Part 16 (2/2)
”Cliested
Perhaps Blythe did not think as quickly as others think Perhaps he did not value his poor life as others value their lives Who shall say? In any case he did not descend by one of the slanting strips In anotherway at the cleated join, and sagging threateningly Then ca away, and a deep sagging preceding the complete break
A few brief seconds reht still descend to safety as his co, and the sagging, warned hi he looked directly beneath him where Roy was
”What's the ht under the flooring,” Roy said
A ripping and rending, and then the buckling of the broken pieces of timber followed The whole fli in air
CHAPTER XXV
THE GOOD TURN
What happened then, happened like a flash of lightning For a brief second they saw Blythe hanging froo Perhaps they did not know the full significance of Roy's predicaht Blythe starkwith a thud, drew his breath and grabbed his ankle in a sudden twinge of pain, stood, fell again with an exclaed hiround Bracing his own back above the prostrate for out on his arulped and jerked his head as if to shake away the agony that see him His body ell clear of the small form beneath him And thus he waited, one second, two seconds,--
And then with an appalling sound of splitting timbers the whole structure collapsed and fell upon him
So suddenly did this happen that Blythe had scarcely braced himself over Roy's body when both were buried under the fallen debris Nor had the scouts at the edge of the roof wholly escaped; several who had not juht cuts and bruises fro to their feet they called to the victi at the same time to haul away the debris There was no answer from beneath
”What did he do? What did he do it for?” one asked
”Why didn't Roy get from under?”
”Search me; hurry up, pull the stuff off them”
”Blythe is crazy”
”Sure he is”
”He didn't think fast enough; he's not to blame Hurry up”
”Roy was crazy, youaway the fallen boards and beams, Grove Bronson with a handkerchief wound around his bleeding hand, Wig Weigand with a great bruise on his forehead Pee-wee strove like a giant Soon the form of Blythe was revealed, braced by his hands and knees, and Roy lying prostrate beneath him
”How are you?” one of the scouts called