The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-06-17

saw them put somebody on board and
carry him gently away toward the en-
CINE house. One of the men walked
after with % hat in his hand; l knew
then that somebody had been hurt by
the falling cradle, and that it must be
poor Mr.. Staining, as none of our men
wore hats. Not q face was turned up to
us. I learned afterward that our men
ware so taken up with sorrow that SO
good man and so kind a master should
be killed, that for awhile they had
never thought about us, and the peo-
pie outside imagined that we had come
down with the cradle, so thus we were
left in isolation for twenty minutes.
While l was watching them below,
feeling very sorry for my poor master.
I was startled by a wild laugh from Col
ly, who began making cat calls and
yelling as if he was possessed. Then I
knew that he had gone mad. Even
now I tremble when / think of that
time; it was horrible to peer down the
shaft, black and sooty and yawning,
and scarcely less SO to look outside and
see flight of pigeons sweeping around
at considerably less height than we
were. Then Colly-thank God, he was
so dazed that he could not see me
called my name three times, as sat
fairly cringing in dread that his sight
might clear, and with a CHASTITY grin
and chewing with his mouth he began
working himself toward me.
worked away from him as noiselessly
as could, with every hair of my head
standing on end. He followed me twice
around that horrid coping, making most
hideous noises, and then having come a
second time To the rod, he got an idea in
his muddled head that I had fallen over,
for he never lost a sense of where he
was all through this trying time. Then
he tried to get on his feet, but at the
risk of my own life could not let the
poor fellow rush to certain death with
out one more effort, SO cried out for
him to sit down; he covered down like
whipped dog, all trembling. I sup
pose it had been put into his head that
was dead man speaking to him.
That morning my wife had got let
ter from her sister in Canada, and as
there were parts we could not make out
had put it in my pocket, intending to
get our timekeeper to read it for me.
1t had scrap of uncovered paper at the
bottom, and by another good providence
happened to have bit of red lead pen
Gil in myspocket. wrote on the paper,
'Get us down-Collys gone mad;" this
shut in my tobacco box, and was fortu-
nate enough to drop it just at the feet of
two men who were standing by the en-
CINE house door.
Directly all was hustle to rescue us.
They got the kite up again, and I
watched it mounting slowly-slowly;
and when the slack Irvine fell between
Colly and myself took it in my hand
and could have kissed it. Poor Colly,
with his teeth chattering, still fancied I
was spirit, and I did all I could to
favor that idea until they got another
cradle up to us. Then having got him
in scrambled in myself, and clutching
him fast I shouted for them to lower;
and so we were got down, he wrestling
and fighting with me all the way.
He was in madhouse for some
months and then went to scavengering,
for he never would face any height
again; and I have never had the same
clear head since that adventure
Anonymous.