The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-29
HoW The Weathercock Was Oiled.

I'm game to do it, says Billy john
son, "any time you like"
"Not you," says joey Rance. "It
!. amt in you.
"Ain't it" sars Billy.
And as he spoke he took pull at his
strap, and Parson says
"My good man I couldn't think of
allowing it.
You see, this is how it was. We'd got
weathercock atop of our church spire
at High Beechy; and it was a cock in
real earnest, Just like the great Dorking
in Farmer Changers yard; only the one
on the spire was gilt, and shone in the
sun quite beautiful.
There was another difference, though
Farmer Granger's Dorking used to crow
in the morn, and sometimes on a moon
light night; but the gilt one atop of the
steeple, after going on swinging round
and round, to show quietly which wa,
the wind blew, took it into its head to
stick fast in calm weather, while in a
rough wind-oh, lor' a. mercy the way
it would screech and groan was enough
to alarm the neighborhood, and alarm
the neighborhood it did
1 wouldn't believe rs it was the
weathercock at first, but quite took to
old Mother Bonnetts notion as it was
signs of the times, and kind of warn
ing to High Beechy of something terri
BILE to come to pass.
But, there, when you stood and saw it
turning slowly round in the broad day
light, and heard it squeal, why, you
couldn't help yourself, but were bound
to believe.
Just about that time a chap as called
himself Steeple Jack-not the real
Steeple Jack, you know, but an impostor
sort of fellow, who, we heard afterwards,
had been going about and getting sover-
'eigns to climb the spires, and oil the
weathercock, and do bit of repairs, and
then going off without doing anything
at all-well; this fellow came to High
Beechy, and saw Parson, and offered to
go up, clean and scrape the weathercock
oil it and all, without scaffolding, for a
five pound note.
Parson said it was too much, and con-
suited churchwarden Round, who said
"ditto, and so Steeple Jack did not get
the job even when he had come down to
three pound, and then to sovereign
for, bless you, we were too sharp for
him at High Beechy, and suspected that
all he wanted was the money, when, you
know, we couldn't have made him go
up, it being Il risky job.
The weather cock went on squeaking
then awfully, till one afternoon when
we were out on the green with the crick-
citing tackle for practice, Parson being
with us, for we were going to play Rom
boro' Town next week, and Parson was
our best bowler.
He was a thorough gentleman was
Parson, and he used to say he loved a
game of cricket as much as ever and as
to making one of our eleven, he used to
do that, he said, because he was then
sure no one would swear, or take more
than was good for him.
Speaking of our lot, I'm sure it made
lis all respect Parson the more AMI /
tell you one thing it did besides, il
seemed to make bin our friend to 60 10
in all kinds of trouble, and what's more,
it fetched all our lot in the cricket club
to church, when Tn afraid ii it hadn't
been out of respect to Parson, we should
have stopped away.
Why, you may laugh at me, but We
all of us loved our Parson, and ne could
turn us all this way or that way with
his little finger.
Well, we were out ON the green, as
said, and the talk turned about Oiline
the weather cock, and about how we'd
heard as Steeple Jack, as he called him
self, had undertaken to do Upperthorpe
steeple, as is thirty feet lower than ours
and had got the money and gone off.
"Ithought he was a rogue" said Billy
Johnston. ." He looked like it I; drink
ing sort of fellow. Tell yon what, I'm
game to do it any time you like"
"Not YOU" said joey Rance. 81
amt in you"
"Ain't it," says Billy, Tightening his
belt, and then
"My good man," says Parson, " !
couldn't think OF allowing it."
You see, ours was splendid spirc
standing altogether hundred anc
seventy feet six inches high; and as j
says in the old history. was Landmark
and beacon TO the country for mile
round. There was square tower sevent,
feet high, and out of this sprang ta,,
spire, tapering up a hundred feet, an,
certainly one of the finest in VI
country,