CHAPTER XI
The "King Deed" of Daring
"Yes; that performance helped a lot."
Herr Schimmelpodt was prevailed upon, by Mr. Morton, to come aroundon another evening to show some further feats with his great strength.
Around the waist-line the German was flabby; the fat rolled inheavy ridges. Feeling aware of this defect in personal appearanceHerr Schimmelpodt determined to devote some of his abundant leisureto getting his belt line into smaller compass. But the Germanwould not do this before all eyes in the public, gym. So he andsome other well-to-do business men who were conscious that theyears had dealt too generously by them in the matter of flesh,hired a small hall and converted it into a private gym.
It was all the doings of Dick & Co., just the same.
The town was ripe, now, for performances in extraordinary athletics.Fate willed it that there should be a chance.
Once a year an opera company of considerable prominence appearedat Gridley for one evening.
Whenever this evening came around, it was made the occasion fora big time in local society. The women of the well-to-do familiesturned out in their most dazzling finery.
This year "Lohengrin" was to be sung at the local opera house.Dick could have obtained, at "The Blade" office, free seats forDave and himself for this Friday night. But they were still inclose training, and there was a game on for the afternoon of theday following. For that reason nine o'clock found both of theyoung men in bed and asleep.
Near the opera house the street was thronged with carriages.Carriage after carriage drove up and discharged its load of handsomelydressed women and their more severely attired escorts. All ofGridley that could attend the opera were in evening dress.
During the evening a half gale of wind sprang up. While all waslight and warmth inside, outside the wind howled harder and harder.By the time that the music lovers began to pour out, the blastwas furious.
Leaning on the arm of her escort, as her carriage drove up tothe door, one beautifully gowned woman stepped out. Over herhair was thrown a black, filmy scarf in which nestled a numberof handsome diamonds.
Just as she reached the curb, but before she could step into thewaiting carriage, this woman gave a shriek of dismay.
The gale had caught at her diamond-strewn head-covering. Likea flash that costly creation was caught up from her hair and borneon the wind.
Others standing by saw the costly thing whisked obliquely up intothe air. It was still ascending on the blast when it passedout of the range of vision.
"O-o-o-oh! My beautiful jeweled scarf!" sobbed the woman hysterically.The crowd quickly formed about her. She was recognized as Mrs.Macey, the wife of a wealthy real estate operator.
"It was careless not to have it fastened more securely, but it'sno use to cry over what can't be helped now, my dear," repliedher husband. "Get into the carriage and I'll see if any tracecan be found of the scarf."
Still sobbing, Mrs. Macey was helped into the carriage. ThenMr. Macey enlisted the help of the bystanders.
In every direction the street was searched. The fronts of thebuildings opposite were examined; the gratings in the sidewalkwere peered through. But there was no trace, anywhere, of thejeweled scarf.
"It will be worth two hundred and fifty dollars for anyone tofind it and return it to me," shouted Mr. Macey. That scatteredthe searchers more widely still. Presently a woman friend drovehome with Mrs. Macey, while her husband remained to push the search.He kept at it until two o'clock in the morning, half a hundredmen and boys remaining in the search.
Then Mr. Macey gave it up. The gaudy, foolish trifle was worthabout five thousand dollars. As the night wore on Mr. Macey beganto have a pessimistic notion that perhaps some one had found thescarf but had been too "thrifty" to turn in such a precious articlefor so small a reward.
"I guess it may as well be given up," sighed Mr. Macey, aftertwo in the morning. "I'm going home, anyway."
The readers of "The Blade" that crisp October morning knew ofMrs. Macey's loss.
There was much talk about the matter around the town. Peoplewho walked downtown early that morning peered into gutters anddown through sidewalk gratings. Then, at about seven o'clocka sensation started, and swiftly grew.
One man, glancing skyward, had his attention attracted to somethingfluttering at the top of the spire of the Methodist church, morethan half a block away from the opera house. It was fabric ofsome sort, and one end fluttered in the breeze, though most ofthe black material appeared to be wrapped around the tip of theweather vane in which the spire staff terminated.
"That's the jeweled scarf, I'll bet a month's pay!" gasped thediscoverer. Then, mindful of the reward, he dashed to thenearest telephone office, asking "central" to ring insistentlyuntil an answer came over the Macey wire.
"Hullo, is that you, Mr. Macey?" called the discoverer, a teamster."Then come straight up to the Methodist church. I'll be there.I've discovered the jeweled scarf."
"How---how many jewels are left on it?" demanded Mr. Macey.
"Come right up! I'll tell you all about it when you get here."
Then the teamster rang off, after giving his name. The real estateman came in a hurry, in a runabout. His wife, pallid and hollow-cheeked,rode in the car with him. To Mr. Macey the teamster pointed outthe barely visible bit of black fluttering a hundred and sixtyfeet above the pavement.
"Now how about the reward, Mr. Macey?" demanded the teamster.
"That will be paid you, if you return the scarf to Mrs. Macey,"replied the real estate man dryly.
The teamster's jaw dropped. For the uppermost eighteen feet ofthe spire consisted of a stout flagpole. Below this was the slopingslate roof of the top of the steeple proper. Only a monkey ora "steeplejack" could get up there, and on a day like this, witha half gale still blowing, a steeplejack might be pardoned fordeclining the task.
Swiftly the news spread, and a great crowd collected. Dave Darrinheard of it right after breakfast, and hurried to get Dick Prescott.Together the chums joined the crowd.
"You'll have to get a steeplejack for the job, Mr. Macey," thechums heard one man advise the real estate operator.
Only one was known. His home was some forty miles away. Mr.Macey tried patiently to get the man over the long distance telephone.Some member of the man's family answered for him. The expertwas away, and would not be home, or available, for three daysto come at least.
"Never mind, Macey," laughed the friend, consolingly. "It'llwait. No one in Gridley will take the scarf. It's safe up there."
"Huh! Is it, though?" snorted the real estate man. "At any minutethe strong wind may unwind it and send it whirling off over thetown. Or the gale may tear it to pieces, scattering the diamondsover a whole block, and not one in ten of the stones would everbe found."
Mrs. Macey sat in the runabout, a picture of mute misery.
Herr Schimmelpodt elbowed his way through the outskirts of thecrowd and stood absorbing his share in the local excitement.
"Ach! I am afraid dere is von thing dot you gan't do, Bresgott,"smiled the German. "Ach! By chimminy, though, I don't know yet."
"I was wondering myself whether I could make a good try at steepleclimbing," laughed Dick eagerly. "The money sounds good to meanyway."
"No; I don't know. I think it would be foolish," replied HerrSchimmelpodt.
"I believe you could get up there, Dick," muttered Darrin, ina low voice.
"Then you could, Dave."
"I think I could," nodded Darrin. "And, by crickets, if you werehere, Dick, I'd certainly try it."
"Try it anyway, then," urged Prescott.
"Not unless you balk at it," returned Darrin.
"I'm not going to balk at it," retorted Dick, flushing just abit. "But you spoke of it first, Dave, and I think you oughtto have first chance at the reward."
"Tell you what I'll do," proposed Darrin, seriously. "We'll tossfor it, and the winner has the try."
/> "I'll go you," nodded Prescott.
Herr Schimmelpodt, regarding them both seriously, saw that theymeant it.
"Boys, boys!" he remonstrated. "Don't think of it yet!"
"Why not?" asked Dick.
"You would be killed," remonstrated the big German.
"Is that the best opinion you have of us, after the way you'vebeen praising us athletes for two years?" laughed Prescott.
"I'll toss you for it, Dick," nudged Dave.
"What's this?" demanded Mr. Macey.
"Prescott and I are going to toss for it, to see who shall havethe first chance to climb the spire and flagstaff," replied Dave.
"Nonsense! Out of the question," almost exploded Mr. Macey."It would be like murder to allow either of you to try. That'swork for a regular steeplejack."
"Well, what is a steeplejack?" demanded Dick. "He's a fellowof good muscle and nerve, who can stand being in high places.Either of us could climb a flagpole from down here in the street.Why can't either of us go up there, just as well, and climb fromthe steeple roof?"
"Prescott, have you any idea of the strength of the wind up there?"demanded the real estate man. "It's blowing great guns up there!"
"Get some one to toss the coin, and either you or I call," insistedDarrin.
Some one told Mrs. Macey what was being proposed.
"Oh, stop them!" she cried, leaning forward from the runabout."Boys, boys! Don't do anything wildly rash like that! I'd soonerlose the scarf than have lives risked."
"She needn't worry," sneered some one in the crowd. "The HighSchool dudes are only bluffing. They haven't either o' them thesand to do a thing like that."
Both Prescott and Darrin heard. Both flushed, though that wasall the sign they gave.
"Herr Schimmelpodt, you must have a cent," suggested Dick. "Tossit, will you, and let Darrin call the turn."
Grumbling a good deal the German produced the required coin.He fingered it nervously, for a moment, then flipped it high inthe air.
"Tails!" called Dave.
It came down heads.
"Oh, well, the best two out of three," insisted Dick.
"That fellow's nerve is going already," laughed some one. "He'sanxious for the other fellow to get the honor."
There was a grim twitching at the corners of prescott's mouth,but he said nothing.
Again the coin was tossed. This time Dick called:
"Heads!"
He won.
"I'm ready," announced Dick quietly.
"I congratulate you, old fellow," murmured Dave eagerly. "AndI'm going with you to the base of the flagpole! The last climbis yours you've won it!"