Line in the Groove

That freshly freed pulley was begging for a proper test drive—or rather, a live load test. I reached down for the slack nylon clothesline draping along the railing and hoisted the stiff cord directly into the iron wheel's groove. It settled in with a satisfying thud! To see if it could actually haul cargo, I snapped a stray yellow clothespin onto the hanging loop and pinched a smooth grey pebble between its jaws. Bracing my heels against the post, I gripped the opposite line paw over paw and pulled downward with all my weight. Whir-squeak! The little yellow clamp glided smoothly up toward my nose, bobbing along the rope without slipping once.