The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-02-16
SOMERSET, Pa, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1e 1898.

SOMERSET, PA,
husband won't get at me with that
axe.'
"She had more nerve In minute
than had IN week, but when she
said that, my professional pride come
to me, and without any more talk /
reached for my balancing pole, and i,
STOPPING down so she could get on my
back, which she didn't like very much,
| made quick run for the end Of the
rope just as the crazy husband come out
of the scnttle through the barrel and
tumbled down on the roof half smoth-
cred with sand. / told her to hold
tight and do the prayin' for both OF US
and | thought could get her through
safe. | don't know how ever got out
on that rope with her on my back, for
that wasn't the way my profession done
business, but | got there, and "a shot
out with the woman cliDging TO ME the
people in the street below set up such a
yell as | never heard before, and
come near losing my balance. for 1
knew, and they didn't, why this feat
ure that wasn't on the bills was being
showed.
''The crowed yelled about twicc, and
then all Of a sudden got so still | could
hear the little woman's near. beat.
Anyway, l thought could, but maybe
1t was my own. knew when they done
that the crowd had seen the man on
the roof with the hatchet and recogniz-
ed him, fOr all the people in the town
knew the kind of fellow he was. At
the same time the crowd got still some
thing came to me telling me to nerve
myself, for the crazy man would cut
the rope and drop me aud my load in
the street to be crushed into a shape
less mass, and L came near letting go
and dropping before was dropped.
couldn't see what was going on behind
me, and all the little woman knew she
was whispering to me to go ahead, be-
cause We were safe if only kept my
path. 1 didn't know whether she
thought about the man with the hatch
ct or not. Likely she did 1t wasn't
her to mention it, though, under them
circumstances.
while l was thinking about him
cutting the rope l was getting along it |
toward the safe end as fast as l could,
the little woman hanging on till she !
nearly chOked me, but it didn't hurt,
and | was standing it beautiful. It's
funny how man will find pleasure
in life when there's so much in sight |
that amt, and [ nearly forgot the man
with the hatchet thinking about the
little wOman's arms holding onto my
neck as the one hope for her life.
But it was only for q second; then / |
felta jar on the rope and l choked and |
braced myself, for l was sure that the /
crazy man was beginning TO cut, aud | !
knew that three or four licks would be
enough. waited for the second jar,
but it didn't come, and in its place /
come spring to the rope, as if a weight
had been taken off it, followed by a /
swishing sound and dull thud on the
sidewalk fifty feet below US. AT the
same time The crowd sent up groan
as If every person in it was hurt. l /
didn't know for sure what had hap
pened, but l guessed that the crazy
man, like most any crazy person or
mad dog, only had room ia his mind
for one thing at time, and when that
was there there wasn't space for any
more. He wanted TO kill his wife, and
the only way he knew how to do il was
with the hatchet by cutting her to
pieces. 1t did not strike him that he
could kill her by cutting the rope and
letting her drop to The ground. That
was too much for him He knew an
easier way, and as she was out there on
the rope not forty feet from him he
would go out there and kill her. Crazy
p9ople have such crazy way of doing
things, don't they? He did, and when
he took his second step out on the rope
he went over and down 10 his death.
That's what had made the rope spring
back. guess the little woman must
have felt that something awful had
though she never said a
word, because when i at last stepped
safe on to the roof and the crowd yell
ed hundred times louder than they
did before they knew what they were
about, the little woman let 60 her hold
around my neck and dropped AT my
feet in dead faint, aud didn't blame
her, either; it was time for somebody to
faint, and if she hadn't a done it 1
would, sure pop. Her doing it gave
me something else to think about, and
I got her downstairs as quick as /
could, where the women took charge
of her and soon brought her out all
right
- guess that's all there is to it,"
smiled the signOr picking up his bal
ancing pole and pointing it TO date
line and some initials on it. This is
the one that steadied US over, and the
little woman had them put on there
when she become the blushing bride of
SigEor Salviatoria," and the signOr
bowed with sweep that would have
an audience Of Millions
New York Sun.
To Our Customers.
Chamberiain's Cough Remedy is the
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