The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-01-16
will be as easy as whistlfng. Can you

anu III ic" minutes bne tWlnP. was
made fast the big kite began to
float upwards. The breeze was only
just strong enough, and there was good
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 afr=currents
on the lee side of the spire, she came
down with run, leaving the string
caught w on the arm of the cross
"Hurrah.' Jack shouted. 'sNow well
do 1T You, Joe, run and pull thattwine
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
and firmly tied to the end of the Irvine a
piece of strong rope. By and by the
rope came over in its ti1rn, and when it
reached the ground we fastened the end
securely round the trunk of tree
All this time | was trying to con ect-
ure how Jack meant to get atthe 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 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 all--so that ii
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,
sNoM,=.Ioe, ,doeyou- see my plan?n Jack
asked.
80 Y Hsee,,==httt you'll be a fool if you
go, Jack"
"Why?''
because you'll tumble down when
you get half way
"Well, If do shant ask you to bury
me; and now I'm going"
Matters were getting serious. Here
was Jack Hinton actually going to dc
what the whole village had tried in vain
to think of some way of accomplishing
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
l sent one of the little boys who were
looking Oh to tell the minister and Mrs
Hinton what was in progress, and be.
fore Jaek~was-lexel With the housetops
| a crowd VAS gathering under the rope.
Very slowly and cautiously he began tc
ascend. Foolish boyEHand over hand
knot after knot, pausing now and ther
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 moi
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.
All, but now the horror began! 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 me2 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. .-
he 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 woman
and half shrieked but his,father sharp
ly babe her be quiet, or else her cries
would startle the boy,
As for him, he had no notion of the
danger; but eggs-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
hung on that slender bridge Above
him the bright blue stretch of sky; be
low hinl~zeighty feet below-the hard
earthS on4 waiting till the last moment
should come, till the rope should slip {
little farther on that fragile rod, and
the poor boy should drop down, down t.
it's cruel embrace.
Now and them he was Nobliged to
pause. True, his frame was strong anG
hardy, but that long climb had nearly
exhausted his strength: His back was
almostzbroken with the strain, and
every time he made an upward move
ment the rope tremb1ed and slipped
again. Was it possible that he could
escape?
Slower than ever he crept painfully
along, and every second might be thu
turning point for life or death. Slower
Yes: only one by one those knots, were
| grasped, eachnew movement marked by
\ another swing of that fatal pendulum.
Do you think one could ever forge
such scene? ! can see it all now
! There is the poor mother. sobbing ano
praying on her knees; the father stand
! ing with clenched hands, breathing
hard, his cheek flushed with the awful
suspense; the minister taking off his
hat, and for moment bowling his heae
in. silent prayer, and then turning tC
gaze again; and all those horror-strucl
watchers standing as If riyeted to the
earth, every mans lip blanched, every
heart beating loud, in ~the- dread ex
pectancy of fearful catastrophe.
Slowly, and still more slowly, the. boy
tolls on Only five more knots and ht
will be safe; but his weight is higher
now, and every oscillation tells. The
rope is slipping faster than ever; one
more inch and'it must drop.
Another knot grasped-only four now
Will he do it? Now three more, and thu
rope has slipped again. Two more-on'
more The slender iron beam begins K
bend. =
In an agony of terror Jacks fathel
/ yells to his SON Lay hold of the cross
boy--aosc.i". and at the same instant Jacl
looks up and realizes his position. One
glance only, for the moment has come.
+ With vigorous spring he clasps -tht
iron STANDARD OF the cross, and as b.
/. leaps to grasp it the rope slips off it,
support and falls gathering on the roo
far below-Jack\ is clinging there, sus
pended. on the. weathercock!
/ One dreadful groan from hundred
| aching HEARTS and then a silence fell OF