Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-03-12
p XII.
The Ascent.

% vi shASS
straight up as the side Of n of the
Hottest skyscrapers built by man the
cliffs arose, split from the mountain
top by the wedges Of the lightnings
and guarding the summit by walls Of
almost absolute perpendicularity. In
that hunt Of the past he had seen a
sheep upon the summit, and therefore
knew that there must be a trail lead
ing to the top despite the fact that 1t
was classed as inaccessible to human
foot. Determined, therefore, that he
should be the first human to trod its
top, for miles he had worked his way
about 1t with keenly searching eyes as
he sought for the place where the first
step must be made II he would at
tempt the ascent, found 1t at last, des-
perate and scanty to the extreme yet
barely possible to one Of much activ-
ity and steadiness. And with little
regard for probable consequences he
had undertaken 1t. 1t had been a su-
preme test of nerves and poise, but he
had conquered 1t at last, reached the
uesolate, pouiueI hduhIeu pia'eou anu
killed his sheep, n then had sat FOR
hours upon the sheer Edge as he
nerved himself FOR what seemed a ue-
scent impossible to human being ex-
cept at the expense of life OF splin-
tered bones. Yet having come up ne
must go down., and down ne eVentuai'
ly and safely arrived-though great
good fortune attended him-and at
last had stood beside the broken body
OF his Kill which ne mad oeen opllged
to tumble bodily from the height lhat
awful ascent n descent had yer
since haunted nlm as an evil aream' a
thing not to be attempted agar 1or all
the wealth OF the world out now with
the woman ne love- borne there IN the
loathsome embrace OF tina arch enemy
OF all mankind he sought Tor the sui
cldal path again with straining eager
ness. VI March lying inert BACK tnere
upon the rocks where MS bullet mac
telied MIN ne gave scarcely u thought
obsessed by the Idea that ne alone
could save the woman he sought, he
would nave r~egardiessly siam any.
thing, man or BEAST, that ne imagined
might IN any way IMPEDE MS progress
Before him there lay a narrow shell
leading upward for a score OF feet
broken, insecure and seeming to end
in nothing but the blank wall Itself,
but he recognized 1t instantly and
stepped upon 1t. Arms extended, fiat
tening himself against the rock as q
leech clings, he felt his way upward
with infinite caution, his fingers grip.
ping eacn tiny WIN the tena'
city OF the OF a squlu. ne
reached the emu OF the narrow sheil
and thers balanced precarlously upon
SIX lnches OF o~utcropplng' cast ME
glance cautiously upward ana ABOUT
several reet 20 n right was anotnel
toothoid equally insecure, Out leadlne
upward again, ana win the care WIFE
whlcn ohe treads a taut wire ne piaceo
MS 1901 upon IL, 1ound a swallow mn
ger noid IN the Gill ana raised himself
FOR nrty rect more ne climped as a ny
scales a wall, periled MS lie upon tine
two-lnch support OF q )uttlng point
mounted again with n superhuman
cunning and strength OF the insane
and at the end or a haif hours vel
nlgh miraculous enort foun for the
nrst time during the ascent a smell
large enough TO rest upon. lie wal
ond etty Too, ~ ho.t,,na oI,w ohovo