Year: 1859




fright; and self preservation said: Don't
new welded wife. and that taking him all
through, he was always very decent
sort of fellow, and thought how
should have liked him to have him done
if had been in his case, so / determined
to run bit of risk in his favor. OF
course durst not get on my feet; but
working myself on by my hands, ! got to
him, and putting my arm around his
waist, and telling him as cheerily as
could to keep cool, got him with his arm
round the the round. 1t had, however,
sprung the stapling for FIVE yards Gown,
and was so loose that i! swayed with him,
and / expected any minute TO see him fall.
ing head and heels down, sud the rod tear
ing away with him.


There was graat hustle down below:
people were rushing round the yard and
pushing to getin, but as yet there were but
some score Of men at the foot of the chin
ney. and, by close looking, l saw them
put somebody on board. and carry him
gently to the engine house. One Of the
I,
then l knew that somebody had been hurt
with the falling cradle, and that it must be
poor Mr.. Staining, as none of our men
wore hats. l'learned aferward that our
men were so taken up with sorrow that so
good a man and so kind master should
be killed, that for while they had never
a thought about us; and the people outside
imagined that we had come down with
the CRADLE so thus were we left in total iso-
lation for full twenty minutes.


While was watching them below, Ieel-
ing very sorry for my poor master, was
startled by wild laugh from Colly, who
began making cat-calls. and yelling as if
he was possessed. Then knew. of course
that he was gone mad.


Even now | tremble vixen I think of
that time; it was horrible to peer down the
shaft. black and scoty and yawning. and
scarcely less 80 to look outside and see a
flight of pigeons sweeping round at con
siJerably less heighlh than we were. Then
Colly-ihank God he was so dazed that
he could not see me--caled my name three
times. and sat fairly cringing in dread
that his sight might clear, and with a
ghastly grin, and chewing with his mouth
he began working himself toward me-


worked away from him as noiselessly
as | could, with every hair of my head
standing on end. He followed me twice
around that horrid coping. making most
hideous noises. and then being come see.
ond time to the rod. he got an idea in his
muddled head that was fallen over, for
he never lost sense of where he was all
through this trying time. Then he tried
to get on his feet; bat at the risk of my
own life, could not let the poor fellow
rush on certain death without one more eff
fort; and cried out for him to sit down,
and he covered down like whipped dog,
all trembling. suppose it had been put
into his head that was dead man speak
ing 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 a
scrap of uncovered paper at the bottom;
by another good providence, l happened
to have a bit of red lead pencil in my
pocket. wrote on the paper. Get us
down-Colly s gono mad;' this shut in
my tobacco-box. and was fortunate enough
to drop just at the feet of a 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
and | watched it mounting slowly. slowly;
and when the slack twne fell between Col
ly and myself. l took it in my hand and
could have kissed it. Poor Colly. with
his teeth chattering still fame ed was a
spirit. and did oil could to favor that
idea until they got another cradle up to u.s.
Then having got him in. scrambled in
myself, aad 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 mad house for some months
and then went to seavengering, for he
never could face any heighth again: and
never have had the same clear head since
that ndvantura