The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-09-19

This stipulation did not cover M"is
Macklen, however, for here it was al
ter 5 o'clock Saturday afternoon. and
alone, locked in the office, she had just
completed copying a score or more OF
letters dictated to her shortly before
closing time, by her employer.
AS the result of discouraging inter-
course with lot Of aches and pains
I'm her shoulders and back Mary had
taken q position at an open window
9and being ten floors above the street
level, she looEed out upon far reacn-
;;ina &c Of tie city's upper plateau.
ss!z| y grdmy, angular, hard sur.
face It is" she thought, as she studied
Sthe hitIs and valleys, the promonto-
fjesy ax1a rarines of the aerial geog-
sbsphy, fecked here and there with
Glands of smoke and swift rushing
flights of silver white stream. truly
tired as am, I feel it is a good thing
L am privileged to eat and sleep next
to the surface of the earth. Down
there is an abundance of ugliness, or
course, but the people are there the
show windows, street cars and noises
are there, there it is companionable'
while away up here the loneliness Is
appalling; even the flies and the dust
decline to associate with us and
Then Miss Macklen started sudden
ly, and, giving q vigorous scream
seized the telephone receiver at her
side and rang up the central ohce.
"Give me police headquarters, please"
she asked, and after brief wait:
"Police headquarters? 1t is? Well,
send officers Immediately to the top
floor, rear, of the Security Trust buii.'
ing. Man there trying to commit sui
eide. For Gods sake, hurry, or you'll
be too later -,
And then, so strangely potent is the
power Of the horrible, Miss Macklen
again turned and was looking out OF
the window. She saw, nearly square
away, and standing in the top balcony
of the Security Trust buildings rear
fire escape, young man who, bare
headed and in shirt sleeves, looked
carefully up and down the narrow
alley so far below him; then he moved
to the rail of the balcony, and, plac
ing both hands upon the rail, seemed
about to leap over to an awful death
Again Miss Macklen voiced an appeal
ipc shrek, but this time it was moi
only deliberate and intentional, but II
carried Il quality of humanity that was
heart-repding. so eager was she tc
attract the attention Of the would-be
suicide.
But he was too flr away, or, per
haps, he purposely avoided needing
her IF he would but look" she cried
as, seizing a chair, she stepped upoI
it and raised the window to its full
height, perhaps realization Of tht
fact that / am witness Of his desper
alton would cause him to pause"
Her effort, or something, she knew
not what, caused him to step acros:
the balcony and disappear through nj
open window, and for an instant she
felt relieved The relaxation was only
for an instant, however, for almos'
Immediately he reappeared and this
time he carried rope. Mary, certain
that she would faint, steadied herself
by placing her hand on top Of the let
ter cabinet at one side Of the win
dow. She saw the young man as ht
tied one end of his rope securely K
the balcony post; she say him place
the other end of the rope around hi
neck. a look Of desperation covering
his face, and then she realized tha
under her hand on the cabinet was :
small mirror, her own property.
Instantly she seized the mirror, and
holding 1t so that she concentrated
thereon the long, slanting rays Of tht
declining sun, she threw a binding re
fection full in the face of the man slit
was trying to save.
He started violently, rubbed his eye
and. looking straight at Mary, gave
fiendish smile, and. shaking his poo
head negatively, again resumed hi
horribly deliberate preparations.
Again she threw q shaft Of over
whelming light full in his eyes, ant
when the self-destrcyer looked at he
in reply. she was violently gesticulat
ing. begging him in pantomime t
come to her. But again that fiendisl
o,>,;ln onI IN n pnfnco1
AT this juncture Mary saw man II
blue uniform step out upon the plat
form, and. rs she had received fiv
years OF thorough business training
Mary fell TO the floor in swoon.
How long she remained unconsciou
Mary did not know; but when-tille'
with vague impressions of repeated
calls on the telephone and Of impH
! tient knockings upon the office door
she revived sufficiently to support he
body on one elbow, she heard voices il
the hallway.
Mary listened.
Its a fake all around That's wha
think was uttered in the deep voic
of an angry man, and it continued
"The boy was to get dollar for hang
ing in a sling just under the end o
the balcony long enough to tighte
I'D a single nut He probably finishe
the job by this time and neVe
| dreamed of suicide"
But the hurry call was turned i
from this office" argued secon
voice.
20, you're nutty!" responded tn
original wise man. Cant you see thi