The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-07-05
The Name Cut on the Rock.


10y tho hand of time IL was cut by a
boy who tried to procure little glory
for himself in an unusual way.
One day this boy and several com
panions came TO the rocky archway
to cut their names ON its sides. Some
put them towards the bottom, and
some chose a higher place; but the boy
| am speaking of was great deal
bolder than the rest, and, after look
ing up and seeing the names OF many
visitors high above him, he said,
Pooh | am not going to creep OH
the ground like the rest of you, when
cut my namel I'm going to put it
where the people at the Rappahan-
mock can see it. Look here, boys,
he continued, i've got my big knife
along, aud may be you'll see me lit
tie higher than the rest, pretty soon.
"You Amt going to venture up
there. said one of the boys.
Il think am, though. What's tho
use of walking this long way and do
ing nothing, after all"
s"Don't hrAg, Jim, said his next
neighbour who was standing on the
roots of small cedar tree, and hard
at work scratching his initials -"W.
J. B."--upon the softest part of the
rock he could finl don't brag. y
"Well, you''ll see what l can do,
was Jim's reply, $50 here goes y And
away he was commencing to climb
the iutting crag He got on very well
at first, by holding the bushes and
brambles, until he was beyond nearly
all the names on the side Of the rock
'Hurrah whore are your he shout
ed to his comrades; "come on, and
follow your leader if you dare
you are high enough now, jim, "
said Bob Willis; I'D stop there if |
was you.
"Not half way yet, you little cow
ard p answered jim; don't you give
advice to your bctters till you can
spell able, and the adventurous
boy, who had stopped to take breath,
resumed the ascent, and went up un-
til he was above the tops of the high
est trees which grew in the valley;
and still upward he went, until the
( boys below begged him to stop:
you'll break your neck as sure as
your name is Jim Waugh shouted
little Joe Ednor.
But jim, who was beginning to
think that he-was high enough, just
happened to see, at u short distance
above him, name; and in his pride
he shouted-"Mind your own bust
ness, Josey; I'm not going to let any
body put his old name over my Lead.
Again he went on with his climbing.
He cut notches in the side of the rock.
and holding ON with one hand, work
ed away with the other.
at last he was at point where no one
before had reached, and there he
scratched and cut his name as. deeply
as he could. BIZ this time he was pref
ty welled tired; but the excitement OF
the occasion kept him from feeling
much fatigued.
Having finished his work the climb
or thought of getting back to the
ground. But this was not SO easy .
matter as he had at first taken it tc
be. If it was hard to go up, il
was yet harder TO go down. He saw
the danger into which his pride had
led him, and his head began to grow
dizzy.
BY this time large number of peo
pie had come together The boys be
coming alarmed, had run to spread
the news in the neighborhood; one o
them to Mr. Vaughs house, and sooi
Jim's father and mother, brother ant
sister, were there also.
"You can't descend" shouted on,
of the crowd; mo use to attempt it
try and gain the top. And this was
all that could be done. Poor Jim h,
would have given worlds to be on TIL,
ground, but he had no time for lam
entation. A desperate effort must b.
made, or he would soon loose hi
hold, and be dashed to pieces. HI
determined to put forth all the re
. manning energies. Step by step h'
began to scrape and cut his way up
ward. At length his strength wal
nearly gone, and he chung to the sides
> of the rock 1t was a moment of fear
ful suspense
Some of the people had FASTENED t.
tho top of the bridge with ropes
which were let down to their full ex
tent. In deepest agony of mind Tia,
! father shouted to him, Jim Jim
do not look down. Your mother, an(
Henry and Harriet are all here. w,
. are praying for you Do not lool