The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-01-27
ON THE ROOF.
Exchange.

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
thenl-stories reeking with gore and
dank with dungeons, and grewso1ne 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 tho horrors, whatever they are, and
in the morning the raven hair has turned
q snowy white.
can remember, too, that never 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
flickeled awhile, leaving everybody in
total darkness. just as Il deep groan was
heard or o long. shuddering 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 tin1id of them. But somehow or
other could not accept the hair turning
part of the story. l 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. | 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 moment be-
Iievirg what the others said or convinc-
ing them 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 corkscrew 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 a party of four, and when
the roof was reached the youngest pro-
posed a ra,nble over that portion of the
structure To this all but myself as
sented. | was tired and proposed to
rest awhile at the foot of the tower
stairs, where the others were to pick me-
mp on their return, SO that we might all
descend 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 and that my companions
had not returned. | called to them first
in moderate tone of voice, then moro
loudly, but received no answer.
Fearing that they would be belated on
the roof started in search Of them. l
walked the entire length of the ridge of
the main roof and peered down all the
side passages in the gathering dusk, but
caught no glimpse of my companions.
Then descended to the roof of the aisle
and made search there which was also
fruitless. became alarmed as the light
failed, and ran from one point to an
other, calling out as ran, until found,
to my great distress, that had lost my
way. l could see far below me the lights
of the great city and hear the distant
rumbling Of the carriages as they drove
past on the stony streets.
But was as effectually lost for the
moment as if had been in the heart of
an African jungle without compass
and no Stanley on the alert to hunt me
up. In the excitement and despair
which tho consciousness of this fact pro-
duced, rushed about SO wildly that l
slipped and fell on a long fight Of stone
steps, wet with the dew which had be-
gun to fall. was not conscious of any
serious injury from the fall, but when l
brought up at the foot Of the stairs and
tried to regain my footing, found, to
my despair and horror, that was utter
~ unable to move my limbs. was par
alyzed.
The mental agony I suffered is incon-
ceivable. Yet curiously enough spent
tho first moments in specializing as to
the exact nature of the injury had sus-
tanned Had broken my back OF SIM
ply injured my spinal cord? tried to
recall what | had heard my doctor
friends say about injuries of similar
character, but could notseem to remem-
Der anything definite. The words, "the
fifth pair" flashed into my mind and APP
peared to connect themselves in some
way with my condition; but whether it
was the fifth pair Of nerves or ribs, or of
something else, could not make out.
could not understand either how
could have been so seriously injured
without any sensible shock. but that my
power Of locomotion was gone there was
no doubt. l could move my hands and
began to speculate on the number of
things one could do with ones hands
alone. This occupied me for what
seemed to be an hour; but as the train
of tho17rbt was iltarrr1Dted by a clock