Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-12-30
The Man
Who Lco.ced
Hir Held
Ey VIA. n. OSBORNE
nc

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/ Yoaag Perry Haskims. known as Pig
~ ~ his fr9e1sEs- WIS d very youthful
: specimen q Humanity ia the village q
lar His - times be WAS hs< boy:
al ether Times few ard far between,
I he WIS exceptionally good- He was
gusher AZ auy rate and in eBterpEiss
Of ali kinds he generally was the header
af ti8e gang Ais daring knew no
E tsou8ds. and sxlsen the e l. and 7. de-
esde-l TO take In Far Hills ca iis main
( branch young Haskins was tEs first
hd Of his crowd 70 cross the trieste
{ thas had been built 20 span the gully.
Z And this he did even before il had been
completed After that the boys called
I il Figgys bridge. Piggy ~ould crawl
out 10 the middle and wEtR the eyes
/ Of ali Far Hills upon him woBld lie
Gpon his stomach and gaze with inter
est into the black depths Of the gully
down below
After IL Was finished young Haski8s
day zas never complete one unless
he had walked across the trestle and
then back again Even this was =
tiekiish proceeding. for there was moth
ing but the ties upon which to step
and mlsstep might prove fatal. And
then. besides there were the trains
One night in spring young HaskIHs
started upon his constitutional across
the fresgle. He whistled as he went.
But be was not the only thing that
whisiIed OF that warm night lie had
barely reached the middle Of the bridge
when before bis startled eyes he BE-
held the giAring headlight OF loco
motive. II was coming his way and
with internal speed He stopped and
stood as though turned 10 a pillar Of
salt The bridge held but one track
There was no place TO seek for safety.
for tie trestIe was no wider than an
ordinary train. And the train came
whiriing down. Ii was not a hundred
yards away when Piggy Haskins did
| the only thing there was left to do.
With the drfiness OF an agile monkey
he let himself carefully down between
! the ties Underneath him there was
naugbt but space and the bottom of
| the gully Over him there was nothing
but the rushing. roaring train. The
train did not take much time in get
ting over; but. according TO Piggy Has
kins' calculation, II was a couple of
months at least When at last he drew
himself up upon a place Of safety he
| felt that be had been through the ex-
perience OF his life His limbs CULVER
| ed. and he felt obliged TO crawl the
/ length of the trestle upon his hands
| and knees He ran home, entered the
window Of his room by way Of the grape
arbor and, lighting a candle, hastily
regarded bis appearance in q mirror.
| He was sure that his hair had turned
white during the occurrence. But it
| had not 1t still was delightful shade
of red
Years passed Haskins grew TO be
| almost a man. One eventful morning
| he shook hands with all his family aud
/ friends and stepped forth from the vii
lage of Far Hills to make his living.
| He went into far country and made
it. He becaule prosperous. 1t was just
ten years after he had left that he de-
| termined TO return. In the meantime
| he had not been back His parents one
| spring morning received a letter from
| him which in its contents was some
| what out of the usual run of his epis-
ties. 1t ended with this pleasing state
| ment:
am coming home for a short vacation.
| Ard what do you good people Think
shall not come alone II is my purpose to
/ bring with me one Of the most charming
| girls in this wide world. a young person
| who tomorrow viii become my bride. My
| trip to Far Hills win be wedding trip
Expect US in the evening Of the 3D.
Haskins and his bride started from
| the far country where they belonged
| and purchased tickets for his native
place All along the way young Has
kins RECALLED his bride with stories of
his youth. She listened with delight,
for at that early stage in the game
anything that Haskins said went.
Haskins and his bride were due at
the old home somewhat early in the
evening. They would arrive at just
about dusk. Haskins. suddenly aroused
by some of his old recoilections. sug-
gested a romantic scheme. He pro-
posed that they should alight from the
train at the little station shed at East
Far Hills on this side OF the gully and
should walk across the trestle. There
was hut one thing that made Haskins'
young bride consent, and that was that
lonely walk at that hour of the night
with Haskins would not be amiss- She
suggested tie question Of danger as in
fnfy h0und To do Int the suggestion