the chimney itself was wide enough inside for a man to stand up and walk about . so there was plenty of room for a little tom cat . he jumped right up into the fireplace , balancing himself upon the iron bar where the kettle hangs . tom kitten took another big jump off the bar , and landed on a ledge high up inside the chimney , knocking down some soot into the fender . tom kitten coughed and choked with the smoke ; he could hear the sticks beginning to crackle and burn in the fireplace down below . he made up his mind to climb right to the top , and get out on the slates , and try to catch sparrows . " i can not go back . if i slipped i might fall in the fire and singe my beautiful tail and my little blue jacket . " the chimney was a very big old - fashioned one . it was built in the days when people burnt logs of wood upon the hearth . the chimney stack stood up above the roof like a little stone tower , and the daylight shone down from the top , under the slanting slates that kept out the rain .
a very old - fashioned one .
what was the chimney like ?
what was the chimney like ?