The morning call., 1891-11-17
CAUGHT IN A BELL ROPE.

writer was taking charge OF somewhat
widespread country medical practice ior an
old friend at Osbournby, village about
twenty miles from Grantham and eight from
Sleaford. My house was the cid parsonage,
and its windows, ominously enough for
doctor, looked right out on TO the church
yard.
The lord of the manor (all the manors
have lords in England, you know was Sir
Thomas Whichcote, and his one and only
regret WAS that lie possessed no heir. When
he died all his estate would,go TO brother,
almost as old as himself, bachelor He had
a daughter, though. She was the apple OF
his eye, beautiful, foremost in kindly works
among the people on the estate and IN the
surrounding villages, and beloved by every
body.
And she was to be married. Married
upon her twenty-frst birthday to the young
Lord of Burleigh, the descendant Of the
Lord who married a peasant girl and brought
her TO his home, thinking she had married
common laborer only to find herself the
Lady OF BuTleiEh. 1t was to the worthy
descendant Of this good man and woman
that Miss Whchcote was TO be married.
To say that the people Of the entire
Whichcote Manor rejliced IS to employ
term weak in Its mildneSs. The prepara-
rations for celebration of this JOYOUS event
surpassed anything that anybody within
miles of OSbournby had ever heard or
dreamed OF, ana the old days when England
was Merry England still were TO be recalled
in all their glory and goTgruusness. There
were TO be triumphal arches. and banner
raisings and May-pole dancngs lthOuSh the
event took place in the end of Septemberl,
and there was grand harvest festival ball
at the big Manor House, and Morris maskers
ana all sorts of things, and the good old
Baronet had ordered that beer should be
turned on at every inn on the manor for all
who asked, and he would bear every eX-
peuSe.
There was, however, in Osbournhy one
man (whO, by the way, ought to have known
better who thought that in the big pro-
gramme something very important had been
left out 1t was all very well to have all
these merrymakings and bell ringings on
the day OF the great event, but who was
going 10 usher it in and how was II going 10
be done?
The Individual in question was myself. l
wanted all the world-that is, the little
world Of OsbouTnsby-to wake up with the
day and herald the glad event with cheers.
But how could l manage 1t without taking
some one into my confidence? y brilliant
idea occurred to me as l sat looking out on
to the old church-yard. l would ring the
bells Of the old church al midnight and SO
usher in the happy day.
There was triple peal OF three bells in
Osbournby Church. l knew nothing about
6ell-Tingng, but surely il wouldn't be very
difficult to pull three bells one after an
other. 1t vas not like & chime Of eight.
The bells were swung un wheels. the Iopes
going over the wheels, and so making the
movement of the heavy pieces OF metal very
much easier than had they been without l
didn't know this at the time. and l also
omitted TO make another diSc0verY-namely,
that a loop Of iron fixed in the floor wGs in
tended to slip the foot Of the ringer into.
There would be no difficulty about my
slipping out Of the house unObserved. 1t
was such a common matter for doctor to
be called out at night that my hOusekeeper
rarely, il ever. knew of my absence. Be
sides, the night bell rang in my room. l
therefore made my preparations and bded
my time. | went to bed early, telling my
housckeeper that l expected a case that
night, So she should not lie surprised II | were
out. and not TO make breakfast till l re-
turned.
1t was a little after II o'clock when 1
awoke and OSbOurnby was wrapped in SUM
ber Slipping into my clothes l took the
precautlon Of sounding peal on the night
bell which hung over my bed in order that
my housekeeper if still awake, might hear
II and conclude that was called out. Co.
Ing downstairs 10 my sittng-ro0m l took
good swig Of brandy 10 keep the cold out,
opening the front door, and was out on the
little stone path besiue the church-yard.
l knew the big front doors would be
closed and bOlted; quite likely, too, the
vestry-dOor would be closed; but the win
dow was a modern one and was generally
open, and / could creep in through that.
The door was closed, but the window, as |
thought was little way open. To push it
up and crawl in was the easiest thing in
the world, and | found myself inside the
church. few more minutes and | had
CROPPED my way along the sde-aisle TO the
doUr Of the belfry and was in the ringers
room with three worstsd padded ropes
hanging nicely within my reach. l struck
match and looked at my watch. 1t wanted
eight minutes to midnight l grasped one
If the ropes ard determined that immedi-
ately following the last stroke l would let
her 60 for all she was worth.
At last the hour came and the clock
struck out l, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Z, s. 9, 10, IL. l
took fresh hold of my rope little higher
up began to pull-twelvel
Then gave good haul on the rope Not
asnund. had not pulled hard enough.
Another swing, gently, so; back, forth. up
down, now! Away l went almost down on
10 my knees with the swing, and then |
heard one sudden claug from the big bell
overhead, and all was over. No, not all.
The rope, which in my anxiety 10 excel,
had wound once round my wrist, took a
sudden jerk upward and l went with it, 1t
gave TWO or three dancing-like motions,
then stopped-and was hanging there, sus-
pended at least twenty-five feet from the
stone floor OF the belfry.
What could | do? | dare not let 60, for
iul mangling, II not certain death. To hang
there ali night would be terrible. vet there
was nothing else for it. So there | hung |
dared not 70 to Sleep for that meant to
TALL, yet every now and then horrible de-
sire to slumber came over me, and only the
strongest effort of my will oyercame the de-
sire. BY dint of almost superhuman ex-
ertian, for my arms had been almost dislo-
Gated by tile fearful jerk, managed to haul
myself up couple Of feet, and, drawing the
n fnr ma a
sort Of loop, which eased me little.
But II took me hours TO do it, and as |
listened to each hour striking from the
clock it seemed as though centuries had
passed bstween each, and as though the
next would never come to bring daylight
and relief. Besides, might have to hang
there until II o'clock, when the wedding
was to take place. before the bell-rnger
came to perform his part of the general re-
1oicings: Nearly dead with fatigue |
watched the dawn slowly breaking. and
sending dim ray through the small lat
tced window of the tower through which
| could presently see the window OF my own
bedroom, and | cursed the idOtic stupidity
which had sent me on this foolhardy errand.
Well. let me shorten a long story 1t
was nearly z o'clock and the belfry was
still lighted by rays of the sun, which came
through the little window. l think | will
never he able to express my thankfulness
and JOY when | heard footsteps near the
belfry door, and presently the voice of the
old sexton, patient Of my own. by tho
way. saying:
Moo, then, wort ye DOOM CD theer2"
Great God, man," cried, tits the doc
tor, I'm caught in the bell-rope and can't
get down."
Doctor, is 1t? Wulli Ye're bigger fule
Dor | thought! Why don't ye slip doom
'toother roap?"
What fool l had been, to be surel In less
than minute was beside him, and soon
told him the whole story. IL cost me half a
sovereign. though, to make him keep the
secret, Tor that day at least And he did
let IT leak out, anyway. and l was pretty
well chaffed about it, eau tell you. NV
housekeeper, too, told me that she was
awake at midnight and had been estonished
to count thirteen strokes and feared ii was
the forerunner of some misfortune A few
hours rest put me all right and took my
full share In the festivities, even making a
speech to Lord and Lady Burleigh as thew
passed under our triumphal archway. But
never again intend TO be caught in bell
rope.-Philadelphi Item,