Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-12
ON THE ROOF.

ON THE ROOF.
Have you never read of a persons hair
turning gray in 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 with
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
a snowy white.
can remember, too, that never used
to take any stock in such stories. used
to hear them read, and get up quite q
respectable thrill at the most horrible
portions, especially when the candle
fiickered awhile, leaving everybody in
total darkness, just as deep groan was
heard or long, shuddering cry, like the
wind through the weeping willows in a
graveyard.
Oh, yesl I was quite susceptible to
touching passages like those, and l used
to hurry up to bed and tuck my head
under the clothes and shiver with the
most timid Of them. But somehow or
other I could not accept the hair turning
part Of the story. / knew that hair,
black or white, could stand on end, but
that good head of black hair would
bleach itself out between dark and day
light was little too much to swallow.
/ know better now. I have had lit
tie experience of my own which-but
perhaps it is best to tell the story as it
occurred.
It was ON the roof of the cathedral at
Milan. We had climbed the stairs in
the late afternoon of 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 we saw Mont Blanc per-
fectly well, without for a moment be-
lieving what the others said or convinc-
ing thero that we told the truth, and
had ended our climbs by ascending to
the highest point under the lantern-if
it is lantern-by the corksorew stair
case, which will scarcely permit any but
the thinnest persons to pass when one is
going up and the other coming down.
We were 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. I 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 al
descend together. This was satisfac
tory and off they started.
For a time I was quite comfortable
and paid no attention to the passage o.
time; but suddenly noticed that it was
getting dark and that my companions
had not returned. ! called to them first
in moderate tone of voice, then more
loudly. but received no answer.
Fearing that they would be belated or
the roof started in search Of them.
walked the entire length of the ridge o.
the main roof and peered down all thu
side passages in the gathering dusk, bu
caught no glimpse of my companions
Then descended to the roof of the aisl,
and made search there which was ais,
fruitless. I 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 m,
way. / could see far below me the light
Of the great city and hear the distan
runbling of the carriages as they drov
past on the stony streets.
But was as efectually lost for tn
moment as if had been in the heart o
an African jungle without compass
and no Stanley on the alert to hunt m
up. In the excitement and despai
which the consciousness of this fact pre-
duced, rushed about so wildly that
slipped and fell on long fight Of ston
steps, wet with the dew which had be
gun to fall. was not conscious of an
serious 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 pal
alyzed.
The mental agony suffered is incor
ceivable. Yet curiously enough sper
the first moments in speculating as t
the exact nature of the injury had sui
tanned. Had broken my back or sin
ply injured my spinal cord? / tried t
recall what / had heard my doctc
friends say about injuries of simila
character, but could notseem to remen
ber anything definite. The words, eth
fifth pair" flashed into my mind and al
peared to connect themselves in som
way with my condition; but whether
was the fifth pair of nerves or ribs, or {
something else, could not make out.
could not understand either how
could have been so seriously injure
without any sensible shock, but that m
power Of locomotion was gone there ws
no doubt. could move my hands an
began to speculate on the number {
things one could do with ones hani
alone. This occupied me for whs
seemed to be an hour; but as the trai
of thought was interrupted by cloc
striking the hour o. midnight, l COZ
cluded it must have been much longe
and wondered had not heard the pr
ceding hours.
Suddenly the full horror of my cond
ton flashed upon me. l was not onl