The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-06-01

six yards long, which lay ON the slab ready
to be sawn asunder.
He then attached to the beam the pulley
by which the wood would be drawn auto
matically toward the saw directly the ma
chinery was set In motion, and, with q
short. cruel laugh, let me to myself and to
my thoughts.
They were horrible enough. Now that
oeath seemed to me an absolute certainty,
was not much perturbed in my mind about
myself, but thought of my wife and the
memory OF her sweet face, which never
more would look into mine, filled me with
Eeen anguish.
cried out several times for help, but
knew only too we'll that the cry was USE
less. The shop in which I was lying was
midway between the boiler house and the
street, and some coo yards from either, as
the factory was a big enc I might have
been at the north pole, so completely 1so-
lated was I then from all human help.
I commended my soul to God as lay
there bound and helpless 4 asked Him, in
His infinite mercy to protect my wife when
Had passed from earth. and to comfort her
IN her great sorrow. Then I asked forgive
ness for the sins I had committed, and
when the prayer was ended felt certain
resignation which was deeply comforting.
The maniac had indeed devised horrible
vengeance when he had hit upon the idea OF
binding me to the saw and leaving me Wnlie
he fired the boiler, for during that time
was able to lie and contemplate my END,
and in spite Of the resignation Of which
have spoken, my feelings were pltter
enough 1 think in those awful moments
must have aged by many years. Even at
this remote time. the horror or that oay
comes back to me and fills me with terror,
bringing the sweat to my brow.
Sometimes l awake in the night from
CHASTITY dream, in which l fancy myselr
once again bound on that saw; and l thank
God with all heart and with tromOllnR
lips that, after all, it is only dream.
After a little space Maxwell came back.
Il have built the fire down below, ne
said, he ar. ely and you can calculate, from
yOunr own knowledge of such things, how
long death will be in coming. And now
shall switch on the belt to the saw"
With absolute calmness, as though he
were going through the merest detail OF
workshop routine, he stopped and switched
the belt on to the shaft of the saw. Every
now and again he would take long glance
at me, as thought revealing In my silent
agony Poor fellow! At this late date l can
even look back and pity him, for how keen
must have been the tortures of his mind,
which drove his poor, weak brain from It's
throne, and left him fierce and bloodthirty
homicidal maniac.
"Goodby, Graham he said speaking be-
tween his teeth "Goodby and take my
curse with you where you are going"
He rushed from the shop and never saw
him again.
1t is no exaggeration to say that the min
utes passed like hours. At length, after
what seemed to me to have been more like
a week than some couple of hours, heard
a slight vibration, the floor began to trem-
BILE, the betting groaned and squeaked, and
then l knew, knew only too well, that the
end was near. The engine had started and
the machinery was setting to work. In five
minutes time the section of the beam to
which 1 was bound would be caught in the
merciless teeth of the gigantic saw, and
then, goodby to life.
The beam being some six yards long, and
I being attached to the end furthest from
the saw, there were some four yards now
standing between me and destruction. l
knew that the saw was a moderately quick
one for l had often watched it in an idle
moment little dreaming of what the future
was to BRING forth for me in connection
with this apparatus, and I calculated that
five minutes at least must elapse before
was caught by the revolving saw.
l wonder ifJany human being, no matter
how great his imaginative power, can real
ize, even dimly, my feelings as lay staring
up at the ceiling while the beam was slowly
but surely, drawn by the automatic pulley
nearer and nearer to the saw.
And still the machinery whirred and
whistled, Still the betting groaned, still the
wheels flew round, bringing me nearer and
nearer tOa death.
For few moments, fancy played strange
tricks with me, and the clearness of my
brain vanished. 1 thought that l was dead
and had passed to some WOnderOuS island,
| where Ella was beside me- Then 1 awoke,
| and the horrible reality came back to me
with a sickening pang. For the machinery
still whirred and whistled, the betting still
groaned and the wheels flew round, bring
ing me closer, and closer to the end
Now, 1 was yard from the saw, now
only two feet, and soon, very soon, must
reckon in inches. Nearer and nearer still,
the huge saw revolving like some fierce
monster, it's teeth shining in the warm SUM-
light, waiting to taste my blood. Nearer!
God help me- nearer still!
Twelve inches, eleven inches, ten inches,
nine inches, and still the beam crept on. l
was parched and choaked; my eyes seemed
to burn with redhot fierceness. 1 tried to
cry out, but breath failed me. Nearer and
nearer STILL
On, on, on, went the beam, and gave my
self up for lost, and felt the wind produc-
ed by the saw on my temples. l heard a
tremendous noise, followed by piercing cry
of human agony. Then Inconsistencies
came, and knew no more.
When l recovered, l found myself on the
floor of the shop. My bonds had been unfas-
tened, and several people were beside me.
One of them. whom 1 took to be doctor,
inquired kindly how l felt.
Much BETTER" 1 returned, as I swallowed
| the brandy which he held toward me; very
much better. But now tell me, please, what
has happened, and how 1t comes about that
l have been rescued
You will have to tell us afterward," he
said, pleasantly, "how it came about that
you were bound to that saw. BY Jove, you
had a very narrow squeak. You see, the
boiler burst, and the machinery stopped just
in time
I understood all in moment The mani
&C, forgetful of all else save his desire Of
vengeance, had doubtless forgotten to open
the safety valve, with the result that the
boiler plates had become overheated, and
the explosion had occurred.
I looked up at the betting and saw that
1t hung limp and inert.
"Ah. yes, said the DOCTOR noticing my
glance 1.-The shock Of the explosion no
doubt. threw the belt off the shaft; but if
you look at your shoes, my friend, you will
see what narrow squeak you have had. .
1 looked at my boots and found that the
heels had actually been cut by the saw, so
that had not the boiler exploded at that
moment, I must surely have gone out to
one OF the most horrible deaths that the
mind Of man can conceive.-Tit-Bits.