The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-01-16

fearful suspense, the women weeping
and the men staring, with clenched and
impotent hands. Not one of them could
help him, and almost frantic were the
prayers that rose now from one and now
from another that God would send some
means of help. But none seemed to
| como, and half an hour passed and Jack
sat there clinging for dear life.
But stay. What IS ne doing now? The
wind had become too strong for us or
| him to hear weird of the many pesa
sages we tried to shout; we could only
watch; but certainly Jack was doing
| something.
With the utmost care he released one
hand and grasped,t first Of all, the oil
can at his waist. This he carefully
emptied on the pivot Of the weather
cock. Then an idea seemed to strike
him. Thrusting his hand into his
pocket he. drew out his large, strong
knife and began to scrape away at tho
stones
All, that might do i'll The snow, the
frost and the thaw had eaten away tho
strong cement that bound the stones to-
gether, and even forced more than ono
gap between them.
In oiling the weathercock Jack had
actually stirred one of the stones from
its place, and the thought came to him
at once: Couldn't / knock off two or
three and get down inside the spire?v
1t was no sooner thought than at
tempted, for there was no time to lose;
strength might fail at any moment.
Soon the pallid watchers understood
as they saw the first small stone come
crashing downsa, Then you should have
hope still left. And yet what slender
| hope! It was. barely possible that one
tired boy should have sufficient strength
4 to knock off so much of the strong mason
i ry as needs must.be removed; and, more.
over, if he should take away the stone
work would not the weathercock and
cross and all come tumb1ing down?
Yet he zaakst go on; it is the only
chance; and one by one his bleeding fin
gers detach the heavy stones from their
place. BY and by there is little
platform cleared on the top, and on that
he kneels, still grubbing away the
mortar With hlS-knlfe.
Suddenly he stops, and with gesture
of despair strikes his forehead with his
hand. What is it? Some new obstacle:
No; see, every thing depended on his
knife, and he has dropped -
Down, down, glittering in the sun
!. light, It falls. oh, is there no help
now? Such fearful death to die, tc
fafEa-hnndfed- feet dead, at his
mothers feet. Can nothing save the
poor boy? See, now the ironwork is
surely falling over!
Jack crouches on the tiny platform
and dares not hold any longer to the up
right rod lest he, too, should be
dragged down; and yet he might as well
go then as any other time-fall he
| must.
Back and forward in the breeze the
every moment-for Jack has knocked
away its chief support, and now the
whole thing will 60 and leave him
4 shuddering on the bare summit.
There was not long to wait. Men
climbed up inside the spire to the high
est point they could reach, but nothing
could be done; we could only look on at
the last horrible scene, and it speedily
came. With a loud crack the weather.
cock rolled right over amid cloud OF
i husband when the dust cleared away
Jack was gone.
Gone. but where? We had not seen
i him fall. as we must have done. No
but when there seemed no hope the way
of escape was opened. The weathercocl
in its fall had done what poor Jack had
tried &c, dot had carried away a great
piece of the solid masonry of the steeple
and even as Jack fell fainting from his
fearful perch loving arms within had
caught the boy, and his father was ten
derby carrying him down in his arms.
! can not tell you all that happened
afterward.' 1 only know that Jack was
taken home and lay for weeks in the de
lirium of brain fever, and the first words
he said to me when l saw him agair
were:
ssYou see, Joe, l oiled the weather
cock, but it cost me pretty dear. R. E.
Johnston, in Golden Days.