The Washington times., 1938-04-28

foolish" Ellln nao Salo, puI neE
eyes told him she was glad Of his
foolishness. I'm as strong as a
horse, and Doctor McNaught says
everything will be fine. Why, I'm
not running one-tenth Of the
chance you take every day in your
work"
When she said that, Ellin's eyes
clouded, because when her man
was on the high steel, she could
never know until she heard his
step whether or not he'd be home
at all. And he was working then,
on the thirty-eighth story Of the
Coastal Building.
HIS HEART HEAVY
So Martin went to work, but
there was a burden on his heart.
The burden, however, had no
effect on his work that morning.
With graceful ease that would
seem uncanny to any one, he han
died his gun, up there in the
clouds, and while one part Of him
was automatically taking care OF
the rivet as the airhammer ratified
against it, the other part was home
with Ellin, living the day through
with her.
He thought of the times she had
been sick-the time, for instance,
the winter before, when she was
down with pneumonia. Not a word
of complaint from her until it was
almost too late. The doctor had
barely managed to pull her
through.
Maybe it would be like that now
maybe she was holding some.
thing back from him, so that he
wouldn't be worrying about her toe
much. His heart beat fast at the
thought, and he almost cut his
air, and put down the hammer to
go home, when he remembered the
last thing she had said to him.
"Stay home, MARTINI" her eyes
had been wide with surprise,
what kind of mother will your
son think he has if he ever finds
out that she was the cause of you
losing a days work? Go on, now,
she said bruSquely, although there
was a tender look in her eyes
"you do your work, and I'll dc
NINE"
CALLS DOCTOR
The morning went slowly, every
minute seemed to trudge with sod
den delay to Martin. When the
noon whistle sounded, he sacri
feed his lunch time to get a teIe
phone. But the Doctors imper
turbable voice informed him thai
| things were the same, very prob
ably nothing would happen unit
he got home.
"He's letting me down easy,
Martin muttered, as he made mis-
way up to the steel. But the doc
tor had said not to come home
that it would worry Ellin, SO HI
went hack to work. Thank heaV
en-, the afternoon would be short
they'd knock off at 4.
It got to be 3 O'Clock and hi
was still pushing his gun like &
well-oiled automaton, when a CRY
sounded from below, and to tht
right, along the side face of thu
building. It was a thin, despair
ing cry. like a woman or a chile
badly frightened.
All the men stopped work, anC
climbed across I-beamS with 81
stories beneath them, to get tt
the side of the building from
whence the cry had come.
Martin got there first, and a.
he looked, he growled a curse be
meath his breath, a curse tina
was followed by a quick prayer.
CHILD ON LEDGE
Three stories below, on q ledgt
Of steel, her eyes like terrifiei
pools of fear, there chung a skim!
little girl Of IL. She was shaking
like a leaf and it was an odds-or
bet that she couldn't hang on TO
long.
They couldn't tell how she go
there-but there she was. Strang
things happen on high construC
ton, as any building superinteno
ent will tell you, lingering tn
while the gray hairs caused b.
them. Probably she had sneaket
up, floor by floor, on the brickeo
in part Of the building, far be
low, looking for pieces Of wood
The chances were that som
spirit Of adventure, indefinable t
older people, had pushed her u
and up until she found herSel
looking down a sheer "a stories t
the street. Then fear took tn
place of adventure and it was a.
she could do to hold on at al
The journey she had made ou
to the ledge so easily seemed in
uassable and terror clutched a
her heart with iron fingers.
Martin looked about him quicl
Iy, The material lift was at tn
ground floor and by the time
reached the floor she was on Sh
might well have let go an
fo1Ia,, IN destination Tho laddeT