The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-10-20


EssA men Oh than it is now.
%sa Some fifty years ago about
ESE twenty of us who dwelt in
ssA the vicinity OF the cathedral,
SXsA formed club which used to
MA ring every peal that was call
81 One Sunday I went with
another into the belfry to ring for
noon prayers, but the second stroke
we had pulled showed us that the
clapper of the bell we were at was
muttled. Some one had been buried
that morning, and it had been prepar-
ed, OF course, to ring mournful note.
We did not know Of this, but rem
edy was easy. "Jack,' said my COM
panion, ''step up to the lott and cut
off the hat" for the way we had OF
muttling was by tying piece of an old
hat or OF cloth Ithe former was prefer
rcd to one side OF the clapper, which
deadened every second toll.
| complied, and mounting into the
belfry, crept as usual into the bell.
where began to cut away, The hat had
been tied on in some more complicated
manner than usual, and l was per-
haps three or four minutes in getting
it off; during which time my compan-
ion below was hastily called away-by
a message from his sweetheart, l
believe-but that is not material to
my story.
The person who called him WAS a
brother of the club who, knowing that
the time had come for ringing for
SERVICE and not thinking that any
one was above, began to pull.
At this moment [ was just getting
out when felt the bell moving. I
guessed the reason at once. 1t was O
moment Of terror, but by hasty and
almost convulsive effort I succeeded
in jumping down and throwing myself
on the hatof my back under the bell
The room in (which it was was little
the bottom OF the ss5ell coming within
couple OF feet OF the floor OF lath.
At that time 1 certainly was not SO
bulky as | am now, but as lay it.
was within an inch of my face. l had
not lain myself down a second, when
the ringing began. 1t was dreadful
sensation.
Over me swung a great mass of
metal, one touch of which would have
crushed me to pieces; the floor under
me was principally composed of crazy
laths, and OF they gave way Iwould be
precipitated to the distance Of about
fifty teet upon a loft, which would, in
all probability, have sunk under the
impulse ofmy fall and sent me to be
dashed to atoms upon the marble
floor OF the chancel, hundred feet
below.
This was my first terror: but the
ringing had not continued a minute
bt ore u more awful and immediate
dread came on me. The deafening
sound Of the bell smote into my ears
with q thunder which made he fear
their drums would crack; there was
not q fiber of my body it did not
thrill through. 1t entered my very
soul; thought and reflection were al
most utterly banished; 1 only retain
ed the sensation of ayonizing terror
Every moment l saw the bell sweep
within an inch of my face, and my
eyes-I could not close them, though
to look ut the object was bitter as
death-followed it instinctively in it's
oscillating progress until it came back
again. 1t was in vain I said to N.Y.
self that it could come no nearer at
any future swing than it did at first;
every time it descended I endeavored
to shrink into the very floor to avoid
being buried under the down-sweeping
mass, and then, rejecting on the
danger Qf pressing too weightily on
my frail support, would cover up
again as far as / dared.
At first my fears were matter of
fact. | was afraid the pulleys above
would give way and let the bell plunge
on me. At another time the POSSIBLE
ity of the clapper being shot out in
some sweep and dashing through my
body, as I had seen a. ramrod glide
through O. door, fitted across my
;, mind. The dread, also, as I have al
ready mentioned, of the crazy floor
tormented me; but these soon gave
way to fears not more unfounded, but
more visionary, and, of course, more
tremendous.
The roaring OF the bell confused my
intellect, and my fancy soon began to
TEEN with all sorts OF strange and
terrifying ideas. The bell pealine
above and opening it's jaws with a
hideous clamor seemed to me at one
time raving monster raging to de-
YOUR me; at another g. whirlpool
ready to suck me into it's boiling
abyss. AS | gazed on it, it assumed
all shapes. 1t was flying eagle, or
rather a roc of the Arabian story
tellers, clapping it's wings and scream
ing over me. .. = gH.n.#
f AS looked upward into it, itwould
appear sometimes to lengthen into
indefinite extent or to be twisted at
the end into the spiral folds of the
tail of a flying dragon. Nor was the
flaming breath or fiery glance Of that
tabled animal wanting to complete
the picture. My eyes inhamed, blood.
shot and glaring, invested the sup