Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-09-03

themselves. I was working along witt
him, and, indeed. twas I that built thu
most of it, and right good job it was
Twas finished by Christmas-te year age
this Christmas coming on-all but thu
| lightning conductor, and that was not put
up owing to the owners wanting to make
inquiries when he'd 60 to town an to SCI
for himself what would be the best kind Il
use. The proprietor was scientific sort
OF gentleman an had ideas of his own
sometimes they'd be better than othel
peoples, sometimes maybe not so good.
At any rate there was delay about thu
conductor, an in the mean time the en-
gines were at work, an the big chimney
was smoking away like blazes. Mr.. Brown
the strange workman, had gone away
saying, very condescending like, that he
was sure Jim Forde THAT was me) would
be able to fasten the rod TO the chimney as
well as he could do 1t himself. He took
all his scaffolding with him. but, before
he went away, he fixed beam with pull
ly in it into the top of the chimney, an
left long rope hanging through it, so that
man could be hoisted up at any time: an
there the rope hung dangling, week after
week, until the owner came home, bring
ing the rod with him.
Once it bad come there was no good los
ing any more time in fixing it, SO on one
Saturday afternoon in January, up went
on plank, slung securely at the end OF
the rope, my tools along with me, an set
tied myself astride on the stone coping.
| Twas rather late in the day but the morn
ing had been too wet and stormy to work,
an the owner was as impatient to get the
job done as if it hadn't been himself that
was hindering it all the time. I was as
much at home atop of the chimney as
was on the ground, an worked on with
out once looking down, until my job was
finished. an I was putting up my tools.
Then, all of a sudden, heard rafting
noise, an looked over, I saw the plank 60
ing down very fast. called out: "Hull0,
there send that up again, will you ?"
but the only answer got was loud
laugh, for all the world like silly Jerry.
the natural's; and sure enough there he
was, standing by the windlass, jumping
and clapping his hands.
looked about for the man whose bust
ness it was to manage the windlass, but
not a sign of him was there, an in a
minute / heard the rattle of the pulley
again, an saw that the rope was running
through it in the wrong direction. Imade
grab at it, but it was jerked out OF my
hand, an before 1 could catch it again
the end had slipped through, and there
was, more than one hundred feet from the
ground, not knowing how in the world /
was to get down, and Jerry dancing and
capering below, calling out:
'sCome down and thrash me now, Mr..
Forde, won't your"
| Then I remembered that few days be-
fore had found this boy annoying Katie,
and bad given him cut with switch |
had in my hand. He had skunk away
without word at the time, but it seems
that he remembered the blow, and took
this way of being reYenged.
| Well, at first was scarcely frightened, ex-
pecting somehow that when once the people
below knew of the fix I was in, they'd find
some way or other Of getting me out of it,
deuce bit of way could hit on my
self, an sure I knew more about chimneys
than any one else in the place. Twas get
ting late, too; there wouldn't be much
more than another half hour of daylight,
an the wind was rising. could hear it
whistling through the trees.
By this time people knew what had hap
pened, an a crowd was collecting; could
see them coming from all points, for, of
course, had view all about. / saw a
boy go up to the door Of the counting
house, an presently young Squire Philip
came running out-running as if for his
life. When he came he took the COM
mand like, an began giving directions.
an the people. who had only stared at
first, now ran here an there as he sent
them. First they brought out long lad
der, an fixed it on the roof below the
chimney. I could have told them that it
was too short knowing as did the length
of every ladder on the place; but some
how, though heard their shouts plainly,
I could not make them hear mine; it seem-
ed as if the voices went up like smoke.
Then there was a great delay while they
went for longer ladder, and this, too,
didn't reach half way. A man climbed up
it, however, an called out to know had 1
a bit of string in my pocket that | could
let down. Not bit could I find. I had
big ball only the day before, but I had
taken it out of my pocket an put it on a
shelf at home. took off my braces, and
fastened them an my pocket handker-
chief together, but they didn't near reach
the top of the ladder, so that plan had to
be given up.
All this time the wind was rising, an
I was getting numb with the cold, an
stiff and cramped from being so long in
the one position. There was big clock
just over the gateway just opposite an l
saw that it only wanted twenty minutes Of
five, an once the darkness set in, what
little hope had would be gone.
The young squire seemed to have gone
away by this time. but there was my faith
er among the crowd; and who should I
see standing next to him an holding on
by his arm, but Katie They had forgot
ten everything but the fright about me,
an he seemed to be talking to her, an
comforting her. After bit saw the
young squire again; he had big thing in
his hand looking like pockethandker-
| chief stretched over frame, an saw it