The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-03-10

how ever got on that rope with heron
my back, for that wasn't the way my
profession done busine SIS, but / got
there, and as ! shot.out with the woman
clinging to me the people IN the street
below set up such a yell as never heard
before, and come near losing my bal
ance, for I knew, as they didn't, why
this feature that wasn't on the bills was
being showed. MS
| "The crowd yelled about twice, and
then all of a sudden got so still could
hear the little wcman's heart beat.
Anyway, I thought could, but maybe
it was my own. knew when they done
that the crowd had seen the man on the
roof with the Ratchet, and recognized
him, for all the people in the town knew
the kind of fellow he was. At the
same time the crowd got still something
came to me telling me to nerve myself,
for the crazy man would cut the rope
and drop me and my load in the street,
to be crushed into shapeless mass, and
came near letting go and dropping be-
fore was dropped. l couldn't see what
was going on behind me, and ali the lit
tie woman knew she was whispering to
me to go aheQl, because we were safe if
only kept my path. didn't know
whether she thought about the man
with the Ratchet or not. Likely she
cid. 1t wasn't her to mention it, though,
under them circumstances.
"While was thinking about him cut
ting the rope I was getting along it
toward the safe end as fast as / could.
the little woman hanging on till she
nearly choked Inc, but it didn't hurt,
and I was standing it beautiful. It's
funny how man will find pleasure in
life when there's so much in sight that
amt, and I nearly forgot the man with
the Ratchet thinking about the little
woman's arms holding onto my neck as
the one hope of her life. But it was
only for a second; then felt jar on
the rope and I choked and braced my.
self, for was sure that the crazy man
was beginning to cut, and knew that
three or four ticks would be enough. !
waited for the second jar, but it didn't
come, and in its place come spring to
the rope, as if weight had been taken
c1f of it, followed by a, swishing sound
and dull thud on the sidewalk so feet
below us. At the same time the crowd
sent up groan as if every person in it
was hurt. didn't know for sure what
had happened, but guessed that that
crazy man, like most any crazy person
or mad dog, only had room IN 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 it was
with the Ratchet by cutting her to
pieces. It 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. lie knew an
easier way, and, as she was out there
on the rope not 40 feet from him, he
would go out there and kill her. Crazy
people 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 to his death.
| L. 1AoC w udO AuduC lAO AOPC = IL
back. I guess the little woman must
have felt that something awful had hap.
pened, though she never said word.
because when at last stepped safe on
10 the roof and the crowd yelled hun.
dred times louder than they did before
they knew what they were yelling
about, the little. woman let go her hold
around my neck and dropped at my feet
in dead faint; and didn't blame her.
either; it was time for somebody to
faint, and if she hadn't done it would,
sure pop. Her doing it gave me some:
thing else to think about, and I got
her downstairs as quick as I could.
where the women took charge Of her
and soon brought her out all right.
II guess that's all there is to it,"
smiled the signor, picking up his bal
ancing pole and pointing to date line
and some initials omit. "This is the one
that steadied us over, and the little
woman had them put on there when she
became the blushing bride of Signor
Salviatoria," and the signor bowed with
sweep that would have entranced an
| audience of millions.-N. Y. Sun.