The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1891-11-17
CAUGHT IN A BELL ROPE.


sonage, and It's windows, ominously
enought For a doctor. ookaa xiRht out
on the church yard.
The lord OF the manor (all the man
ors have lords In England, you know
was Sir Thomas Whichcote, and his
one and only regret was that he pos
sessed no heir. When he died all his
estate would go to brother, almost
as old as himself, a bachelor. He had
a daughter, though. She was as the
apple of his eye, beautiful, foremost
in kindly works among the people on
the estate and in the surrounding vii
lagos, and beloved by everybody.
And she was to be married. Married
upon her 21st birthday to the young
LorHof Burleigh, the descendant OF the
Lord who married a peasant girl and
brought her to his home thinking she
had wed common laborer only 70
find herself the Lady of Burleigh. 1t
was to the worthy descendant Of this
good man and woman that Miss
Whichcote was to be married.
To say that the people of the entire
Whichcote Manor rejoiced is to en-
ploy term weak in its mildness. The
preparations for the celebration OF
this joyful event surpassed anything
that anybody within miles of Os-
bournby had ever heard or dreamed
of, and the old days when England
was Merry England still were to be
recalled in all their glory and gorge
BUSINESS. There were to be triumphal
arches, and banner raisings and May
pole dancings Though the event took
place in the end Of September and
there was grand harvest festival ball
at the big Manor House, and Morris
maskers and 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 expense.
There was, however, in Osbournby
one man (who by the way, ought to
have known better who thought that
in the big programme something very
important had been left out. 1t was
all very we'll to have all these merry
markings and bell ringings on the day
of the great event, but who was going
to usher it in and how was it going
to be done?
The individual in question was my
self. / wanted all the world-that Is,
the little world Of Osbournby, to wake
up with the day and herald the glad
event with cheers. But how could
manage it without taking some one
into my confidence? A brilliant idea
occurred to me as sat looking Qua
on to the old church yard. I would
ring the bells of the old church at
midnight and so usher in the happy
day.
There was triple peal Of three
bells in Osbournby church. I knew
nothing about bell ringing, but surely
it wouldn't be very difficult to pull
three bells one after another. 1t was
not like chime of eight. The bells
were swung on big wheels, the ropes
going over the wheels and so making
the movement of the heavy pieces OF
metal very much easier than had they
been without. I didn't know this at
the time, and also omitted to make
another discovery-namely, that q
loop of iron fixed to the floor was In
tended to slip the foot Of the ringer
| into.
There would be no difficulty about
my slipping out of the house unob-
served. 1t was such a common mat
ter for a doctor to be called out al
night that my housekeeper rarely, Il
yer, knew of my absence. Besides,
the night bell rang in my room. ]
therefore made my preparations and
bided my time. went to bed early,
telling my housekeeper that / ex-
pected case that night, so she should
not be surprised if were Out, and net
to make breakfast till returned.
It was a little after IL O'Clock when
awoke and Osbournby was wrapt in
slumber. Slipping into my clothes
took the precaution OF sounding q
peal on the night bell which hung
over my bed in order that my house
keeper, IL still awake, might hear II
| and conclude that l was called out.
Going downstairs to my sitting room
took good swig of brandy to keep
the cold out, opened the front door,
and was out upon the little stone path
| beside the church yard.
I knew the big front doors would be
closed and bolted, quite likely, too
the vestry door would be closed. but
the window, as thought, was little
open. To push it up and crawl in was
| the easiest thing in the world. and
| found myself inside the church. A
few more minutes and / had CROPPED
! nv way along the side aisle to the
door of the belfry and was in the
ringers room with three worsteo
padded ropes hanging nicely within
my reach. I struck a match ane
looked at my watch. 1t wanted eigh'
minutes to midnight. / grasped one
of the ropes and determined tina
Immediately following the last stroke
would let her go for all she wal
worth.
At last the hour came and the clocl
struck out one, two, three, four, five
six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.
took a fresh hold of my rope littl'
higher up and began to pull-twelve
Then / gave a good haul on tn
rope. Not sound. / he'd not pulled
hard enough.
Another swing, gently, SO; back
forth, up, down, nowl Away l wen
almost down on to my knees with thu
| bWluR, duQ iuCu l. nSotU OAO oo~>AO>
clang from the big bell overhead, ant
all was over. No, not all. The rope
which in my anxiety to excel, l has
wound once round my wrist took
sudden jerk upward and went will
It. 1t gave two or three dancing-lik'
motions, then stopped and / wa
hanging there, suspended at leas
twenty-five feet from the stone foo
of the belfry.
What could do? / dared not let go
for to drop on to that stone foo
meant a fearful mangling, if not Ger
tain death. To hang there all nigh
would be terrible, yet there was moth
Ing else-feE its=a senAaznHsx lnlaAh1aAi
dared not 60 to sleep, for that mean
the fall, yet every now and then hor
rible desire to slumber came over me
and only the strongest effort OF m,
will overcame the desire. By dint o
almost superhuman exertion, for m,
arms had been almost dislocated b.
the fearful jerk, ] managed to hau
myself up couple of feet, and, draw
ing the rope up after me, constructe,
O very unsafe sort of q loop, whlcl
eased me little. But it took m
hours to do 1t. and rs / listened t
each hour striking from tho clocl
it seemed as though centuries ha'
passed between each, and as though
the next world would never come t
bring daylight ssiG Teilef. Besides