Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-04-10

""Then,' says she, grab hold Of me
right quick and carry me across the
rope over to Mrs. Peck's house SOS my
husband wont get at me with that
axe
"She had more nerve in minute
than had in a week, but when she
said that my professional pride como
to me, and without any more talk
reached for my balancing pole, ana,
STOPPING down SO she could get on my
back, which she didn't like very much.
l made quick run for the end of the
rope just as the crazy husband come
out of the scuttle through the barrel
and tumbled down on the roof half
smothered with sand. I told her to
hold tight and do the prayn' for both
OF us and l thought i could get her
through safe. don't know how ! ev-
or got out on that rope with her on my
back, for that wasn't the way my pro-
fcssion done business, but got there,
and as l shot out with the woman
clinging to me the people in
the street below set up such
yell as l never heard before and l
come near losing my balance. for 1
knew, and they didn't. why this feature
that wasn't on the bills was being
showed.
The crowd yelled about twice, and
then all of sudden got SO still could
hear the little woman's heart 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 Ratchet and rec
ognized 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 d shape
less mass, and l came near letting so
and dropping before / was dropped. 1
couldn't see what was going on behind
me, and all the little woman knew she
was whispering to me to 90 ahead, be-
cause we were safe if l only kept my
path. l didn't know whether She
thought about the man with the hatch
ct or not. Likely she did II wasn't
circumstances.
While l was thinking about him
cutting the rope Twas getting along it
toward the safe end as fast as / could.
the little woman hanging on till She
nearly choked me. but ii didn't hurt.
ana l was standing it beautiful. It's
funny how a man vii! find pleasure in
life when there's SO much in sight that
amt, and l nearly forgot the man with
the hatchet thinking about the little
womans arms holding onto my neck
as the only hope for her life. But it was
only fora second then -Isfe.t a lar on
the rope and 7 chollcd and braced nv
self, for | was sure that the crazy man
was beginning to cut, and knew that
three or four llcls would be enough. Z
waited for the second jar, but it didn't
come, and in its place come a spring
to the rope. as if q weight had been
taken off of it, followed by a swishins
sound and 4 dull thud on the sidewalk
nifty feet below us. AT the same time
the crowd sent up 4 groan as if every
person in it was hurt l didn't know
Tor sure what had happened, but I
guessed that the crazy man, like most
any crazy person or mad dog, only
had room in his mind for one thing at a
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 hatch
ct 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
teet from him, he would so 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. That's
what had made the rope spring back.
guess the little woman must have felt
that something awful had happened
though she never said word, because
when | at last stepped safe on to the
roof and the crowd yelled a hundred
times louder than they did before thew
knew what they were yelling about
the little woman let go her hold around
my neck and dropped at my feet in a
dead faint; and 7 didn't blame her
either; it was time for somebody to
faint, and il she hadn't a done it T
would, sure pop. Her doing it gave me
something else to think about, and I
got her downstairs as quick as 1 could
where the women took charge of her
and soon brought her out all right.
Il guess that's all there is to it,
smiled the signor, picking up his bal
ancing pole and pointed to a date line
and some initials on it. This is the
one that steadied us over, and the lit
tie woman had them put on there when
she become the blushing bride OF Sig
nor Salviatoria," and the Signor bowed
with sweep that would have entranc-
ed an audience of millions.
,
5000 Miles to n Dinner
Charles {, PapdoInb ou,p,u ~ ~ .