The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-03-01

thu hh1u uu NY pOuf kllgth AuN tluOWHl
while the place felt that hot and stuffy I
could hardly breathe, cramped up as l
was.
Now, you wouldn't think rs any one
could see in the dark, with their eyes
close shut, and thick cap over their
face, pulled right down to keep the suit
from getting up their nose--you wouldn't
think any one could see anything there;
but ! could, quite plain; and what do
you think II wasi Why, my mothers
face, looking at me so md, and sweet, and
smiling, through her tears, that 1t made
me give quite o choking sob every now
and then, for / was new at climbing, and
this was a long chimbley, from the
housekeeper's room Of q great house,
right from underground, to the top.
Sometimes I'd stop and have cry,
for I'd feel beat out, and the face as had
cheered me on WINS gone; but then I'd
hear Barkby's choky voico come mutter-
ing up the Hoo, same as I've shouted TO
lots o boys in my time, "Go ahead,
boyp and I'd go ahead again, though
at last I was sobbing and choking as
hard as / could, for / KEEP ON thinking as
/ should never get to the top, and be
stuck there always in the chimbley,
never to como out no more.
81 won't be sweep, won't be q
sweep" I says, sobbing and crying; and
all tile time making up my mind Us I'd
run away first chance, and 60 home
again; and then, after good long
struggle, / was In the pot, with my head
out, then my arms out, and the cap of
for the cool wind 10 blow in my face.
And, ah how cool and pleasant that
first puff Of wind was, and how the fear
and horror seemed to go away as /
climbed ont, and stood looking about
me; till all at once started, for there
came up out Of the pot, buzzing like,
Barkby's voice, as lie calls out" Go
ahead, boy y
So then I set to rattling away with my
brnsh.handle, TO show rs was out, and
then climbs down on to the roof, and
begins looking about me. 1t was Just
getting daylight, so that l could see my
way about; and all seemed so fresh and
strange that, with my brush in my hand,
1 begins to wander over the roofs, climb
ing up the slates aud sliding down
t'other side, which was good fun, and
bore doing two or three times over.
Then l got to q parapot, and leaned look.
ing over into the street, and thinking OF
what way 1t would be TO tumble; but
so far of being afraid, I got on to the
stone coping, and walked along ever 80
far, till / came to an attic window, where
| could peep in and SEQ q man lying
asleep, with his mouth half open; then I
climbed up another slope and had au-
other slide down, and then another, aud
another, till I forgot all about my sore
knees; and at last sat astride Of the high
est part, looking about mo at the view
/ had OF the tops Of houses as far as /
could see, for It was getting quite Light
now.
All at once 1 turned oil Of o horrible
fright, for 1 reckelected about Barkby,
and felt almost as II he'd got hold Of mo,
and was thrasliing me for being 80 long.
l ran to the first chimbley-stack, but that
wasn't right; for knew us the one /
came up was atop OF slate sloping roof.
Then | ran to another, thinking / should
know the one came out Of by the suit
upon II. But they'd all got suit upon
'em-eyery chimbley-pot 1 looked at;
and so I hunted about from one to IN.
other till I got all in muddle, and
didn't know where was, nor which pot
I'd got out Of. Last Of al, shaking and
trembling, i makes sure rs I'd got the
right one, and climbing up, 1 managed,
after nearly tumbling oil, to get my legs
in, when putting down my cap, 1 lot my
self down n bit at time, when leaving
20, l slipped with q regular rush good
ness knows how far, till I came to o bend
in the chimbley, where stopped short
-scraped, and bruised, and trembling,
while I felt that confused 1 couldn't
move.
After bit came round q little, and,
whimpering and crying to myself, / be-
gun to feel my why about d bit with my
toes, and then got along little way
strafght like, when tho chimbley took
another bend down, and stifily and slow
" l let myself down little and little
till my feet touched cold iron, and I
could get no further. Butafter thinking
o bit, / inado out where / was, aud that
was, standing on the register Of fire
place; so I begins to Lift il up with my
toes as well as I could, when crash L
went down again, ant there came such
o squealing and screcching as made mo
begin climbing up again Us fast rs /
could till I reached the bend, where /
stopped and had another cry, I felt so
miserable; and then L shrunk up and
shiyered, for there came o roar and
rattle TINT echoed up tho chimbley,
while the suit cane falling down in a
why that nearly smothered me.
Now. 1 knew enough TO tell myself
that the people, being frightened, had
fired q gun up the chimbley, while the
turn round as IL took had saved mo from
being hurt. So I sat squutted up quite
still, and then heard some one about out,
"Hallolp two or three times, and then,
"Pnss, puss, pusslp "Ah, that's 1t, Is |
III" i thinks; and being bit OF a
mimic, sings out softly, "Miau, mi
yow," when could hear voices whis- |
pering o bit, and then the register was
banged down, as 1 supposed by tile
noise.
Only fancy sitting in q bend Of the
chimbley, shiyering with fear and llalf
smothercd withlieat and suit. while your
breath comes heavy and thick from the
cap over your face i Not nice, 1t amt
and moro than once I've felt q bit sorry
for the poor boys as I've sent up chin.
bleys In my time. But there 1 was, and
I soon began scrambling up again, and
worked hard, for the chimbley was wider