Year: 1869

FACING DEATH.


A man viii 90 blind, and mad, too,
from fear; I have seen it happen,
and, if you don't mind listening. /
will tell you the story ! was APP
prentieed to a builder when l left
school, and soon got to like the trade
very much, especially when the work
was perilous, and gave me a chance
TO oUt-do the other hands IN daring.
spider" was my nickname in those
days, given partly on account of my
long legs, for / had out-grown my
proportions, aud partly because they
said ! could crawl along the roof like
my uamesake. When | was about
three and twenty, was working with
the famous Mr.. NJ, aud went
dowL with his picked hands TO carry
out a contract he had taken in Cana
da. While there | fell in love with
the prettiest girl / had seen in Cana
do that is saying good deal. For
time l faneied she liked nc, and
that l was getting on very well with
my love-making, but 1 soon found
my mistake, for an old lover Of hers
joined our men ard Mary gave me
the cold shoulder directly. You be-
lieve the sweetheart of hers (who
was called Ben Loyd,) and I, were
not the best Of friends in the world /;
but ] am not the sort of fellow to
harbor malice, and when the biddings
to the Wedding went around, and l
knew that my chance was gone, l
made the best Of it; kept my sore
heart to myself, and determined to
beat down my jealousy by being
great chums with Ben.


I went to the wedding, and there
we're not many days when did not
steal half an hour 10 sit by the fire.
side, which was as bright and cosy
and honelike as you'd wish to see
Mary being the soul Of order and in
dustry. 1t is not, perhaps, the usual
way Of driving out envy, to 60 and
look at the happiness another nan
has done you out Of IT, but you know
the Troverb says, What is one man 5
meat is another mans poison, and so
it was l got to look on Mary as a
sort Of sister, and Ben had no cause
for Jealousy, although there were
plenty of evil tongues to put him up
to it.


The contract was nearly up, when
a lightning conductor on one of the
highest ehimneys sprung, and the
owner of the works offered our mas
ter job.


"It's just the sort of thing for you
Harry" said Mr.. NJ, when he
told us Of it.


l accepted it of hand, and then
Ben stepped up and said he'd volun-
teer to be the second man, tw o being
required.


"All right" said the master, "you
two are the steadiest-headed fellows
l have The price is 4 good one, and
every penny of it shall be divided be-
tween you, Well not fix the day for
the work. but take the first calm
morning and get it done quietly"


So it was that some four or five
mornings after, VIC found ourselves
ready for the start. The kite by
which the line attached to the block
was TO be sent over the chimney was
flown and did its work well the rope
which was to haul up the cradle was
ready, and stepping in. Ben and l be-
gan the ascent.


There had been very few people
about, when We went into the yard,
but as We got higher, l saw the news
had spread, and that the streets we're
filling with sightseers.


"There's plenty of star gazers,
Beu,'' L said, waving my cap TO them.
II dare say they'd like to see US
come down with a run"


"Cannot you keep quiet?" an
swered Ben, speaking in a strange
tone, aud turning to look | saw he
was deadly pale, and sat in the bot
tom of the cradle, huddled up togeth-
er with his eyes fast shut.


"You're not frightened, old chap?"
I asked.


"What's that to your


"Oh, nothing; only we are getting
up pretty quickly, and you'd have a
better head for work if you'd get
gradually usel to the height"


He said nothing and never moved.
Then looking up, saw We were close
to the top-a few yards more and We
should be there yet those who were
turning the windlass were winding
with unabating speed. A sudden
chill ran through my blood, and set
my flesh creeping. They had mis-
calculated the distance, and with the
force they were winding at, the rope
must inevitably break when the era
die came in contact with the block.
There was no time to attempt sig
nal, only an instant to point out the
danger to Ben, and then to get hold
of the rope, and by going hand over
hand. This was done quicker than l
can tell you the following


The cradle came on. Then, as l
anticipated, the rope gave shrill.
ringing sound like a rife ball passing
through the air, and then snapped
Down went tie cradle, and there We
we're left, nearly three hundred feet
in the air, with nothing to rest upon,
but a coping, barely eighteen inches
wide.


Ben shrieked out that he was a
dead man, and cried


"Tell me where / can kneeI, Harry,
show me where I eau pray TO Al
mighty God, for | eannet die in this
way r.


"Hush lad,'' I said, "don't lose
heart. Gcd can hear you as we'll sit
ting as kneeIing and if you try to
get up you'll tumble TO a moral GER
tainty. Think of Mary, man, and