Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-08-14
PETlHERI 3 PERIL


The brick walls narrow to eight inches
as they ascend, and form . parapet ris-
ing above the roof. One Of the time
keepers in the factory, Jack Hardy,
young man about my own age, often
runs along the brick work, the practice
giving him singular delight that has
seemed to increase with his proficiency
In it. Having been clerk IN the works
from the beginning, have frequently
used the parapet for a foot-path, and
although there was sheer fall Of one
hundred feet to the ground, have done
it with ease and without dizziness. Oc-
OCCASIONALLY Hardy and / have run races,
on the opposite walls, an exercise in
which was invariably beaten because
became timid With increase Of pace.
Hopelessly distanced one day, while
the men were off at noon, I gave up mid
way, and looking down, observed the up
turned face Of Al old man, gazing at me
with parted lips, wide eyes, and an ex-
preston Of horror SO startling that T
voluntarily stepped down to the brick
layers platform inside. I then saw
that the apparently frightened spec
tator was Mr.. Petherick, who had been
forsome weeks paymuster and factotum
for the contractors.
"Wnat's the matter. Petberick?" I
called down. He made no answer, but
walking oArapidly disappeared round
the mill. Curious about his demeanor,
I descended, and after some little seek
ing, found him smoking alone. H..
"Yon quite frightened me just now,
Petherick." said I, Odd you think /
was glost?" ,,.
"Not just that," he replied, senten-
tiously.
Did you expect me to fall, then?" I
inquired. ...
"Not just that either" said he, The
old man was clearly disinclined to talk,
and apparently much agitated. I be-
gan to joke him about his lugubrious
expression, when the one o'clock bell
rang, and he shuAaed of hastily to an
other quarter.
Though puzzled awhile over the
incident, it soon passed SO entirely from
my mind that I was surprised when,
passing Petherick in the afternoon,
intending to go aloft, he said, as went
by
Don't do it again, MIR. Frazer!"
"What?" stopped.
"That" he retorted.
"Oh! You mean running on the
WALL" said I.
"Imean going on it at all !" he exclaim-
ed. His earnestness was so marked
that conceived q strong interest in it's
caase.
"I'll make bargain with you, Mr..
Petherick. If you tell me why you adj
wise me I'll give the thing up!"
"Done" said he. "Con,e to my cot
tage this evening, and I'll tell You
strange adventure of my own, til ougl,
perhaps you'll only laugh that it's the
reason why it sickens me to see you
fooling up there"
Petherick was ready to talk when
Js.,k and I sat down on his doorstep
that evening, and Immediately launched
into the following narrative:
"I was bern and grew TO manhood
near the high cliffs of the coast of Corn
wall. Millions Of sea. fowls make their
nests along the face Of those wave-worn
precipices. My companions and l used
to get much excitement, and sometimes
good deal of pocket money, by TAX
ing their eggs. One of us, placing his
feet in a loop at the end Of a rope and
taking a good grip with his hands.
would be lowered by the others to the
nest
when he had his basket full they'd
haul him up, and another would go
down. Well, one afternoon thus went
dangling off: They paid out about
hundred feet OF rope before I touched
the ledge and let 60"
"What LEDGE" asked Jack.
"Oh!" said Petherick, after a pause.
"Isee it will be troublesome to make
you understand the SITUATION" Then,
after rejecting for some moments
"You must know thut most OF the
cliffs along that coast overhang the sea.
AT many points one could drop six
hundred feet into the sea, and then be
forty or fifty feet from the base of the
rock he left. The coast is scooped un-
der by the waves. But in some places
the cliff wall is as though it had
been eaten away by seas once
running in on higher levels. There will
be an oyerhanging coping, then, some
hundred feet down, ledge sticking out
further than that of the top; under that
Ledge all will be scooped away. In
places there are three or four such led
ges, each projecting further than those
above. These Lodges used to fall away
occasionally, as they do yet. 1 am told,
for the ocean is gradually devouring
chat coast. Where they did not project
further thsn the upper coping, one
would swing like pendulum on the
rope, and get ON the rock, if not too far
In, then put rock on the loopt to hold
it till his return. When ledge did pro-
ject 50 that one could drop straight on
1t, he hauled down somo slack and left
the rope hanging" #4 !. 4
did the wind ever blow it OFF,"
asked Jack. ..-... ~ " =.i:
. Seldom, and never ont of reach, =
said the old man. well, the ledge !
reached was like this" illustrating with
his hands, IT was some ten feet wide;
it stuck out maybe six feet further than
80 ~ : s~.~