Year: 1872

tense the cold appeared to be, ant
my fingers became quite numbed
by the hoary frost that was cling.
ing to the sides and spokes of the
ladders. After while l stood on
the few boards forming the stage
on the summit Of the shaft and
giving one glance downward, my
blood turned colder than it was al
ready, as l realized the immense
depth to the yard beneath.


Giving myself shake to get rid
Of the dizzy sensation that came
owe me, and unlocking from the
pulley the tub of mortar which my
mate, waiting below, had sent up, /
at once began my solitary work.


l had been hard at it for more
than an hour, and was getting a
bit more reconciled to my position,
cheering myself, as l whistled and
worked, with the thought that each
brick laid was bringing me near
er to a finish, when all at once a
fiercer and colder blast than before
came shrieking and tearing round
the chimney. 1t was so sudden
that for moment | was nearly
overthrown, and, in the endeavor
to recover myself, tilted the board
of mortar from off the edge of the
shaft onto my frail standing place.


In n second, to my intense hor-
ror, / felt the boards and all that
were on them gliding away with
me from the chimney, and, in a few
more minutes / should have been
lying, manglcd corpse below, if |
had not succeeded in flinging my
arm over and into the hollow of the
shaft, where, as the scafEolding and
its bricks dashed downward, | was
left hanging, with certain death
awaiting me the moment | loosed
my hold.


My first impulse was to throw
my other hand over, and draw my
body up, so that | could lie partial
ly across the top Of the shaft. In
this l was successful, and continu-
ed to balance myself, half in the
chimney and half out.


There, for some time, I could
only cling with frenzied despcra-
ton, praying earestly to be saved
from the horrible death threatening
me but at last | summoned cour-
age to peep cautiously over the out
! side of the shaft.


Not bit of scaffolding remained
within many, many yards of me-
and that but the poles, with a few
boards dangling TO thcm-and there
was nothing to break my fall should
quit my hold.


Shuddcringly / drew my head
over the shaft, for there the dark
ness hid my danger, while to gaze
on the scene without brought the
old feeling of being dragged down
back to me in full force.


Then l began to think of the
wife and little ones whom had left
snug in bed, and bitter tears came
into my eyes as | wondered how
they would live if l were taken
from them. This thought brought
me back to more selfish ones, and |
kept asking myself: "Must | die
How long can | hold on with this
fierce wind bufleting me ! Is there
no help! Will no one, seeing how
| am placed, strive to rescue me ?"


Again | turned my eyes down.
ward. In tho court yard of the
brewery, and in the street below,
people were fast collecting; win
dows were being thrown open, and
women and children, shrieking and
sobbing, were gazing from them at
me. The crowd below thickened,
and, after slight commotion and
some running hither and thithcr,
a large kite shot upward, and j
knew that there were efforts being
made to save the life which was
never so dear to me as now, that /
seemed so near losing it.


How / watched that kite as it |
iluttered nearer and nearer, how l
tried to steady myself with one
hand, that l might grasp the cord |
with the other as soon as it was
within reach, comes vividly be-
fore me now. But it never did
come within reach, a gust of the
breeze carrying il far away and
it to the ground just as my
hopes were the strongest.


Agonized by suspense, / saw my
friends attempt to fly it again, but
with the same result; and then, as
they desisted, and the upturned
faces looked hopelessly at mine, a
thrill of despair crept over me, and
again / felt that | must die.


An hour passed, and, though
to the brickworlx, it was
almost mconsciously,. for cold and
fear had so worked upon me that /
became quite dazed; and the Chin
neys, the people, the confused noise
from the streets, and my own peril
Gus position, seemed to be all jum-
bled together in a tangle which l
could not put straight. While in
this half-insensible state / heard n
voice shout my name. But it had
to be repeated before 1 could rouse
myself sufficiently to heed what
was said.