The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-08-20
9or Me Ghildeu.
The WOrsted Stocking.
A rRuH STORY.

The following incident happened in
one of those great manufacturing dis
tricts near Manchester, England:
"Father will have done the great
chimney tonight, won't he, mother 2
said little Tom Harvard, as he stood wait
ing for his fathers breakfast, which he
carried to him at his work every morning.
81 He said he hoped all the scaffolding
would be down tonight" answered his
mother; "snd that'll be fine sight, for
never like the ending of these great
chimneys, it's so risky thy fathers to be
last up."
"Eb, then, but I'll go and see him, and
help 'em to give shout afore he comes
down." said Tom.
And them" continued his mother, "if
all goes right, we are to have frolic to-
morrow, and go into the country, and take
our dinners, and spend all the day
amongst the woods"
"Hurrah z" cried Tom, as he ran off to
his fathers place of work, with a can of
milk in one hand and some bread in the
other.
His mother stood at the door watching
him, as he went merrily whistling down
the street and then she thought of the
dear father he was going to, and the dan
gerous work he was engaged in and then
her heart sought its sure refuge, and she
prayed to God to protect and bless her
treasures.
Tom, with light heart, pursued his way
to his father, and, leaving him his break.
fast, went to his own work, which was at
some distance. In the evening, on his
way home, he went round to see how his
father was getting on. James Harvard,
the father, and number of other work
men, had been building one of those
lofty chimneys which, in the great manu-
featuring town referred to, almost sup
ply the place of other architectural beauty.
This chimney was one of the highest
and most tapering that had ever been
erected and as Tom, shading his eyes
from the slanting rays of the setting sun,
looked up to the top in search of his
father, his heart almost sank within him
at the appalling height.
The scaffolding was almost down the
men at the bottom were removing the last
beams and poles. Toms father stood
alone on the top. He looked all around
to see that everything was all right, and
then, waving his hat in the air, the men
below answered him with long, loud
cheer, little Tom shouting as heartily as
any of them. AS their voice died away,
however, they heard very different sound
"a cry of alarm and terror from above.
"The rope the rope !" The men looked
around and, coiled upon the ground, lay
the rope, which, before the scaffolding
was removed, should have been fastened
to the top of the chimney for Toms father
to come down by. The scaffolding had
been taken down without their remember
ing to take the rope up.
There was a dead silence. They all
knew it was impossible to throw the rope
up high enough or skillfully enough to
reach the top of the chimney; or, if it
could have been done, it would hardly
have been safe. They stood in silent
dismay, unable to give any help or think
of any means of safety.
And TOMS father-he walked round
and round the little circle, the dizzy height
seeming every moment to grow more fear
from him. He shut his eyes; he felt as
if the next moment he must be dashed to
pieces on the ground below.
The day had passed as industriously
and swiftly as usual with TOMS mother
at home. She was always busily EN-.
ployed for her husband and children, in
some way or other, and to-day she had
been harder at work than usual, getting
ready for the holiday tomorrow.
She had just finished all her prepare.
tions, and her thoughts were silently
thanking God for her happy home and
for all the blessings of life, when Tom
ran in. His face was as white as ashes,
and he could hardly get his words out !:
Smother, mother, he Gamma get down."
"Who, laddie, thy father ?" asked his
mother.
"They've forgotten to leave him the
rope" answered Tom, still scarcely able
to speak.
His mother started up horror.struck,
and stood for moment, as if paralyzed !;
then pressing her hand over her face, as
if to shut out the terrible picture, and,
breathing prayer to God for help, she
rushed out of the house. When she
reached the place where her husband was
at work crowd had collected around the
foot of the chimney and stood there quite
helpless, gazing up with their faces full of
sorrow. "He says he'll throw himself
down." exclaimed they, as Mrs. Harvard
came up. "He is going to throw himself
down."
"Thee munna do that lad," cried the
wife, with clear, hopeful voice; "thee
munna do that, lad. Wait bit. Take
off thy stocking, lad, and unravel it, and
let down the thread with bit of mortar
Dost hear me, Jem ?"
Jem made a sign of assent, for il
seemed as if he could not speak, and, taking
off his stocking, unravelled the worsted
thread, row after row. The people stood
round in breathless silence and suspense
wondering what Toms mother could be
thinking of, and why she sent him in such
haste for the carpenters ball of Irvine.
"Let down one end of the thread with
a bit of stone, and keep fast hold of the
other" cried she, to her husband.
The little thread came wavering dowr
the tall chimney, blown hither and thithel
by the wind, but at last it reached thu
outstretched hands that were waiting fol
it. Tom held the ball of string, while hi
mother tied one end of it to the worste6
thread.
Now pull it up slowly" cried she t.
her husband, and she gradually unwouno
the string as the worsted drew it gently up
1t stopped; the string had reached hel
husband.
snow hold the string fast, and pull i
up" cried she; and the string grew heav,