The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-04-08
Tho Caps" Story.

The Gaps" Story.
lily Marion Is. Wright, 10. Londonderry
Pat Melaren, known 10 his lntimales
OF the Ayrshire baseball club an Pat, The
Zap" Is an lrishman by birth, q mason
by trade, aud by choice crack player
oi the game baseball The game Is IN ilseli
ala interesting one, but Il often leads The
players into Irish "oonyiyialily and pos
sibly Pat, who n captain OF a nine OF SIDE,
became oonhrmed ia drinking habits by
attending all the meetings OF the Ayi
shire club. lie that A. Il may, lac no long
ed drinks intoAicants and ! think many
| peop.s would lake 10 read an account OF
| the event that made him an absialner.
Last summer. Pat said 10 mc, II took
a contract 10 build tall chimney lot the
foundry at Lowell. II was 10 he seventy
| live feet high and the company wanted
the job hurried through. The foundation
aud lower part were easy, but az Ne soi
higher up the men became frightened and
left one after another.
AT last | sent Tor Tim Ryan. lie and
| got ON pretty last, and one THURSDAY
afternoon We were putting ON the finishing
| touches, over seventy ieet IRON the
ground, when the accident happened ! am
going 10 tell you about. Al that height
carrying the brick was impossible, 30 We
had a block and tackle liked, and lifted all
our material BY horsepower. u was not
a y.iy sale arrangement, but We got
good, steady horse and careful driver,
and didn't feel very much worried about
| the danger.
''In the staging there were six upright
posts and each one had TO be splieed about
every twenty feet This made three joints
...tLt .uI hey W.r lar
being firm. Where the brickwork had
hardened and the staging was well las
tened to the chimney It was all right,
but the upper part Of It was very I'M
steady. The posts creaked every time
tubiul OF brick or mortar came up.
I'VE had made bet with the manager
OF the company that We could fnish the
work by Thursday night, and at noon
that day II was 80 certain We were gong
TO win that Tim suggested TO him that
he had better pay hall the bet IA advance,
In the shape OF bottle OF wblskey. lie
agreed. and We took the bottle up with US
TO finish off on.
I'VE had drunk most of II when the
son OF the manager made his way up TO
us. lie was a Wild. awake youngstef,
about 10 years oil age, but lac had no righl
TO be there and We would have sent him
down at once ii the drink hadn made Us
a little too easy -going,
AS il was, we let him stay. lie walked
around the staging not bit disturbed by
the height. AT last when he got tired
looking on he took jack knife from hls
pocket and began cutting his initials ON
one Of the posts.
"During this time the last brick was
laid. We finished the whiskey and gave
three cheers, while the boy stood watch
ing Us with anything but respectful eyes.
g See here, Pat, Tim said TO me sud
denly, we've forgotten all about the old
horse down yonder He's seen US right
through this whole job and hasn't been
offered so much as smell OF whiskey
Well, old fellow, here's the bottle Tor you,
anyway he shouted, giving II a toss down,
ward. II went flying through the AR ana
fell with crash on the pavement lust IN
front of the horse, whose driver was IN
bar room across the street
The horse gave frightened snort and
galloped off; the ropes whlzzed over the
pulleys and the tub shot up towards Us
like lightning. 1t came against the upper
landing with crash that nearly upset the
whole staging.
pearance. but he was too much intoxicat-
ed to help us any and stood stupidity look
ing ND without moving step. The strain
at the top of the chimney became terrlhc.
IL seemed as though not only the staging,
but the whole upper part OF the chimney
would give way and fall IN another mo-
ment.
Neither Tim nor had spoken a word.
We Just looked at each other and won
dered how it would feel going down,
down, down. Suddenly the manager son
spoke, Say isn't it about time one OF us
cut that roper Before We could look
around there was sharp click! and the
clean.cut end of the rope fell downward,
THE moment the rope was cut the
horse pitched forward and then, taking
fresh alarm, he galloped from the place as
RAPIDLY as possible The boy stood with
the knife in his hand watching the horse
as he disappeared around corner with
the rope trailing after him like long
snake.
ait would be good thing for you two
men if you were just as AFRAID OF rum
bottles as old Prince seems to be- he re-
marked calmly. Tim and | were both
completely sobered by that time and
wanted to shake hands with the boy, but
he refused. It's no use to make great
fuss over it, he said. Another pull from
Prince would have brought the whole
thing down, and that would have Deeh
about as hard on me as you.
$50 you see | came near not playing III
the nine this summer, concluded fat,
''but as it is just quit the convlviality OF
the game, and | must say that | ENJOY IL
a great deal more"