Year: 1859

a Perilcus Hour


was spprenticed to decorative painter, but being
Of bold dangerlovDg turn, ran away TO sea before
my time was out.


After some years Of knocking about eos tired Of
marine life, and having married and determined 70
stick 70 the shore, got work with builder Whoee
peculiar line lay in erecting tall chimneys. had
tons that made most men DIZZY, and % vss q soon
favoFite haud with ny mastsr.


We had On one occasion 10 fAstsn liebtpfDg con-
doctor which had sprung near the top Of rey high
James Coly 70 do IT, - the moss dasing Of II en.
About hsh dozen Of ~ went tbat morning wjeh
nandcsst containing the necesnary ropes blocks ~
and dropped its line across the Top ii lie cinssy,
Ee soon drew up arope, at the end Of which W.
block, through which ran the Line whereby " wepo
to be drawnup.


Colly had only been married fortnight and =
we stepped into The cradle, the men banteYineIy
asked him il be hadn't last dying speech 10 Iesvs
for his wife; and then Mr.. Staining having shakea


anas d,.nn rln us aI0 Sd b col and
town that the conductor was TO be liked though =
the day was not named, / did not expect Ne s10uld
have had many spectason but - We got higher,
and the view opened under our feet i saw that the
streets were already thronged with sarers. CoIly
was very quiet and when waved my cap to the
people, be said, snappishly, that this was no tims
better things than how to amuse those gaping FOOLS
who, he dared say, desired NO better fun than to
see Us meet with an accident.


had come up in the best heart, thinking, indeed,
nothing abeE. he danger We incurred bat = ve
drew nearer and neafes to tbs top, and had nothg
as it seemed, belonging TO this world near o. b1S
this straining rope, began TO see the peril Of ~
Undertaking. wha. Colly thought Of i, I don's
looking out, though told him be weuld do better
to keep his eyes about him, 20 that be might grow


Cona ua.rsr-y -x.s -..sxsx.a IT,.
within yard Of the top projecting coping, and sl
they were winding away without slactfng spsed in
the least guessed in . moment that they mist0ok
orr hight and that With the great pnrchass of M
came to the block. i sprang up, and catching tho
rope, climbed hand over hand 70 the coping. ColY,
too, sprang up and followed me. He, too, got mSs;
and still they went on winding up, wisaiBg urs
till the rope sung again with the strain there ~
upon it. gsggs4ss9s ~. s


Then it snapped. and cradle hauling line, and de
main rope with it's block fell down. Thus were No
two poor men left in 9 most desperate situssien.


Poor Colly was completely dazled with s1tigtks :
and the moment he got upon the coping, which wass
only foot and half broad, he called ont Where
said very solemnly sit down, Jem. God win hear
us il we pray to bin sitting down."


The color OF his face was Of transparent blae.
and il was distorted and twitching, as II he was i


fit. His eyes were very wild, and drawn into sqnint,
and he couldn't sit steady, but swayed biz body
backward and forward 60 that felt certain thst ~
must toppe over. IA ~ sss5


"Come, Jem, lad,n said, thinking to take The
fright Of him, its bad enough, bnt can be meneG.
Hitch up bit, and put your arm round the rod may
be it will steady you.'


Where are you, and where is this rod n be asksd,
in very hollow voice. though be was looking staght
at me- and the rod only foot two % his lef
By this knew he was gone blind with the fright,
and selEpreservaton said, Don't 60 near him =
taking him all through, he was very decent fellow
and thought how l should have liked him to have
done il had been in his case so I determined 70
run bit Of risk in his favor OF course dust mot
| get on my feet but working myself on by my hands
1 got to him, and putting my arm round his wsist,
and telling him as cheerfuly az could 10 keep cool
| got him with his arm round the rod II had, how
ever, sprung the stapng for five yards down, and was
minute to see him falling head and heels down, and
the rod tearing away with him.


| There was great hustle down below; people were
rushing round the yard and pushing to get i but a
yet there but score Of men at the foot Of
the chimney, and, by close looking, saw them put
somebody on board, and carry him gently away to-
| wards the engine house. One OF the men walked
after with hat in his hand then knew that some
body had been hurt with the falling cradle. and that
| it must be poor Mr.. Staining, as none Of our men
wore hats Not face was turned up 70 ns. Learned
| afterwards that men were taken up with sof.
row that SO good man and 80 kind master should
be killed. that for while they had never thought
about us; and the people outside imagined that No
had come down with the cradle, so thus We left
i
/ While was watching them below, feeling very
sorry for my poor master, I was startled by wild
laugh from Colly, who began making catcalls, and


yelling be possessed. Then knew OF course,
that he was gone mad.


Even now tremble when think OF that time. Il


was horrible to peer down the shaft black and sooty
and yawning, and scarcely less so to look outside
and see flight of pigeons sweeping round at consid


erably less hight than we were. Then Colly-thank
God he was so dazed that be could not see me-
called my name three times, as sat fairly cringing


in dread that his sight might clear, and with =
ghastly grin and chewing with his mouth, be began
working himself towards me. worked away from
him as noselessly as could, with every hair OF my
head standing on end. He followed me twice round
then being come second time to the rod, he got g


idea in his muddled head that had fallen over, for
he never lost sense OF where he was all through
this trying time. Then be tried to get his fees
but, at the risk of my own life could not let the
poor fellow rush certain death without one more
effort and cried out for him to sit down, and he
covered down like whipped dog all trembling. I
| suppose it had been put into his head that was o
dead man speaking to him.


| That morning my wife had got letter from her
sister in Canada, and as there were parts we could
not make out had put it in my pocket, intending
to get our time keeper to read it for me. 1t had
scrap Of uncovered paper at the bottom; and By
another good providence, happened to have q BIT
of red lead pencil in my pocket I wrote on the
shut in my tobacco box, and was fortunate enough
| to drop just at the feet of couple of men who
| were standing by the engine house door.


| Directly all was hustle to rescue us. They got
the kite up again, and watched it mounting slowly
| slowly and when the slack twine fell between
| Colly and myself, took it in my hand and could
have kissed it. Poor Coly, with bis teeth chatter
ing, still fancied was spirit, and did all conld
to favor that idea until they got another cradle up
to US. Then having got him in, I scrambled in my
self, and clutching him fast, shouted for them to
lower and SO we were got down, he wrestling and
| fighting with me all the way.


| He was in madhouse for some months, and then
went to scavengering, for he never could face any
/ hight again; and have never had the same clear
| head since that adventure.


/ JUDGE IN A DILEMMA.-An awkward affairs
| which once occurred to one of the Judges on the
Western Circuit has been the subject Of much mirth
1t appears that the pious judicial having finished hia
labors and having cast off his forensic wig at hia
lodgings, had retired into the next room to wait for
his brother Judge, whom he was about to accompany
to OF the local arstocracy to dinner The female
servant of the house had entered the bed chamber by
a side door, and not knowing the Judge was in the
next room, in frolic arrayed herself in the Judges
| wig. Just at the moment when the fair Mopsy was
admirng herself in the ookinggla the Judge un-
expectedly entered the ROOM and poor Mopsy catch
ing sight of the stern countenance looking her