The evening world., 1888-05-03
said Shute.

us IT THE THRuTH YEz BE TELL1N' ME ?"
"Och, but there isl" said the woman
stoutly. Didn't 1 hear i'm dhrop and COON
down wild q whack that must have knocked
the stufin' out ov i'm. Look around, and
yez'l see i'm"
swell, I wonder where he Gamble" an
swered Shute, looking around the place,
There amt q trace of blood or bones
around here"
"Och, thin he's in heaven" said the old
woman, solemnly. "Shure, he couldn't
evhaporate and 60 of loike steam, now,
could he3 The saints above help me. but I
heard him dhrop wild q fearful crack that
would make yer blud run could"
well, this is the nearest to heaven I am, /"
said Shute. ~ just had q little drop from
the roof and smashed that barrel to kingdom
come. But l amt gone there myself yet. I
guess it was me that you heard. I'm all right.
I want to get out and go up to the roof again."
The old woman looked at him while he
told her this with her month open and her
eyes az big as saucers. 1t seemed incredible.
The idea of a man dropping five stories from
the roof and then be asking to go up again
right after it was something undreamt of in
her philosophy.
us it the thruth yes be tellin' me ?" she
calculated in a shrIll tone of slow surprise.
"Shure, yes must be the divvil himself to
come q dhroppin' down like that and be as
handy as q fayry afther it. Howly mither /!
come in and take q sup O. whiskey wild me.
The Lord knows yes deserve it afther ~carryin'
on the loikes O. that. Ye're the diyvil HIM
self" she muttered to herself.
L.. - -- 49,
Shut went up to the room with her and the
old woman dragged a glass bottle of dark
yellow green out of the cupboard. It was
full of whiskey, and taking a cracked
tumbler she poured it half full of the stuff
and passed it to him.
There! Trow that down yer. Shure, a
dhrop of the crater IL do yez good"
Shute thought 30, 100, and tossed It of,
while the old woman kept looking at him and
talking. She could hardly believe her eyes.
MY, my! But is it here yez are instid oy
bein' all shmashed into a dhirthy hape in the
yard beyant. How did yez liver do it. Have
yez no bones bhroke ?"
mot a bone" said Shute. I'VE fremer
don't mind a little thing like that. We Otter
do it for fun"
"0h, golong wild veil" said the old
woman. She felt around his ribs and ARM
to convince herself that there were no bones
sticking out. .,.
In the meantime some Of the fremen had
come down to get the remains, and if there
was any life left to have Shute carried of in
an ambulance to the hospital. They had
heard his cry as he began his dizzy fall, and
felt sure of finding his mangled remains be.
low.
Instead of that they ound the remains, al
good as when they started on the trip appar
emily, sitting hobnobbing with the old woman
and washing down the fiery liquor she haG
given him with o glass of Croton water.
They were as much surprised as the ole
woman. But there was no gainsaying tn,
fact. 1t is useless to argue that a man mus
be broken to pieces and half dead when yo,
see HIM drinking a glass of whiskey and look
ing as we'll as ever. There was Shute as gooc
as ever, barring the shaking up which he ha,
got, and which did not show on the outside
He actually went back with them to tn
roof and helped at the work OIL the Are. TIL
. old Irishwoman saw him depart with won
dering eyes and many an ejaculation Of cd
miration.
He suffered no bad results from his fall