Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1920-01-15

AAAg oOOdN III hS 01l0s
Il mean it. I want to get out of this ;
an, what's more, 1 want to get you
out, too. l wouldn't give a damn to
get out without you"
Reilly seemed not to have heard.
To him, Kerrigan's talk was but ir-
responsible babbling. Now and then
a faint, far-off human voice drifted up
to them, and Reilly bit his lips until
the blood came.
Suddenly Kerrigan began to thrash
about. He lifted his chin to the level
of the tanks edge and looked up
steadily for a time. Then he gave a
grunt of satisfaction and lowered him
self to his former position.
"Say, maybe there's a way, after
ALL" he hazarded hopefully. Reilly
made no reply.
Just look at that wire cable up
there" Kerrigan chartered on. "It runs
right above the middle of this tank,
and see that plank across the top of
the tank ove at the farther side. Now,
If we could get up on that plank and
get hold of that cable"
"Oh, hell" Reilly interrupted dis.
gustedly.
"Come on" Kerrigan persisted; 1--WE
might just as well make a try"
He began to pull himself along the
edge of the tank, and instinctively
Reilly followed him. They reached the
place where the plank lay across the
top. Kerrigan scrambled on to this
and helped Reilly up after him.
They stood painting on the narrow
board. The heat, swelling up in great
waves from the fire below, scorched
their faces and nearly strangled them.
Some feet above their heads swung a
heavy wire cable, it's long loop dam
Cling from a bracket on a roof on one
side of them to a similar bracket on a
roof across the alley.
Kerrigan kicked off his heavy boots
and threw aside his rubber coat.
Hold steady, now" he cautioned
Reilly; well make a try for it."
With the ease of an acrobat he
mounted Reilly's shoulders, but, reach
ing upward at full stretch, the cable
still dangled just beyond his grasp.
Reilly, watching %intently, groaned, but
Kerrigan was by no means at the end
of his resources.
"Give me your belt" he demanded,
%scrambling down from his precarious
perch and standing beside Reilly on
the board. Reilly unbucked his heavy
ax-belt and Kerrigan strapped it about
his own waist.
Once again he mounted Reilly's
shoulders and stood there poised for a
moment, estimating the distance to the
cable.
Hold tight now, will yer" he
shouted. "Im goin' to jump for it."
Reilly was aware that the man on
his shoulders had assumed a crouch
ing attitude; then suddenly there was
an upward spring, the recoil of which
nearly sent him staggering into the
tank. He lifted his eyes to see Kerri-
gan clinging triumphantly to the cable.
"All right" the latter called down
to him. "Jump for my legs, an when
you get 'em, climb up till you can get
hold of the ax-belt."
Reilly's leap was successful. He
caught Kerrigan's dangling legs, and
slowly, painfully, worked his way up
ward, bit by bit, until his fingers closed
firmly on the heavy belt about Kerri-
gan's waist.
Hang on hard" Kerrigan painted.
"If the cable don't bust We'll get
across"
Inch by inch with Reilly's dead
weight dragging at his belt, Kerrigan
worked his way out on the cable
toward the roof across the alley. Pain
fully almost imperceptibly they adj
vanced along the sagging wire.
Once in that racking journey, when
Kerrigan paused for momentary rest,
Reilly voiced his doubts as to the ulti-
mate success of the venture.
you'll never make it, Kerrigan," he
piped; "~leastways, not with me hang
in on to you. I'd best leave go the
belt an give yer a show. It'll be one
of us that goes out, then, at any rate"
"You hang on an keep your blamed
mouth shut !" gasped Kerrigan as the
journey along the cable began again.
For untold ages-so it seemed to the
two men-they dangled in mid-air, like
some ungainly insect on the thread Of
a spiders web. Kerrigan's arms were
numb and nerveless, the pounding of
his heart nearly suffocated him, and
a red mist swan before his eyes.
Time and again he was sorely tempt
ed to loose his hold on the wire and
end it all. Yet always he worked his
way, slowly and with infinite agony
toward that roof across the alley.
At last the heard a great commotion
just below him. The dragging weight
the belt suddenly ceased.
His first thought was that Reilly had
dropped to the pavement, and a dull
pierced the torture Of his mind;
but looking down, he found that they
had gained the roof, an@ that Reilly
had dropped into the waiting arms Of
n nosr of bocanop - r.# |