The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-06-16

blanket directly beneath us.
Any God!" groaned O%glethorpe;
tits suicide to jump from this height.
y makes me dizzy to think Of it,
Proctor was as cool as the proyerb-
fal cucumber, and talked to us as calm
~ as if discussing a business scheme in
my private Office.
Its a case of roast or Jump said
he, as we came together for a final con
serence, that's the whole thing in a
nutshell. The only redeeming feature
IN the Ease is that each of us a choose
the way it suits him best to die. Per
sonally it makes little difference to me.
Death by fire isn't really SO horrible as
it appears, and as for jumping you will
lose consciousness long before you
reach the ground. After all, my case
is much worse than yours, gentlemen.
Your families will be well provided for
but God only knows what will become
of my wife and children when I'm
gone"
"See here, young man." Oglethorpe
exclaimed, grasping Tom by the arm,
Il can't be roasted in this hell-hole
like a rat, and to jump is still worse!
Why, man alive, I'd give a million dol
lars-a million, do you hear?-to be
landed safely on the ground!"
I glanced at Tom-for an instant
forgetting our perilous situation
and noted that, unmindful of Ogle-
thorpe, he was gazing intently to one
side; then suddenly his face lighted up
with a,gleam of hope.
"All right! 1 accept the contract.
No time now for any business formal
tiles. Shake hands on it. You witness
this, Mr.. Burrows" said he, nodding
his head in my direction, at the same
time extending his hand to Oglethorpe.
They hastily grasped each others
hand, and l bore witness of the strang-
est business transaction on record.
THAT'S as binding as if drawn up by
a regiment of lawyers exclaimed
O~glethorpe when the simple ceremony
was completed. Then he added: 'My
word is good for that amount, never
fear, if I get out of this place alive"
Pushing the millionaire aside rough
ly, Proctor ran to a case of drawers
under the counter a few feet away.
On the upper drawer was tackled a
white card which bore the simple le-
gend: "Fish lines" 1t was only the
work of a second to pull the drawer
out and select a heavy, strong line,
about the size used in codfshing. The
drawer underneath was labeled "Sink-
ers," and from this he grabbed a lead
sinker, which he deity fastened to the
end of the line. From the wall he tore
down a sign which read: "No smoking
ullowed;" on the back of this caro- he
wrote in plain letters: glitch on a
rope, quick!"
Making the card fast to the line
aear the lead he rushed to the window
followed by Oglethorpe and myself.
WewatChedth the descent of that white
messenger with breathless interest, for
u lives were in the balance and time
was precious. Three souls hanging to
a cod line and a piece of common every
day cardboard.
A man on the ladder seized the card
and read its message. Waving his hand
upward to signify that he understood,
he ran nimbly down the ladder, darted
across the street to a ladder truck, and
with the help of a comrade seized a
coil of rope, which they flung on the
ground directly under our window.
To prevent the line from chatting
on the stone trimming under the win
dow sill, Proctor leaned far outward
and carefully Obeyed the command to
''This is a kind of a fish worth fish
ing for" cried he, with enthusiasm;
sort of a goldfish, hey, Mr.. Og1e
All, my beauty, now I've got
you fast!" he exclaimed, as the emo
the rope slipped into his hands.
[ believe that Tom had been to sea
! couple of voyages when a youngster
evidently the old sailor instinct
'eturned the moment he got hold of
hat rope.
He yanked it in over the window sill
land owe hand till it fairy hummed.
When the last fathom fell at our feet
Tom grabbed it and with a quick turn
If the hands tied a loop, which I
hink sailors call a "bowline." Slip
ing OA45 bONlAGo over MI O~BlGJuOrDG S
lead and down to the hips, he said
o him, tersely: snow, then, Mr..
)glethorpe, you're to sit in this bow
inc; hold onto the rope with a death
rip. Don't be afraid; you can't fall
nut if you try. Mr.. Burrows and l
will lower you down, and all you have
o do is to keep yourself away from
he building with your feet. You
nay bark your shins, but that's moth
ng. Lively now, there's not a mo-
nent to losel"
After a few more instructions and
little urging, the man of money
a~boriously crawIed over the sill; we
lacked away on the rope and his
cad disappeared from view. We had
turn of the rope around a steam
ipe and had no difficulty in holding j.,
'glethorpe's weight, although he {
yas a heavy man. :
Presently we heard a tremendous :
heer from the crowd below, which ;
Did us that Oglethorpe was safe. :
.unning to the window, we saw him :
ascending the ladder with the help !