The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-10-04


tag and work on solid ground, but
there is more money In the air, for me,
at any rate, aud as / wanted TO save
for that little nest | had In view, /
thought would stick To my steeples a
little longer.
Then came the job that cost Jack
his life and nearly cost me minc-re-
gliding the vane on the top OF ST.
Marks steeple. How well / remem-
ber that morning in May, when every
thlng-my heart included-seemed to
'ance for JOY Of living and loving ]
found time to run around to see my
little girl before beginning work. and
found her sad and fearful.
She had dreamt the previous night
that she saw me fighting with a man
I'm mld-air and then all at once | fell
down, down, and struck the earth
with a sickening thud at her very feet
Don't go to-day, jim" she pleaded,
az the tears chased each other down
her cheeks; 81 know something will
happen 10 you"
In vain / argued and chaffed, and
when at last | tore myself away with
a promise to run in in the evening. she
covered her face with her hands and
stood motionless at the door till | was
out of sight, as IL shutting some hor-
rid spectacle from her eyes.
Jack was specially cheerful when
joined him-too gay. ! thought, as !
saw the reckless light In his eyes and
thought he had been drinking
"You lucky dog" he said, as he
slapped me on the shoulder you've
been To see Ruth, | know, and her kiss
IL warm on your lips. All, well, |
shall have my turn OF luck some day
maybe sooner than you Think
IL hope So too. my lad" I said sym
pathetlcally, az we set to work. "and
the sooner the better"
A few hours later we were sus-
pended. one on each side of the stecplc.
a couple OF hundred feet above the
pigmles that were crawling beneath
us. We were both busy as could be.
gliding the ball from which the vane
sprang-Jack one one side and me on
the other.
Each Of us was standing on tiny
PLATFORM little larger than the seat of
a chair, with sheer, dizzy drop of
nearly seventy yards beneath us, and
each, for additional safety. was at
tachcd to the steeple by lifeline run.
ming under his arms.
Jack had not spoken word for
nearly an hour, but thought nothing
OF that, as we were working against
time, and the darkness was beginning
already to cheep over the sky. You
know when you're working at that
height, removed, as ii were from all
the world and with nothing but ST.
lence above and around you, the slight
est noise sends a shock through a man,
however strong his nerves may be.
You can imagine, then, how startled
| was when all at once heard loud
shrek of laughter, almost as IL seemed
at my very ear. There was something
uncanny about it, too. that set my
as they had never done before, or
since
When the laugh ceased and silence
came again as an awful relief l said;
What's the joke, Jack? Don't keep
IL TO yourself"
would be n Joke. / was fancying you
shooting down like stone TO the pave.
ment down there. and what Ruth
would think when she saw the pieces"
What n rummy idcaw ! answered,
with affected coolness, though my
heart was beating faster than ever,
and seemed as if IL would suffocate me.
But I'm going down little slower
than that as soon as I've finished this
bit of work. But pull yourself to-
gether, Jack. and get your gold on,
and then Wen soon be down there ON
our two legs"
mo, slr!' he shouted. I'm going TO
have n race with you TO the bottom,
and whoever gets there first Ruth can
have Come on; now for jump to-
gether."
As he said this he craned his neck
n look at me. and n single glance at his
wild eyes showed me that the man was
raving mad. and that | was alone In
mid-air with n maniac who hated me
and would certainly kill me II he could.
was powerlcss. III called for help
might be heard. hut who could come
to my assistance poised as | was at
such giddy height above the world?
And In n single moment might be In
the throes of life and death struggle
with a man quite as strong as myself
and made ten time stronger by mad
ness.
He was slowly and surely working
round towards me. and there was not
moment to waste. Something must
be done quickly. and everything de-
pended on keeping cool. In n moment
i had eased the hitch OF the line round
my hand, and was swing round TO
meet him. Before he had time To pro-
tect himself | had seized him by the
throat. and had forced him down on
his saddle-board
-5ut II was only for moment. for