Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1882-02-22

mltht w keep ipplihs hhH hcfahlpip
little higher. The polson'oak, that
at other times they would not dare to
touch, they now seized as eagerly as
they did the hazel-bushes, and they
swung themselves up by It's tenacious
branches when they could, AT last,
about halfway up, they came to u
ledge Of rock cropping out perpendicu-
larly in front OF them, aud extending az
far rs they could see along the hillside,
To be sure, II was only about ten feet
high, but how were Two little girls to
climb that hcightI
Louisa, weary and despairing, with
hands torn and bleeding, sat down and
began to cry.
The smoke thickcncd behind them.
Minnie glanced iearfully at it, then
scrambled along the bottom ofthc rocks
face, looking closely in search of some
break or irrcgularity in It's surface by
which she might scale II. Alas us
far as she could see, II was the same
smooth wall, and she dared not 60
farther in her search with that terrible
pursuer gaining on her footsteps. She
returned to Louisa's side, almost ready
to sit down beside her and cry as she
was doing. Just then her eye caught
young livc-oak, which stretched its
tough little body nearly horizontally
over their heads, firmly rooted above
the rock.
"Ah," thought Minnie, "if could
only reach that tree?"
Then, all her languor changing to II
sudden energy as an idea struck her,
she cried:
"Quick, Louisa! Your apron, your
apron"
Louisa reused herself, and, startled
by the tone of Minnie's voice, at once
undid her long apron without asking
any questions. 1t was new one, of
which she was rather proud, and reach
ing from her chin almost to her feet, and
had two little pockets in the skirt.
Her tears ceased, and gave place to
anazement and angor, when she saw
Minnie quickly tear " uo~n ,"o "'"
die and then tear each half down again.
Before she could protest at this outrage,
10 Minnie took her own new apron
and used it the same way. Louisa
looked in her cousins face, and what
she saw there made her keep silence.
Minnie quickly knotted together the
ends of the pieces she had made, and
then again looked up at the live-oak'
No, her rope was not long enough, tor
it must be doubly. She took off her
dress, and arrayed only in chcmise and
petticoat, tore it up also and added the
pieces. She now looked around for a
stone, and soon found one weighing
about pound. Tying this to one end
of her rope, she went little to one
side of the tree and flung it over its
trunk. 1t fell to the ground, carrying
the rope with it, so now she had a
double rope up the face of the rock.
Minnie had not lived all her life in
the woods to fear climbing now, but
still she looked a little frightened al
this rope swaying in the air. How
ever, she tied the ends to root, and
telling Louisa not to be afraid, she
stood on tiptoe, and reaching her hands
as high as possible, began to ascend
sailor-fashion, hand over haud. She
found the many knots very useful, as
they gave resting-places for her feet as
we'll as kept her hands from slipping
Still, when she caught the trunk of the
oak, and scambled astride of it, she
had to shut her eyes and sit quite still
for a few seconds, too exhausted to move
a finger. Soon rousing, she called to
Louisa.
"Now, Lou, unite one end Of the
rope"
When Louise he'd done so, Minnie
drew the other end as tight as she
could, and taking two or three turns
about the oak, made the rope quite
secure. She thus had single rope
tightly drawn from top to bottom
of the rock, and another hanging loose
from trunk of the oak to the ground al
Louisa's feet.
"Lou," she cried, "tie that loose enc
round your body, under the arms
There, that is right; be sure the knot
is secure. Now, take hold of the
other rope and climb as I did, and
will pull you up as much as I can."
! Louisa did not hesitate, but at once
did as she was told and soon both the
children stood side by side, joyful
though breathless and exhausted.
They saw with relief that the hill