St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1948-01-30

Aplete absorption It's fOrcefu and gripping has
n ri yard wide, directed 10 youth of all ages
!. "
TRe Usage yet timely, you may have N
missed it 1.-THE tucked away n a November
1916, Good HousekeepngD I've condensed and
printed it here. fM #@ IN
Since spring the corner your Junior and vi n R
Sis will soon be meanderng around groups of twos
and fOurs looking for excitement Have them read
this story today, and perhaps avoid catastrophe in
the future condemnation Of: @r ~ r.M
THE VERTICAL LADDER INV a4&4
By William SAMSON in Good Housekeeping" ,,,,r> ,,,
had been Spring abruptly as warm HELEN SMITH
midsummer Sun flooded with sudden heat
and his friends wandered out from the gate
of back streets.
than the park but the proven more
than before that when suddenly the the
had dused gas works FIe0v
and his friends welcomed the change
They walked the girls and FlegR and
two other boys and stood presently before gas itself
Among the ruined sheds this the only structure still whoe
lowered high above the other buildings feet around
So they threw bricks against its rusted Sides
Flegg who wished eyes the dark haired girl
began throwing bricks higher than the Others
follow his shoulders his Now foned and
you climb as high as YOU can thrown One ~ The
boys instantly can't He can't climb no higher
than himself Flegg scong girl laughed shry
and pointed upward Already all five Of them felt uneasy TS ~
quick succession the third boy said Fegg
climb the top of anything The boy neered You can't
OF the tank, then Go climb it'll hanky
1t after very high hardly fu-size tank
There two ladders Jacobs ladder camped
another that Of provided safety
This must have been erected later substitute for the
ladder which demanded unnecessarily
in fact in dsuse for 20 feet of its
away However there was apparently painting
wooden ladder had reaching
to the unchanged bottom of the vertical thus
seveable again. Fegg looked quickly wooden
adderwas it well grOunddand then its up-was
this
slightly safer staircase Perhaps he could
this actually had mentioned the
quick behind him had and Immediately the
you don't Not up those sissy stairs"
Fegg realized finally there had to climb
the tank by the finally settled
from his mind He braced his shoulders and
found himself really making he
at isn't high Why should worry? climb such
every day. falls the ladders are camped as safe
houses"
Added to this the girl up him her
handkerchief He took it, blew the girl up
the wooden ladder at a
He began to slow after reaching the first perpendicular
iron The sensation of height strongly
an urgent necessity to maintain balance each muscle Of his body
became unnaturay alert He looked following dzzyng
Of the to the skyline From this angle against
heetng the gas tank appeared higher than before The blue
seemed descend and almost touch it. Fegg imagined despite
himself that the entire tank had become unsteady
His friends appeared shockg small He wanted
ate in arefree attitude but then instantly
his hands refused He continued climb with
the smile dying on his lips.
Fegg uneasly his hands began to feel moist one
overpOwerng second he realized
it longer he admitted all body rungs farther up
he began violently
Every oheT consideration suddenly left him He only
the ground quickly possible only that Nothing
Trembling and painting that he hed himself with
his own BREATH he took the first step downward
below Someone had removed the painters
LADDER The boys
for fun from Spite they only
He remembered ground
the drop fell 20 feet He considered quickly descending appeal
ing from the bottom of the ladder precious
minutes they would eer and refusing
and he felt then that he could risk these
with his strength failing.
Besides he already noticed that the whole
off, They abandoning him. casually
and helpless his wide prison Of His heart
them to stay He forgot their
sefpity An feeling his
dry
They did difficulties. FIegg had no
option but to climb higher Desperately he tried
He tried to imagine that he high
tentatively by then by another
himself higher and hgher-un he 10 from the
Fegg, clutchng his body rust weeping
sounds through his mouth Shverng shuddg began
again. working his knees and elbows
stomach could feel the firm His filed roaring
he hurried himself wrenching at his last strength
He climbed higher He reached the
staring still wall of He looked wild
the ng The ladder had ended platform
missing The platform jued five impossible
Fegg stared dumby cing his head like
damned his legs the his past
the armpts through the and there
knowing what he could do
(The End)