Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-12-26

are you going to do it? You can't get
at it" @
ssJoe Mason" said Jack, ssI'm going to
do it. If you like to help me you can;
If you're chicken-hearted you go home,
and P1l get some one else"
''We1l. what do you want me to do?
1'm not going up that steeple, any
how"
Nobody asked you. Look here,
you've got your kite. Now, what I
want you to do is to send that kite up
so that the string falls across the arm
of the iron cross just below the weather.
cock, If you can do that, all the rest
will be as easy as whistling. Can you
do it?'
''Do it? Of course can, although I
reckon nobody else could"
And in few minutes the twine was
made fast, and the big kite began to
float upwards. The breeze. was only
just strong enough, and there was god
deal of difficulty in hitching the string
| over the arm of the cross, but once
over, the kite gave great lunge, and
SO, getting into an eddy of air-currents
On tAO 1CO Sl0O Va -tnC SH1IC, SlIc C<4kLl0
down with run, leaving the string
caught up. on the arm of the cross.
'.Hurrah!' Jack shouted '.Now we'll
do it! You, Joe, run and pull that twine
gently down where the kite lies"
pulled steadily and carefully, fear
full lest it should slip off the small pro-
lection on which it had lodged. Mean
while Jack ran round to the other side
+isa1 80 &1,ra1 l<,f& r, 4rx-;x
piece of strong rope. By and by the
rope came over in its turn, and when it
reached the ground we fastened the end
securely round the trunk of tree.
All this time I was trying to conject-
ure how Jack meant to get at the wealth
ercock by such means as this; but now,
in state of great excitement, he called
to me to come and look at the side where
he was at work. There 1 found that in
one-half of the rope he had been careful
to tie a series of large double knots two
feet apart-sixty knots in al1-so that it
formed an easy climb from the ground to
the summit of the spire. On that side
also the end of the rope was firmly fast
ened to tree.
''Now, Joe, do you see my plan?" Jack
| asked.
q
go, Jack"
''Whg?'
.Because you'll tumble down when
you get half way" ~
ssWell, if I do / shan't ask you to bury
me; and now I'm going"
! Matters were getting serious; Here
| was Jack Hinton actually going to do
what the whole village had tried in vain
/ fO mi of of or III icIi
and it really looked as though it might
| be done, only there was the horrible
! fear that perhaps the rope would break
and SO Jack must be killed.
However, his neck was his own. Still,
1 sent one of the little boys who were
looking on to tell the minister and Mrs.
Hinton what was in progress, and be-
fore Jack was level with the housetops
a crowd was gathering under the rope.
Very slowly and cautiously he began to
ascend. Foolish boyi Hand over hand,
knot after knot, pausing now and then
for breath, his oil-can slung around his
waist, we watched him climb.
The wind was fresher than it had
been, and the rope, weighted with Jacks
body, began to swing ominously to and
fro before he reached the fortieth knot.
| Jack felt the motion, but it did not
turn his head. He looked upward all the
time, and only waited to allow the oscil-
lation to subside little, and then again
that slow ascent went on.
! OAh, but now the horror begani In
that brief pause my eyes had wandered
| from the boy and followed the line of
rope to the cross on which it hung
Did my sight deceive me? No. There
was a gap between the rope and the up
right standard of the cross. The rope
had slipped at least three inches.
Others saw it, too. and at that moment
every face grew white.
| The arm of the cross was about twelve
inches in length and very slender, and
if the rope, swayed by the breeze, should
slip four inches more, the iron would
bend under the weight, and our reckless
! playmate must be hurled to the ground.
Jacks mother saw it, poor womani
and half shrieked: but his father sharp
| ly bade her be quiet, or else her cries
would startle the boy.
AS for him, he had no notion of the
| danger; but legs and arms began to
tire. His fingers were almost raw with
the friction of the rope and his progress
became slower than ever. There he
1 Oii thdO hoOtS
him the bright blue stretch of sky; be-
low him-eighty feet below-the hard
earth, only waiting till the last moment
should come, till the rope should slip a
little farther on that fragile rod, and
the poor boy should drop down, down to
its cruel embrace.
| Now and then he was obliged to
| pause. True, his frame was strong and
hardy, but that long climb had nearly
exhausted his strength. His back was
almost broken with the strain, and
every time he made an upward move
ment the rope trembled and slipped
again Was it possible that he could
escape?
Slower than ever he crept painfully
along, and every second might be the
turning point for life Or death. Slower!
Yes; only one by one those knots were
grasped, each new movement marked by
another swing of that fatal pendulum.
Do you think one could ever forget
such scene? I can see it all now.
There is the poor mother, sobbing and
| praying on her knees; the father stand
! ing with clenched hands, breathing
hard. his cheek flushed with the awful