Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-11-12

out, but he had to squeeze to get
his broad shoulders through the ends
Of the casks. / sprang up the hole by
the irons aud st the top struck matches
while he mounted.
We were safe, bat TO guard against
pursuit 1 dropped the box down and
Taras replaced the stone, moving 1t as
IL it were no more than q piece OF
board. Then I led him by the arm TO
the easement, and striking another
match showed him the hole by which
we we're ia get out, telling him ne must
pull out the remaining bars.
Dear little friend" said he, passing
his hand round the easement with a
laugh. al doubt il I could get my big
head through there"
This was true, and the unforeseen
difficulty dlsmayed me for 3 time. All
the doors opening on to Sweet Apple
lane and the river were padlocked on
the outside. We were prisoners. Sud-
denly the means Of escape came into
nv mind, and again taking his arm l
led him up through the empty store
rooms into the one at the very top,
where I lodged. The door there was
only bolted on the inside. I oponed 1t,
still holding his arm, for II In the dark
he had taken q step forward 1t would
have been his last.
"What is in there?" he asked, look
into che obscurity as 1 pushed the door
hack.
Nothing is out there 'cept the open
air and the river down below"
do you expect me to dive from
here?" he asked In = tone OF amuse-
ment.
mo. Do you think 1 want you to
kill yourself? l amt a fool. Wait q
Bit" said l, striking my last match. l
held it up when it famed and showed
him the crane fitted in the doorway,
the windlass inside and the chain hook
ed against the wall, telling how l had
seen great bales raised from below by
this apparatus. 80,
''If you a hold onto the chain, I'll
lower YOU down." said l. You can
put YOUR feet on them hook things"
"But how will you get out?" ne
asked.
"By the hole in the cellar. 1t amt
too narrer for me-"
He agreed to this, saying he Woulu
wait for me below, and then, as noise
lessly as we could, We pushed out the
! crane, got the chain down and made
arrangement for the descent, his eyes
becoming used to the darkness, which
at first was i'm psnetrabie TO them. l
| could see still p , clearly, being used
TO the place and its darkness, and his
silhouette stood out distinctly against
| the gray sky as 1 held tight on to the
winch. 1 could see him quite plainly
when he said, "Now, little friend" and
swung himself out from the loft door
on the chain.
I was more careful than If my own
life had depended upon the descent, and
l turned the handle steadily and yet as
quickly as I dared. / felt at ease until
mis- head and shoulders disappeared,
| but then a horrible dread that he might
slip from the chain possessed me as l
thought of him swinging out OF sight a
hundred feet and more above the stone
quay below, and fervent gratitude filled
| my heart when there ceased TO be any
pressure on the handle and a low whis-
tie from below reached my ears.
And now, not waiting to wind up the
chain or ever TO close the loft door, l
sped down 70 the cellar that might re-
join him.
At the foot Of the cellar steps my foot
struck against something which. by the
sound it made, l knew to be the box l
had thrown down the shaft before we
went up TO the loft.