The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-06-05
PEfHERICK'S PERIL.


/ feet above the ground. The brick walls mar
! row to eight inches as they ascend, and form
a parapet rising above the roof One OF the
1 tine Keepers iC the factory, Jack Hardy,
voun man about nv own age, often runs
along the brick work, the practice giving
him singular delight that has seemed to in
crease with his proficiency in it. Having
been clerk in the works from the begin
ming. | have frequently used the parapet for
a foot path, aud although there was sheer
. fall OF one hundred feet to the ground, have
done it with ease and without dizziness
/ Occasionally Hardy aud | have run races,
on the opposite walls, an exercise IN which,
was Invariably beaten, because | became
timId with Increase of pace.
Hopelessly distanced last Wednesday,
while the men were off at noon, l gave up
mid way, and looking down, observed the
upturned face of an old man, gazing at me
with parted lips, vide eyes, and an expires
sion Of horror so startling that ihvolunta-
rily stepped down to the bricklay plat
form inside l then saw that the apparent
IY frightened spectator was Mr.. Petherick,
who had been for some weeks paymaster
and factotum for the contractors.
WHAT'S the matter, Petherick p ! called
rapidly disappeared sroand the mill. Curl
Gus about Biz d-meanor, l descended, and
after some little seeking, found him smok-
ing alone.
You quite frightened me Just now, Peth-
erick,' said l. Did you think l was a
Rhost?'
Not just that he replied. sententiousiy.
Did you expect me to fall, then p I in
. CURED
Not Just that either said he The old
man was clearly disiucIined to talk, aud ap-
parently much agitated. 1 began 20 joke
him about his Iugubrious expression, when
the l O'Clock bell rang, and he shuffied of
hastily to another quarter.
Tt ouoh | puzzled awhile over the incident
it soon passed so en- ntiTeIy from my mind that
I WAS surprised when, passing Petherck in
the afternoon. intending to 90 aloft, he said,
as | went by
Don't do it again, Mr.. Frazer =
What l stopped.
That 2 he retorted.
'Ohi You mean running on the wall,
said l.
I mean going on it at all . be exclaimed.
His eatnestness was so marked that | con-
ceiveG a strong interest in Its cause.
T'll make a bargain with you, Mr. Pethe-
rick. If you tell ne why you advise me,
I'll give the thing upr
Done = said he. Come to my cottage
this evening, and I'll tell you strange ad
venture OF my own, though perhaps you'll
only laugh that it's the reason why it sick
ems me to see you foolIng up there
Petherick was ready to talk when JacE
and sat down in his doorstep that evening
aud Immediately launched into TIE follow
ing narrative
4 was born and grew to manhood near tn,
high cliffs OF the coast Of Cornwall. Million!
OF sea fowls make their nests along the fac,
of those wave-worn pTecipices. My com
panions and l used TO get much excitement
and sometimes good deal of pocket none,
: By taking their eggs One of us placing
\ his feet IN loop at the end of rope az
taking good grip with his hands, would b
lowered by the others to the nest.
When be had his basket tul;. they'd hau
him up, and another would go down. Well
one afternoon, 1 thus went dangling off :
They paid about hundred feet of rope be
fore touched the ledge and let GO
What ledge e asked Jack.
y 'OhP SAID Petherick. after q pause.
4 see it will be troublesome to make you IN
s. derstand tie situation Then, after reflect
& ing for some moments
'YCu must know that most of the cliff
q along that coast oyerhsng the sea. At man
q points one could drop six hundred feet int
II the sea, and then be forty or fifty feet fror
the base of the rock he left. The coast
!. seOoped under by the waves But in som
places the cliff wall is as though it had bee
eaten away by seas running in on highe
levels. There will be an oyerhaneing cor
ing. then, some hundred feet down. a ledg
t sticking out further than that of the top
under the ledge all will be scooped away
Ia places there are three or foar such ledge
each projecting further than those above
These ledges used to fall away occasionally
rs, they do-yet, l sm told, for the ocean
gradually deyo1ring the coast. Where the
did not project further than the upper cop
ing, one would swing like pendulum o.
the rope, and get on the rock. If not too IA
10, then put a rock on the loop to hold it til
his return. When a ledge did project s
that one could drop straight on it, be haulet
down some slack and left the rope hanging.
Did the wind ever blow 1t off p aske,
Jack.
Seldom. and never out of reach said tn
OiO udu- .- W ell Tue lSuR6 L reached. wa
Ike this, Illustrating with his hands /
was some ten feet wide it stuck out mayb
six feet further than the cliff top the rocl
wall went mp pretty near perpendicular. til
near the coping at the ground. but below
the ledge the cliffs face was SO scopes
away that the sea, five hundred feet below
ran In under il nigh fifty feet.
AS | went down, thousands of birds ros
from the jagged places of the precipice, cir
cling around me with harsh screams. Sooi
touching the ledge. stepped from the loon
aud drawing own little slack, walked OF
briskly. For fully quarter of a mile tn
ledge ran along the cliffs face almost a
level and even in width at that sidewalk
remember fancying that it sloped outwar,
more than usual, but instantly dismissed th
notion, though CATER Pentreath, the odes
man IN that countryside used to tell US tina
we should not get the use of that ledge al
ways. 1t bad been steady in our time a
in his grandfather's, and We only Iaughe,
at his prophecies. Yet the place of an oil,
filled assure was marked by line of grass
by tufts of weeds and small bushes, stretch
ing almost as far as the ledge itself, an
; within foot or SO of the cliffs face
Eggs were not so many as usual, and
went long piece from my rope before turn
/ iGg back. Then 1 noticed the very stIang
conduct OF the hosts of sea fowls below.
! Usually hundreds, but now th re wer