The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-03-04
THE SWEEPS STORY.

lhE SN EEf'S SJUkl.
/" Svi-thee-eepl Svi-thee-eep :" Don't
sound much like sweep2 No, it don't
but then one has to have ones regular
cry, as folks may know us by. Why,
listen to any of them in the morning
about the street, and who'd think it was
creases as this one was a-hollering. OF
Yarmouth bloaters that one; or that
Vow hoo" meant new milk 1t amt
what we say-its the sound of our
voices. Don't the servant gals as hears
lis of morning know what it means well
enough when the bell rings, and them
sleepy abed2 Oh, no, not at all. But
there's no mussy for 'em, and we jangles
away at the bell, and hollers good un
till they lets us in; for, you see, it comes
atrial when you're obliged to be up
yourself and out in the cold, to not like
other folks to be mugglingit in bed
But, then, it's ones work, you know,
and | dunno whether it was that or the
suit as give me this here hoarse voice,
which nothing clears now-most likely it
was the suit How times are altered,
though, since l was boy That there
climbing-boy act O. Parlyment made q
regular revolution in our business, and
now here we goes with this here bundle
o canes, with a round brush at the end
like great, long, screw fishing rod, you
know, all i'll jynts, and made of the best
Malacky caue, so as to go into all the
inns and outs, and bend about anywhere,
till it's right above the pot, and bending
and swinging down. But they're poor
things, bless you, and don't sweep a
chimbley half like boy used. You
never heers the rattle of a brush at the
top of chimbly-pot now, and the boy
boy giving his -hallo-hullo-
600 - to show as he'd not been sham
ming and skulking halfway up the fue.
Why, that was one of the CHEEKY sounds
rs you used to hear early in the mornin',
when you was tucked up warm in bed;
for there was always somebody's CHM
bley a-being swept.
Puts me i'll mind again of when I was
q ittlo bit of a fellow, and at home with
mother, as l can recollect with q nice,
pleasant face, and a widder's cap round
it. Hard pushed, poor thing, when she
took me to Joe Barkby, the chimney
sweep, as said he'd teach me the trade if
she liked. And there was 1, shivering
along side Of her one morning, when she
was obliged to take me to Joe; and we
got there to find him sitting over his
brexfass, and he arst mother to have
some. But her heart was too full, poor
thing, and she wouldn't, and was going
away, and Joe sent me to the door to let
her out and that's one of the things rs
| shall never forget-no, not if lives to
be q hundred-my poor mothers sad,
weary face, and the longing look she
gave me when we'd said Good bye"
and l was going to shut the door after
her-such sad, looking look, as if she
could have caught me up and run off
with me. l saw it as she stood on the
step, and me with the door in my hand
that there green door, with bright
brass knocker, and brass plate with
"Barkby, Chimney-sweep," on it. There
was tears in her eyes, too and L felt so
miserable myself didn't know what to
do as 1 stood watching her and she
came and give me one more kiss, say
ing, "God bless you!" and then L shut
the door a little more and little more,
till could see the same sad look through
quite little crack and then it was close
shut, and l was wiping my eyes with my
knuckles.
All! L have often thought since as I
shut the door a deal too soon but |
was too young to know all as that poor
thing must have suffered.
Barkby want bad sort /; but then,
what can you expect from q sweepl He
didn't behave so very bad to us little
chummies but there it was-up at four,
and trapes through the cold, dark streets,
hot or cold, wet or dry; and then stand
Cbiya,;nc, All ,-o,, oo,,ll -,,,1,o -.
vants-a1 hour, perhaps, sometimes.
Then III you went to the cold, miserable
house, with the carpets all xp, or p'raps
you had to wait no one knows how long
while the gal was yawning, and knick-
knick-knicking with a flint and steel
over tinder-box, and then blowing the
spark till you could get birthstone
match alight. Then there was the forks
to get for us to stick the black cloth in
front of the fireplace, and then there was
ones brush, and the black cap to pull
down over ones face, pass under the
cloth, and begin swarming up the
chimney all in the dark.
1t was very trying to little bit of
chap of ten years old, you know, quite
fresh to the job; and though Barkby
gave me lots of encouragement, without
being too chuff, it seemed awful as soon
as 1 got hold of the bars, which was
quite warm then, and begun feeling my
way, hot, and smothery, and sneezy in
my cap, till L got my head such pelt
against some of the brickwork that L
began to cry; for this was the first high
chimbley as I'd been put to. But 1
chokes it down, as stood there with my
little bare feet all amongst the cinders,
and then began to climb.
Every now and then Barkby shoves
his head under the cloth, and $50
ahead, boy" he'd say; and I KEEP on
going ahead as fast as l could, for / was
afeared on him, though he never spoke
very gruff to me; but L had heard him
GO and cuss awful, and didn't want to
put him ont. So there was /. poor little