The Opelousas courier., 1904-07-30


caps and blouse KnpcFerat once
recognizet them @ ha hsaMosKssa
who had 5aak ee1spsed hasafoaklon
OF the Caypool building.
The boys recent disappointment
/ was instantly forgotten as he became
filed with eaEhusiasm at the sight Of
this company leading all others in the
parade. Theae sunburnm msnfrem
the Glaypool Building would have re-
joiced, an old erection boss; 70 Knock
er each n ofxhsm was d hero. The
boy, forgetting where he Was,began TO
spring up and down on his airy seat,
keeping time to the music of the band
as he waved his hat and cheered.
But all at once, when the band was
directly underneath and the Claypool
company half square away, Knocker
became aware that something was
wrong with his seat Letting 90 his
hat, the boy bsntzoyeran and elutehed
the end OF the board with both hands.
When the plank came to. rest Knock
er found his end had sunk down three
feet below the edge OF the bv~:
and although he had ceased to spriay
up>and down, it slH continued to sin&
Lfks-s snail it erawled past the angle
of twenty. then thirty degrees, while
the boy sat clutching the board in
horror. 80 80.
He realized what "a happening. In
his excitement N tying down the other
end of the: plank, Knoeker had used,
instead Of the square hitch he had In
tended, the terrible granny. Slowly
but surely 1t was giving way. ~1
AT last the boy opened his eyes in
relief to find the board had come to a
standsttli. He rememberedIthat IN;
one end of the ashing he had used
there was a hard knot. Thinking this
knot had travelled UP to the granny,
and that the latter was now as safe a.
D square hitch. Knockar- began TO
sauirm back up the plank. But this
Bowed an indiscreet move, and al
most j fatal one
Ths granny had not been stopped by
the hard knot, but merely by q fraysd
edge. on the rope. Hardly had the boy
made his first move when this pulled
through, and the plank gave a little
lurch downward. o
Knocksr had all but overbalaneed,
and saved himself barely by again
c1utching the end OF the knot. 1t
seamed then as IL Knocker had ruined
his only chance for life. The plank
slowed down again to lbs former move
ment, but 1t continued to sink under
the boys weight.
Below, the parade cams toa haft.all
but the leading BE- which, uncon-
scious of the pending catastrophe
went marching gaila up the street,.
All other eyes were gazing at the
helpless boy. As the plank passed the
fhirtisth- degree. and seemed fairly to
stand on end, some. turned away their
faces, unable to watch longer.
Among the iron workers were men
who had witnessed some fearful falls
aud terrible accidents, but even they
we're rendered helpless at the sight OF
their youthful friend IN such posi-
There was one exception, however.
A big man, with courage and deternain-
atien showing in mis-, clear blue eye
and square jaw, sprang from the ranks
and pushed his. way swiftly through
Fthe crowd. a moment later be reacn.
ed the high board fence which shu
i in the 4Claypool Building. from the
/ straet. with agility, that would have
done credit to a sailor, Big Jim scaled
/ the fence and disappeared inside the
enclosure. :.
| Meanwhile, with. each instant
| Knocker found his position harder to
/ maintain splinters from the pine board
pierced his hands cruelty. but the Doy
only set his jaws and gripped me
harder.
He knew he had one chance LEFT. Y
the hard knot came III contact with the
granny before the board reached q
/ sliding position, be- mighs be aaFed.
There seemed little hope OF tina
however, for the plank had already
passed the forty-ffth degree. Knock
er,e waight on the end would have
II started 1t sliding down that mac y
NOT rested in 3 slight indeneataen ~
1.-THE pine, caused by the rough ifo 81
the edge of the building
Tban a slight culver Tan throuSn