Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-09-21
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3 The Hand Glass, 5
. BY Charles s. Hathaway {
Observation-Disclosures
~ Charles s. Hathaway.

-PON the door was sisn NJ "
veving the information: hl9 /.
ofYice closes at y. M oh
- Saturdays.
f, This stipulation did not co'el Sa"
Nfacklen. however, for here 1t was q"
o'clock Saturday afternoon, anu
olone locked in the Office, she hau Ju9s
"onn,eted copying a score OF more VI
letters dictated to her shorty
closing time, by her employei'
HAs the result of discouraging ln'ei-
oonrse with a lot of aches and pans
=. hnr shoulders and back Mary hao
taken a position at an open "inuo"
- hoipa ten floors above the street
level. she looked out upon lar ie"0
ina urea of the citys upper plateau
3Wbat a crimy, angular, nara sur
Yooo q is" she thought, as she st0o'e"
tho hills and valleys, the promoh'o'
,;as ond rayines of the aerlai eeos'
.raphy. fecked here and there W. ~nen
clouds of smoke and swlI' lusnine
eiobts of silver white stream. lIus'
siro5 az I am. I feel it is good 'hihs
am privileged to eat and sleep heA'
To the surface of the earth Do"n
t1oro ;s an abundance of ugilness' VI
course. but the people are 'hele' nv
show windows. street cars anu ho,o.'
GRO there. there it is compahioh"o'.'
,vh,,e away up here the loneliness Il
annalling: even the flies ana tDe o",
decline to associate with us anu
Tban Miss Macklen started sudden
~ and, giving vigorous scream Al,
seized the telephone receiver at ne
side and rang up the central ONCE
.c,ve me police headquarters, piease'
40 osked and after brief wait:
..police headquarters? 1t is! WEI
Sopd officers Immediately to Tue ~
floor rear, of the Security Irus' Jun, ~,
inc Man there trying to commit 81
dido, For Gods sake, hurry, OF you
be too late.' :, :,
And then. so strangely potent Is u
,o,var Of the horrible, Miss Machi'
again turned and was LOOKING gu.
rho window. She saw nearly squa
.yvov and standing in the top paicoi
oe tho Security Trust buildings re
eno oscane q Young man who, pal
hoodod and in shirt sleeves, looh
carefully up and down the Hill
alley so far below him; then lie ino,
60 the rail of the balcony, anu pi'
tho both hands upon the rail' seem
about to leap over to an a"iui Wv"
A ooin Miss Macklen voiced an appe
80 sbriek but this time it was
only deliberate ana lhtehtion",'
carried quality of humanity 'na'
beart-rending. so eager was she
,ttr,ot tbe attention of the Woulu
suicide
Rut he was too far away, or |
haps, he purposely avoided heeu
her. IF he would but look sle u
as Selling a chair, she steppeu
., and raised the window to It's
be;ght "perhaps realization OF
fact that am witness OF Ills ue.
ation would cause him to pause.
Her effort or something, she IA
not what, caused him TO step d.
the balcony and disappear throusi
onop window. and for an instant
Volt relieved. The relaxation was
for an instant, however, for al
immediately he reappeared ana
limo no carried a rope. Mary, ce
that she would faint, steaaleu ne
nv placing her hand on top OF 'h'
ter cabinet at one side OF the
dow She saw the young man
,ied one end of his rope secure
tho balcony post; she say him
the other end of the rope aroun
mock. look Of desperation GOV
his face. and then she realized
nnder her hand on the caDlnet
small mirror, her own properly
Instantly she seized the mirror
polding it so that she conceu'
hereon the long, slanting rays
oc,inino sun. she threw blindl
action fuIl In the face of the ma
as trying to save.
He started violently rubped III
Ia looking straight at Mary. Y
ndish smile, and, shaking his
al negatively, again resume
ribly deliberate prepara.ions
gain she threw shaft oil
lining light full in his eye
= n the self-destroyer looked
eply, she was violently ges'
begging him in pantohil
to her. But again that L
= and again a refusal.
this iuncture Mary saw
uniform step out upon Ia
and, as she had receiv
of thorough business u
fell to the floor in swo'
long she remained unco
: hid not know; but whel
ague impressions OF l
b the telephone and 0
bookings upon the Office
wed sufficiently to sup
one elbow, she heard
way.