Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-11-27

cast upon his monument by Time. The
ages used to be cleaner, Lady Evelyn.
Nowadays we trample mud on every
tomb. There is always an II for the
best OF our friends"
Meaning that some disappointment
has made cynic of you, Mr.. ord?"
Perhaps, I cannot tell you. What
Is the good of ideals in this twentieth
century? We have learned to scoft
at simple things, faith. honesty, even
courage. Rich men try to believe
that they were never poor and the
poor believe that they are rich-and
60 through the Bankruptcy Court &C.
cordingly. 1 could do great work in
the world, but my enemy is an esti.
mate. A man no longer builds tenn
pie to the glory Of God; he builds 1t
to the memory Of John Snooks, hog
merchant Most Of our ailments are
the penalty OF soullessness. II we
lived and strlved toward an end, the
mind would not smart SO often as the
body. That saps our courage as we'll.
can work upon scaffold like this
because I have the past all round
about me. But directly I cease to
work I become coward. Time Is
dangerous because Time Is truth; one
of the few truths our modern life per.
mits us to recognize"
"Then you do really believe that the
old glory Of achievement fingers some
where?"
"In the imagination Of men who
would be artists but remain the ser
wants of Mammon. Let me interrupt
you to beg a favor. Your arm IL
shifting the rope and If it gave way"
"The rope-the one am leaning
against? Does that go down to your
scaffolding? l never noticed It."
"There is no damage done." he said
quietly; please pull It down over
the stone-work. No, hardly that way.
Let me come up and show you"
A short ladder led up from the
| scaffold to the roof of the clock tower.
The foothold Of planks was held up
by stout ropes wound about the en-
brasures Of the parapets. Uncon.
sciously as she talked to him, Evelyn
had shifted the right-hand rope from
It's place and Gavln's heart leaped
when he perceived that in another in
slant boards and man and ladder must
go headlong to the stone terrace be-
low. In truth, the climax came while
the light words were still upon his
lips, and the rope, slipping away from
the girls weak hands. the scaffold
swung out in an instant and Gavin
was left above the abyss, his fingers
twined about the second rope and his
feet vainly seeking hold against the
time-worn stone.
Men fight for their lives in many
ways-the towards desperately and
without reason, brave men with a
quick apprehension of the .circum-
stances and bold course from which
fear does not divert them. Desperate
as Gavins situation had become, he
realized the whole truth of it in an in.
slant. Forty feet below him was the
square tagged pavement built about
the belfry door. Above him single
rope swayed and strained against the
stone of the parapet, here bulging out
ward and difficult to climb. II the
rope held, Gavin believed that he
might touch the parapet, but to mount
1t would ba an acrobat's task. Other
help seemed impossible to bring. His
assistants had gone down to the outer
stables to load up the permanent
scaffold. His quick eye could not de-
tect the presence of single human
being in the vicinity of the gardens.
Evelyn herself stood as one pctrified
by the battlements, afraid for the in
stant to lift a hand or utter a word
lest the spell of his momentary safety
would be broken. She had never pos
sessed that particular courage which
stands upon height unflinchingly
and this dreadful accident found al
her nervous impulse paralyZed an
shattered. She listened, as in tranc
Of terror beyond all words to describe
for the broken cry which would speal
OF death; for the sound Of bod
falling upon the flags below. Infinite
ly beyond Gavin Ord's, her imagine
ton added Its darkest picture to he
handiwork. She clinched her hands
fearing their clumsiness. and wit
eyes half-closed drew back from tn
battlements. Never until this day ha
she seen man die; never had sh
been asked to take an instantaneou
resolution wherein the measure Of he
own peril might be the measure OF ar
other mans safety. II for the briel
est instant she failed to answer tn
call, cowardice had no part in her II
resolution. Few would have acte
otherwise.
Gavin climbed the rope almost Inc
by inch, seeking as he did 80 foo
hold upon the rotting stone and care
full always to bring no sudden jer
upon the trembling cord. 1t SCENE
an eternity before he reached the fol
bidding parapet where the gravor dai
ger must be faced; but when he di
SO and tried to put an arm over tn
bulging stone, then he understoo
that II none came to his assistance, h
was most certainly doomed Beneat