you back up here, quick as wink. 4"
Still silence, and that dead weight
hanging away down below. A frightful
possibility, a horror of dread came
creeping over the minds of the two
boys.
80 Jack, you don't suppose-it isn't
he can't be-dead |"
"What shall we do? He will be /;
he'll freeze there in ten minutes more.
I'm going to call the master-call
Haston."
"Stop! Wait /; no, I'll call the dea-
CON-"
Two minutes, and Charlie Newman,
the sober, silent boy, whom Rique
called a coward, and whom he had for
months ridiculed, was beside them at
the window. The two bedrooms were
at their left hand at their right was
the roof of the wing-a steep roof hav-
ing dormer window opening out upon
it. The window at which Bernie hung
was just at the angle of the main build
ing and the wing.
Cant we bring a ladder ?" asked
Jack.
"All fastened up in the barn. Be-
sides, no ladder of DIR. Vose's is long
enough to reach this floor"
"There's but one way" said Charlie;
L can go round and climb out that
dormer window, crawl along over the
eaves-trough, and nnhook the rope that
way"
You'll fall and break your neck"
"Give me two or three yards of this
rope to tie round my waist !" and al
ready Charlie had Rique's knife and
was cutting the rope. "Jack, come
with me; Rique, you hold on to that
end"
o, what an age it seemed to Rique as
he stood there alone. grasping the rope
from whose other end was suspended
what? A living or dead child? Was
he murderer ?
go, what horror of trouble this
mischief has got me into p he cried to
himself.
Then he groaned. He grovelled on
his knees before the window. He dared
not think what the end might be,-the
night with its fearful cold, the fright
Bernie must have gone through, the
little fellows delicate look.
"They say he has been sick SO
much," thought wretched Henrioue,
go, why didn't 1 think of all this be-
fore? There, Charlie has got round"
Just across the angle formed by the
main building and the wing was the
efsapegy aSFmer yi9daa2tEIo 99daa2tEIoSsJy fJ Uhdfs it rather
heavy figure. The boy whom Rique
had called muff," was risking limb,
not to say life, in his effort to save
Bernie, and to shield his tormentors
for, of course, it would have been the
simplest thing to have aroused the fam
lily and told all. But that Charlie would
not do, even when he remembered how
Rique had abused him.
Out upon the icy roof he crawled
on, little by little, where q misstep
would send him far down on to the
very edge of the roof, came the brave
boy.
@ Charlie, do be CAREFUL" urged
Rique; and then, scarcely daring to
breathe, he watched until he saw the
shadowy arm outstretched, felt the
rope strain under his own grasp, and
then heard Charlie say
There, Rique, it's all right. Draw
him up"
All right Rique doubted that. The
rope to be sure was Strengthened, but
alas for that limp, motionless weight
at the end of it
An instant, and the child's helpless
body was at the window; the next,
Rique felt strong grasp drawing him
backward, and voice said, sternly,-
"Leave him to me. Ramon, go to
your own room"
1t was the doctor, who had come
home on the late train, and who had
reached his own house just in time to
witness the final movements of this
midnight torture.
"My own room? 0, DIR. Vose, can't
[ wait and see how Bernie is ?"
For reply DR.. Vose motioned with
one arm towards Henrique's chamber /;
with the other he clasped little Bernie
to his bosom, walking with him down
the dim hall.
The house responded with the sound |
of feet that went and came in haste.
Doors opened and shut. Across the
of the plain a horse and |
rider went rushing villageward. Then
they returned with one pressing hard |
behind.
"It is the DOCTOR" said Henrique to
himself.
Then he stole out on the landing.
People were hurrying back and forth |
in the lower hall. Presently two men
came out, and stood whispering just be-
ow him.
"Had the child been robust child"
said one of the two {" it is DR.. Farley"
thought Rique), "the result might have
oeen different but the little fellow was
80 delicate. With such boy the fright
md the fearful cold could scarcely be
but fatal. Doesn't take much
10 kill such little fellow"
"Kill," fatal" she aOaS - These
earful words, what did they mean
To Henrique only one thing-murder
de dragged himself back to his room,
'hut the door, and locked himself in
here with the horror of great darkness
lpon his mind.
Hour after hour passed, and the
winter dawn looked in on boy flung
orostrate along the floor, his eyes
iilated with terror and remorse. No
word of mine, no words of far better
narrator, ever can can tell what that
hight was to Henrique Ramon.
"Rique," came a whisper, with the
irst ray of sunshine at the door.
Rique, let me in"
"Well ?" gasped Rique, in frozen
90 nbo,.1;o fooo5 ill., |