Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-01-08

about a mile from the hotel. When
Jimmy saw what had happened, and that
fifteen dollars was offered, for the recov-
cry of the hat, his eyes sparkled He
was reading boy, and he remembered
what he read, and it now flashed across
his mind that the savages in the Pacific
islands climbed higher and smoother
trees than that. And what is more, he
knew how they did it.
Without saying word, he turned, and
ran for the woods as fast as his legs
would carry him. In very few min
utes he returned carrying a piece Of grape
vine about half an inch thick, and five
or six feet long. With this in his hands
he bounded into the crowd at the foot of
the tree
is it fifteen dollars he cried, for
any one who gets that hat?'
1T was fifteen dollars, said an elderly
gentleman who stood near the tree, but
now it has gone up to twenty. Can you
climb that tree, my boy?
4 am going to try, sir, said Jimmy.
Very well, then, said the gentleman;
the money is yours if you succeed
Jimmy now stepped up to the tree.
and holding the grapevine horizontally
before him, placed the center of it against
the trunk. He then wrapped the vine
once around the tree, and bringing the
ends back to him, took one in each hand.
He then loosened the vine little and
pushed it up the tree as far as he could
reach. Now holding tightly to the ends
he drew himself up. The vine firmly
bound around the tree by his weight did
not slip an inch. This was the way he
had read the savages climbed tall trees.
When he had thus drawn himself up, he
wound his legs around the tree and held
fast until he had loosened the vine and
pushed it up again. And so, foot by
foot, he went steadily. up that tall pine
tree. 1t was terribly tiresome work, and
he stopped to rest several times, but at
last he reached the branches. Grasping
the lower one he drew himself up, drop
ped the grapevine, and seating himself
on the branch, rested for several minutes.
Then he climbed up to the hat, disengag-
cd it, and threw it down. AS the hat
with its beautiful blue veil, came float
ing down, a tremendous cheer arose from
the people on the ground; but fortunate.
ly, Jimmy was not startled by it. After
resting short time, he came down the
tree. He could slip gradually down,
without any grapevine. As soon as he
reached the ground everybody clustered
around him and the elderly gentleman
who had collected the money, handed
him the twenty dollars
Now, my lad,' said he, 4 hope you
will make good use of this
You may be sure of that sir, said the
landlord of the hotel, 1 know Jimmy,
and he'll give it to his mother
AS for Jimmy, he thanked the compa-
ny and hurried away. But not home.
Early in the summer his mothers only
hogan animal on which she depended
for much of her living during the winter
had died. Jimmy knew that nothing
would please her so much as another
hog, and so he went to farmer Peters,
who he knew had hogs for sale, to buy
her one. About an hour before supper
time he appeared before his mothers door,
driving a fine lazy porker.
why, whose hog is that 2 said she.
It's yours mother; and [ climbed up
a tree after it, said Jimmy.
When the story was told, his mother
was delighted and all that winter, when
they had hams, and spareribs, and pork
and beans, and sausages. and lard, and
hogs head cheese and scrapple, and
picked pigs feet, and all other things
that can be made out of fine fat hog,
Jimmy was very glad he had remembered
how the savages in the Pacific islands
climbed tall trees.-HouseIold