Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1881-03-03


workman, had gono away, saying,
very condescending like, that he was
sure Jim Forde Chat was me) would
be able to fasten the rod to the Chin
ney as we'll as hecould do it himself
he took all his acafFolding with him,
but, before he went away, he-6Sed a
beam with pulley in it into the top
of the chimney, an left a long rope
hanging through it, SO. that a man
could be hoistel up at any time; an
there the rope hung dangling, week
after week, until the owner Came
home, bringing the :od along with
him.
Once it. had come there was no.
good losing any more time in fixing
it, so one Saturday afternoon in jan
.uary, up | went on plank, slung Sc
curely at the end Of the rope, my
tools along with ME, an aettled my
self astrids on the stone coping.
Twas rather late in the day, but the
41norning had been too wet an stormy
to work, an the owner was.as impa
L
-tient to get the job done as ii tilaIn't
been him eli that was hinderingit al
this time. 1 was as much at home
atop Of the chimney as [ was OIL the
ground, an worked on wi.iloatoncs
looking down, until my job was-Gn-
jshed. an was putting up my tools.
Then, aliio. u sudden, | heard 4 rat
thing noise, an looking ov@r. | saw
the plank going down very laes. :.
called out: "Hnilo. there send that
up again, will you?. bnt the only
answer l got was loud laugh, for
all the world like silly jerry the nat
urals; and sure enough there he Wac,
standing by the wihdlass, jumping
an clapping his hands.
l looked abou; for the mAn whose
business it was to manage the wind /.
l4ss, but not a sign &C him was there,
an in minute / heard the rattle. Of
the pile again, an saw that the rope
was running through itin the wrorg
direction. I mate grab at it, but
twas l..rked out Of my hand, an be-
fore could catch it again the end
had slipped through, an there | was,
more than hundred feet from the
ground, not knowing how in the
world WAS To get down, an' Jerry
dancing an capering below, calling
out:
"Come down an thrash ne now,
Mt. Forde, won't you p
Then I remembered that a few days
before 1 had found this boy annoying
Katie. an had given him cut with
arssitch 1 had in my hand. He had
slnnk away without word at the
time, but it seems he remembered the
blow, an took this way Of being re-
venged.
Well, at first l was scarcely fright
ened, expecting somehow that once
the people below knew Of tie fix |
was in, they'd find some way or other
Of getting me out of it. But, when
I came to think Of it, deuce 4 bit Of
a way could hit en- myself, an sure
I knew more about cllimneys than any
one else in the place. Twas getting
late, TOO; there wouldn't be much
more than another ha f hour OF day
light, an the wind was rising could
hear it whistliug through the trees.
By this time people knew what
had happened, an crowd was co..
lecting; I could see them comm from
all parts, icr Of tourse | had a view
all about. saw boy go up to the
door of the :onnting.house an pres
entity young Squire Phillip came run
ming out-running as if for his life.
When he came, he took the command
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 ladder, an fixed it on the roof
below the chimney. | could have
told them that twas too short know
ing as did the length Of every lad
der in the place; but somehow, though
Iheard their shouts plainly, l could
not make them hear mine; it seemed
as if the voices went up like smoke.
Then there was a great delay while
thev went for longer ladder, and
this too. didn't reach Ii If way. a
man climbed up it, however, an call
ed out to kaow had l bit Of string
in my pocket that / could let down.
Not bit could I find. ! had had
big ball only the day before, but
had taken it out Of my pocket an put
ii on a shelf at home. took off my
braces, an fastened them an my
pocket handkerchief together; but they
didn't near reach the top Of the lad
der, so that plan had to be given up.
All this time the wind was rising,
an l was getting numb with cold, an
stiff and cramped from being so long
in the one position. There Was big
clock right over the gateway just op-
posite, an l saw that it only wanted
f,ran4v ro;nntoc of t;ca an once The