The Philipsburg mail., 1898-12-09
find he was really master OF himself.

On he went. of a truth very slowly,
and with no end Of SLIPS backward and
sidewise, but upward and onward
nevertheless. until the infant noun
| taineer found himself upon the very
extreme edge of that awful precipice
over which his father had fallen.
"Dah! dahw chirruped Ray. and his
poor father, fancying he heard some
| thing. glanced upward only to give
forth a low gasp Of horror at sight of
that sweet. infantile face, we'll daubed
with yellow clay. it is true-but very
sweet to the distracted father
go back. baby!" he shouted. "Go
| back! Oh, My God! Where Is Faith?
| The water is almost at nay feet--and
baby! Oh, must his life be sacrificed
alsO?"
"Dah dah!" repeated Ray, and Just
then his mothers voice. raised into
terrified shrek as she discovered
where he was. fell upon his ear. He
turned his mud-daubed, rosy face to-
ward her, chirruped gay cry OF de-
| Highland tumbled over the canyons
wall!
Faith never knew how she dragged
herself to the spot and looked down
| upon that. which she felt must be
death, to her child at least.
At first she could see nothing. The
ledge whereon her husband had been
| was almost covered with water.
"Dead!" she moaned--"both dead.
Nh hnUr r Noor L. 1ok :. tOO
| late"
Then she fancied she heard voice.
faint call. and looking closer in that
| mad whirl Of waters. she beheld Per-
| ry clinging to the lower end Of the
| ledge and---yes--with something in his
arms!
Make the ropes fast quickly,
wifey!" bs called; II cannot cling here
very many minutes
There was q bush, hardy one and
| strong, quite near. TO this Faith tied
| the ladder she had constructed on her
way UP the mountain, and, with
prayer to God. flung it over the wall
| and guided it with her own hands un-
| til it swung near her fast weakening
and nearly fainting husband.
He looked up and saw--not mere
dangling, frail rope as he had ex-
pected, that he would have had great
| difficulty In climbing. and perhaps
could not have climbed at all incum-
| bered as he now was with the baby,
| but a real ladder. rudely constructed,
but with knots and straps here and
| there!
Wondering how Faith could have
done 1t, he seized it and began slowly
| to drag himself up, up, feeling
strange dizziness creeping over him,
! but not only his life. but perhaps his
child's, depended upon his reaching
| solid earth once more.
On. on, slowly, slowly. for poor. lit
tie, limp Ray hing like lump of lead
on his arm; but at last he felt Faiths
strong, young arms seize him and pull
him over the dangerous edge Of the
| canyon--and he was saved
"My baby! oh, my baby! is he
| dead?" moaned the poor mother.
| 81 don't know. I caught him as he
| fell by his skirts, and 1t threw me of
my balance and | t,lmbled into the
torrent, but managed to grasp the
rocks. All, he's all right, except the
shock and jar! There! he's coming
round. wifey--thank Cod"
The baby opened his sweet eyes, and
seeing his mother weeping, Joined in
with lusty squall for company.
! "But the rope" said Perry, when he
could speak calmly; Il don't see how
you managed"
"Oh, I did 1t on my way back. II
! detained me little, but grandfather
was a sea captain, you know, and he
used to teach us children all about
ropes and ladders. andand I feared
you could not get up II did not make
it easy"
"You saved my life and Rays, and
I guess my own little wife Is real
heroine, though neither she nor
| knew it before