Omaha daily bee., 1885-10-21

utes Tor n strong man to go mp that giant
column. However, the ladders were only
used In casdiof' ~ catastrophe. .
AT first, Catherine went up easily. Her
naked feett had grown accustomed to
climbing and did not yet suffer from the
rungs which were covered with iron to
prevent wear. Her hands, hardened by
rolling, cling without fatigue to the
mountlngs too great for them. And even
that occupied her, almost putting an end
TO her chagrin, that unforeseen ascent,
that long, %serpentine line of men, slow.
ly pulling themselves up, three on a lad
der. and the loader would arrive on top
when the last man was about to start
from the bottom. But they were not
there yet, for the first of them were only
a third from the top. No one spoke, the
feet went on and on with a dull sound;
while the lamps equal to moving stars,
sparklcd frem above to below in an al.
ways enlarging line.
Behind her, Catherine heard q boy
counting the ladders. She also started
to do so. They had already gotten up
fifteen and had arrived at a level. But
ut that distant she hit against the legs of
Chavnl, Hei swore, telling her to be
more careful. AT times the whole col.
umn paused, motionless. What was the
matter, what has happenedg And each
one questioned in terror. The agony in.
creased as they left the bottom fearing
what was above. Some one cried that
il vas necessary to go down again that
the ladders werc broken. That was the
thought of all, the fear of finding them
selves before emptiness. Another ter.
rible story descended from mouth to
mouth, the accident of Il man slipping
from n ladder. They did not know pre-.
ciscly what cries prevented them from
hearing. Were they going to remain
there, At last without n warning
the ascent was resumed with the same
slow and painful movement, amid the
shaking from the feet and the dancing
lamps. Surely, higher on the ladders
would be broken. ..
At the tlIirty.second ladder, when they
had passed Il third level, Catherine felt
her limbs becoming stiff. At first she
felt the skin slightly tinglc, then she lost
all feeling in her feet and hands, A
great weakness came upon her, little by
little, attacking her muscles. And in
the giddiness which came upon her she
remembered Il tale of her g~randfathcr's
that in his early days the boys of ten
years used to go up these ladders with
were so open and badly built that when
one of the boys slipped, ora piece of coal
fell from the basket, three or four of the
children would tumble down at one
time. But to-day one could not fall but
IL few metres. That tale frightened her,
becoming II verjtable nightmare, for the
cramps in her limbs became insupporta-
BILE, and she said to herself that she could
never 20 TO the end.
Three pauses gave them all an Oppor-
tunity to draw u breath. But the terror
which they felt mt each new arrest over
whelmed them. Above and below one
could hear the heavy breathing. 1t con
fused the girl, who now began TO feel
nausea. She fyas siffocating, dizzy in
the half ~dapknsss, angry at the scraping
of her flesh ON t C sides; and she also
suffered fr9w the dampness, her body
it threatened to extinguish the lamps.
Twice Chevul had questioned Cathar-
inc Notwithstanding any answer. What
was she doing down there2 Had she fal.
lcnY She might, ut least, tell him she
was holding on. They had been going
up for a half hour, but so slowly and
with So mylny ,pausest that they were
only at. TIC. ffty2ninth ladder. Still
forty-three. AT last Catllarine told
him that she was still there.
He would have abused her if she had
spoken of -hes; WEAKNESS. The. iron of
the rungs were now cutting her feet.
They seemed to have sawed into her as
far rs the bone. After each pull she
expected to see her hands leave the rungs
her, skinned and so stlif that the
fingers would not shut; and she felt as If
she would iall backwards; her shoulders
scratched, her thlghs strained from her
continual efforts. 1t was especially. a
lear OF those steep ladders which in
creased her sickness, those which were
placed almost straight and compelled
her to pull herself up by the strength of
lcr thumbs. Inc FURIOUS breathing OF
'he people drowned all other sound, Il
sort or rustllh& NOISE wnlch came up
from the bottom n EXPIRED III the top.
Whispers ran from one to the other, u
boy mad Just torn open the top OF his
hcia AGAINST II landing.
Catierine stlll went on. 1hey passed
4 level The rain had ceased, the heat
increased, weighing down their chests in
mex case-llke air, poisoned with an odor
Ola iron INC damp wood. Mechanic
ally she still kept on counting, s~iXty-one,
SiXty-threG, still nineteen, she
could never, arrive. These figures re-
over n over, sustained her with
.hclr rythmical balance, Tor she was no
.onger conscious OF her movements, she
bent her limbs to the acquired strength
n II state OF sad somnambullsm. Around
ler the lamps seemed to dance. She
.hought she was dying, the least breath
would nave Knocked her over. The
worst was that those from be
= ''N. $500