Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1902-05-03

the yard aud pushing to get IN, but
as yet there we're but some score of
men at the foot of the chimney, and
by close looking l saw them put
somebody on a board and carry him
gently away toward the engine
house. One Of the men walked aft
er with hat in his hand. I knew
then that somebody had been hurt
by the falling cradle and that it
must be poor Mr.. Staining, as none
of our men wore hats. Not a face
was turned up to US. I learned aft
erward that our men we're so taken
up with sorrow that so good a man
and so kind a master should be kill
ed that for awhile they had never a
thought about us, and the people
outside imagined that we had come
down with the cradle, so thus we
were left in isolation for twenty
minutes.
While was watching them be-
low, feeling very sorry for my poor
master, I was startled by a wild
laugh from Colly, who began max
ing catcalls and yelling as if he was
possessed. Then I knew that he
had gone mad. Even now I tremble
when I think Of that time. It was
horrible to peer down the shaft,
black and sooty and yawning, and
scarcely less so to look outside and
see a flight of pigeons sweeping
around at considerably less height
than we were. Then Colly-thank
God, he was so dazed that he could
not see me-called my name three
times as I sat fairly Bringing in
dread that his sight might clear,
and with CHASTITY grin and chewing
with his mouth he began working
himself toward me.
I worked away from him as noise
lessly as I could, with every hair of
my head standing on end. He fol-
lowed me twice around that horrid
coping, making most hideous noises,
and then, having come a second
time to the rod, he got an idea in
his muddled head that ] had fallen
over, for he never lost sense of
where he was all through this try
ing time. Then he tried to get on
his feet, but at the risk of my own
life I could not let the poor fellow
rush to certain death without one
more effort, so I cried out for him
to sit down. He covered down like
a whipped dog, all trembling. I
suppose it had been put into his
head that I was a dead man speak
ing to him.
That morning my wife had got
letter from her sister in Canada,
and as there were parts we could not
make out had put it in my pocket,
intending to get our timekeeper to
read it for me. It had a scrap of
uncovered paper at the bottom, and
by another good providence I hap
pened to have bit of red lead pen
Gil in my pocket. I wrote on the
paper: "Get us down. Colly's gone
mad" This I shut in my tobacco
box and was fortunate enough to
drop it just at the feet of two men
who were standing by the engine
house door.
Directly all was hustle to rescue
us. They got the kite up again,
and I watched it mounting slowly, |
slowly, and when the slack Irvine
fell between Colly and myself I took
it in my hand and could have kissed
it. Poor Colly, with his teeth chat
tering, still fancied I was a spirit,
and / did all I could to favor that
idea until they got another cradle
up to us. Then, having got him in,
1 scrambled in myself, and, clutch
ing him fast, I shouted for them to
lower. And so we we're got down,
he wrestling and fighting with me
all the way.
He was in madhouse for some
and then went to scavenger-
ing, for he never would face any
height again. And I have never
had the same clear head since that
adventure. '~'sss e. afls5as