The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1892-02-05
on THE ROOF.

on THE ROOF.
Have you never read of a PERSONS hair
turning gray iM single night? OF course
you have. The old story books are full
of such tales. can remember dozens OF
them-stories reeking with gore and
dank with dungeons, and grewsome will,
ghosts and other uncanny things. The
heroine, and sometimes the hero, goes to
bed at night with hair as black as the
ravens wing, and along In the night
come the horrors, whatever they are, and
in the morning the raven hair has turned
sn owy white.
can remember, too, that Inever used
to take any stock in such stories. used
to hear them read, and get up quite a
respectable thrill at the most horrible
portions, especially when the candle
flickered awhile, leaving everybody in
total darkness. just as u deep groan was
heard or long, shuddcring cry, like the
wind through the weeping willows in a
graveyard.
Oh, yes! was quite susceptible to
touching passages like those, and used
to hurry up to bed and tuck my head
under the clothes and shiver with the
most timid of them. But somehow o.,
other l could not accept the hair turning
part of the story. knew that hair,
black or white. could stand on end. but
that a good head of black hair would
bleach itself out between dark and day.
light was little too much to swallow.
know better now. have had a lit.
tie experience of my own which-but
perhaps it is best to tell the story as it
occurred.
1t was ON the roof Of the cathedral at
Milan. We had climbed the stairs in
the late afternoon of a beautiful spring
day, after paying the custodian the in.
significant price he asked for all the
glories visible from the elevated station.
We had looked through the telescope
for another fee-and had each assured
the others that VIC saw Mont Blanc per.
fectly we'll, without for a moment DO.
lieving what the others said or convinc.
ing them that we told the truth, and
had ended Cur climbs by ascending to
the highest point under the lantern-if
it is q lanto.u-by the corkscrew stair.
case, whit: will scarcely permit any but
the thinnest parsons to pass when one is
going up and the other coming down.
We We're a party of four, and when
the roof was reached the youngest pro.
posed ramble over that portion of the
structure. To this all but myself as.
sented. l was tired and proposed to
rest awhile at the foot of the tower
stairs, where the others were to pick me
UP on their return, so that we might all
lesceti together. This was satisfac.
tory and off they started.
For time was quite comfortable
and paid no attention to the passage OF
| time; but l suddenly noticed that it was
getting dark aud that my companions
had not returned. called to them first
in moderate tone of voice, then more
loudly. hut received no answer.
Fearing that they would he belated or
the roof started in search of them.
walked the entire length of the ridge a
the main roof and peered down all the
side passages i'll the gathering dusk, bu
/ caught no glimpse of my companions
i 4uSAl 0CoSSlluCSt W lIlo EOOL IA luG NlSlt
and made "a search there which was alss
fruitlcss, became alarmed as the ligh
failed, and ran from one point to an
other, calling out as ran, until found
to my great distress. that had lost IN,
way. could see far below me the light
of the great city and hear the distan
rumbling of the carriages as they drov
past on the stony streets.
But was as cffectually lost for tn
moment rs if had been in the heart G
an African jungle without compass
and no Stanley on the alert to huut m
up. In the excitement and despai
which the consciousness Of this fact pro
duced, rushed about so wildly that
slipped and fell on q long fight of ston
steps, wet with the dew which had be
gun to fall. was not conscious Of an,
serioas injury from the fall. but when
brought up at the foot Of the stairs an.
tried to regain my footing, found, t,
my despair and horror, that ] was utter
ly unable to move my limbs. was par
alyzed.
Tho mental agony suffered is incon
ceivable. Yet curiously enough spen
the first moments in speculating as t,
the exact nature Of tho injury had sur
tanned. Had broken my back or sim
ply injured my spinal cord2 tried t
recall what had heard my doctc
friends say about injuries Of sinlila
character, but could not seem to reme,n
Der anything definite. The words, 18th
fifth pair. flashed into my mind and ar
peared to connect themselves in som
way with my condition: but whether /
was the fifth pair of nerves or ribs. or Q
something else. could not make ont.
\ could not understand either how
could have been SO seriously injure
without any sensible shock, but that m
power of locomotion was gone there wa
no doubt. could move my hands an
began to speculate on the number o
things one could do with ones hand
alone. This occupied me for wha
seemed to be an hour: but as the trai,
of thought was interrupted by a clocl
striking the hour o. midnight, con
cluded it must have been much longer
aud wondered had not heard the pre-
ceding hours.
Suddenly the full horror of my condi
tion flashed upon me. was not onl,