The Red Cloud chief., 1880-09-23

down, an Jerry oancsuS ~fSsN4
below. calling out. "Come down Q
thrash me now. Mr.. Forde. won't your
Then I remembered that. . lew Gays
before. I had found this boy annoying
Katie. an had given him Q cut with the
switch I had in my hand. he q
skunk away without q word al the time.
bu, IL seems he remembered h blow.
and took this ssy a being revenged-
Well. ut first was scarcely fright
ened, expecting somehow that, ones
the people below knew Of the fix was
in. they'd find some way or o,ner OF
getting me out Of it. Bot when l came
TO think of It deuce o bit Oh way
could / hit on myself. an sure knew
more about chimneys than any else
in the place. Twas getting late. too;
there wouldn't be much more than an
other half.hour OF daylight. an b
wind was rising-I could hear II whist
ling through the trees. by this time
people knew what had happened. an .
crowd was collecting; ! could see them
coming from all parts. for OF course !
had a view oil about. ! saw . boy 60
I'D Ia the door Of the counting house.
an presently Master Philip came our
running as II for his life When he
came. he took the command IKE. an
began giving directions; an the people,
who had only stared ut first, nov ran
here an there As he sent them. firt
they brought out q long ladder. an
fixed 1t on the roof below the chimney.
/ could have told them tina. twas too
short, knowing. as I did. the length OF
every ladder in the place; but some
how. though / heard their shouts PLAIN
Iy. | could not make them hear mine; II
seemed as IL the voices went mp ike
smoke. Then there was q great delay
while they went for alonger ladder; n
and this. too. didn't reach halfway. A
man climbed up it. however. an called
out to know had / bit OF string IN my
pocket that l could let down. Not a
Bit could | find. l had had a big ball
only the day before. but l had taken II
out of my pocket an put it on a shell
at home. | took off my braces an
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 coid an
stiff and cramped from being so long IN
the n position. There was q big
clock right over the gateway just oppo,,
site, an / saw that it only wanted
twenty minutes OF five; it would be
nearly dark at FIVE. an once the dark.
ness set in. what little hope had would
be gone.
Master Philip seemed to have gone
away by this time, but there was nv
father among the crowd; an who
should | see, standing next him. an hold
ing on by his arm. but Katie! They
had forgotten every thing but the fright
about me, an he seemed TO be talking
to her, an comforting her. After a bi'
I saw Master Philip again; he had
bio thing in his hand looking like peck
et-handkerchiefs stretched over a frame
an | saw that it was a kite. an thai
they meant to send a string up to me
in that way. But you never in all your
life saw such an unmanageable kite
First twas too heavy an then twas toe
light, and then the time they seemed to
lose making a tail to steady it!
When the kite did go up Mt last, the
wind was SO high that they could no
manage it properly. 1t came very
near me once, an l made a snatch a
the string, nearly o~ver-reaching myself
in doing SO; but l missed it, u n jus
then there came a terrible gust OF wind
the string broke. an the kite was car
ried away, an stuck fast in the branch
es of a big tree behind the master''
house. l looked Over at the clock u
see how much time was left me, ar
found that l could not see the hand
anv longer; the darkness had come o.
in the last few minutes. Then l CAV
up all hope. for l knew ! could neve
hold on till morning. tried to thinl
of death, and to make myself ready 70
il. but l couldn't-nOt IA prayer nor
GOOD word could I call to mina, Onl
going over an over again in my hea'
the way 'twould all happen-hOw tn
people would go away one by one, hoy
I'd be left alone in the darkness an tn
bowling wind, an how at last Ia no
be able to hold on any longer. an raj
an be found in the morning all crushe
out of shape. The people below SCENE
to have given up all thought OF helpin
me now, an were standing quite quiet
Twas so dark by this time that lcoul
not distinguish the faces at all; l coul
lust make out Master Philip in hi
dark suit among the white mill-mer
|, an poor Katie. She was crOuchin
, down on the ground now, her apro
, over her head. All of a sudden, l sa'
/ her leap up with q great cry. an ella
! her hands, and call out something
Then there was a confused sort {
, shout, as if every one in the crowd Wa
) saving the same thing mt the san
3 time. an then Master Philip, making
sign to silence them, put his two hano
: up to his mouth. an sang out in n voit
, that came to me above the noise OF Il
4 wind: =.
4 .sTake of your stocking and ravel j
the thread will reach the ground"
8 At first / didn't understand him. bein
| dazed like, but then the meaning can
ON me like a message from Heaven.
got off one of my socks with son
s trouble-nice new mes they were to-
of Katie's own knitting, that she Ia
q given me for o Christmas. box-al
with the help OF my teeth l loosent
q one emu Oh the tHicous S"'S Ao"
enough after that. an when l had
e good piece of it ripped l tied my kni
to the end of it to make it heavy. a
let it drop, ripping more an more
= the sock as it went down. Then l fe
it stop, and presently there came a sho
v Yelling me to wind it up again. We
!. SLOWLY an carefully did it. fearing Il
STRING would break. and when the Ia
bit Of it came up, there was a piece
!. strong Irvine tied to the end of it. II
d Irvine, in its turn, brought the rope
/ had gone up by, an then l felt that
was safe. i managed somehow to p
it through the pulley, an to haul
the plank, an as soon as they b
is fastened the other end to the windla
below, they gave me the word to cor
a down. l was so numb an stiff that
y. could not fix myself on the plank. bu'
h managed somehow to cling to the rop
with nv hands. Down, down l can
20 every turn of the windlass making t
Re voices below seem nearer an nears
ID an when l was within a few feet OF {
ground there were a dozen pairs OF arr
ID ready to catch me, an q OF han