The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-11-19
ALL FOR A WAGER

posed to bel reading for oxford. while
Hewitson was walking the hospitals"
and Palgrave was expecting his COM
mission" We were all athletes.
AS we sauntered pleasantly along.
rapt In conversation on the mysteries
Of gymnastics. we approached a ladder
which was fixed to n four story house.
How little we think of the herolsm
of hodmen"' exclaimed Palgrave. 81
would rather face n draGOOn armed to
the teeth than walk to the top Of that
ladder"
Pooh" said |. You must be jok-
ing. | see the feat performed every
day by fellows whom you or could
pound into mummy, and. what is more.
they carry on their business as leisure
ly forty or fifty feet high as If they
were paving roads"
"Yet will lay an even bet Of E5 that
you won't do it." retorted Palgrave
coolly.
Done" | replied.
AS the house was untenanted and
the labOrers were absent. there seemed
no impediment in the way.
Hold" cried HewitSon. who began
to feel that very serious responsible
ity might devolve upon him In his ca
pacity of umpire. Were you ever up
ladder befOreY
"Hum- ah-yeS-but not high ones.
should say have been up fourteen
or fifteen feet at leastr'
"There is very serious difference.
let me tell you. between fifteen feet
and fOrty-ive." continued HPwitsOn.
looking NnXiously up to the roof. at
was only last week we had terrible
accident at Guys. resulting from ver-
tigo. and. let me tell you. now that /
look closely into the expression Of your
eyes. l would strongly recommend you
to stick closely to terra firma"
II will cheerfully cancel the agree
ment II you like" said the generous
Palgrave.
Nonsense. man! l am afraid you're
funking Frank. Five pounds Is a good
deal of money to lose in five minutes,
but I'll punish you for daring to Ques-
tion my courage. Goodby, old felloww
/ had arrived about twenty feet on
my ethereal road when first became
conscious of strange feeling.
tried to laugh at my own apprehen-
sions
Another step-another-ano
those words of Hewitson's!
ut was only last week we had ter
rlble accident at Guys, resulting from
vertigo" now rang in my ears with a
fearful meaning. =:
Another step! The cold perspiration
broke out OH my forehead, my knees |
trembled, and my teeth chartered. An
other step! took it mechanically. Oh, |
heavens. what n fearful height l was |
now! How the world seemed to yawn |
beneath me!
Another step, and now my agony Of
terror was almost insupportable My |
whole frame trembled convulsively; l
could hear the very palpitations Of my |
heart l had arrived on a level with
the window, but it was two feet dis
tant from me, and the attempt to pass
that insignificant space must be GER
tain death
The day had hitherto been breath
lessly calm; now, with the suddenness
Of our variable climate, 1t began to
blow strongly. Marvellous to relate,
this very circumstance gave me imme-
diate relief and was. l think, the prin-
cipal agent in saving my life.
AS l had this fresh real danger to
encounter I shook Off the terrors Of
many that were really imaginary. The
descent to earth must be accomplished.
So, setting my teeth firmly and fixing
my eyes with dull, rigid. desperate
stare on the brick wall before me,
retrograded one step with knocking
knees and then, with equal care, an
other
BY practice the retrograde move
ment became easy. / found it easy to
my mind from vague, imag-
mary horrors and to fix my whole
care on self preservation.
Another -another-anOther! Oh,
glorious! l could look down now with
something like cOmpOsure and smiled.
Another and another! Sweetest music
that ever. ever fell upon my ear,
could at last distinctly hear the voices
Of my two friends, around whom a
:rowd had gathered.
Bravo! BY Jove, you'll do it all
light yet! Hold firm and keep steady,
my boy"
l was only twenty feet high, and
the remainder of my
Journey with ease. Hewitson and Pal
grave, who had been nearly as much
frightened as myself, were shocked at
ny CHASTITY paleness. They said re-
embled risen corpse. The good ma
ured fellows had cab and flask Of
)randy in attendance. l was put into
he cab, and the brandy was put into
ne.
But l was pronounced In a danger
'us fever that night. and 1t was three
months before was able to walk as
toutly as when l commenced that
erial adventure.
And what about the bet? insist
d on paying 1t after my recovery, az
he condition was that I should touch
he roof Of the house, which had
aiied to do, and Palgrave insisted on
ot receiving 1t.
He said he would as soon accept the
rice of blood. He had very nearly
cen my murderer, and he was conf
ent that IL l had brought an action
or assault and battery against him
e would have to pay at least E1,OOO
amages and COSTS, so profound was
algrave's knowledge Of British law!
Political.
Stella--Did you accept JackP BNlIa