Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-11-04

hurried across the street and looked
upward at the motionless figure.
Then he retraced his steps excitedly
and stood and gazed, and grew
strangely cold and pale.
A short, stout man, with Latin
face aud French accent, wearing a
Prince Albert and silk hat, noticed
the boys agitation and spoke to him.
The boy pointed upward with
stubby and not very clean finger. The
man came closer to his side, stopped
triAe and, closing one of his eyes,
squinted along the finger as though
glancing along the barrel of gun.
What he saw caused him to turn his
head from side to side, getting views
from different angles, and finally, be
coming greatly excited, to make
serious CT vehement gestures.
Attracted by the mans peculiar
actions, crowd began to gather and
to stare. AS each individual dis
covered the cause of the agitation he
was at once visibly affected, becoming
either feverish and demonstrative, or
quiz duu uuIlD. OuC lluL3
his vision, fastened to an optician for
a powerful field glass, which he pro-
ceeded nervously to adjust to his
eyes. A moments inspection threw
him into a condition bordering upon
collapse.
A woman, pausing out of curiosity,
tainted when she saw the sight, and
her removal to nearby drug store
added to the excitement.
Every window and doorway from
which view of the lion on the Board
of Trade Building could be obtained
was rapidly filled with pale and
frightened faces. Scores OF observers
clambered to the roofs of adjacent
buildings to get closer view.
The army of sky-gazers quickly
blockaded tie thoroughfare. The
street cars could not pass. Traffic
came to pause. Many of the faces
were blanched and expressionless,
others were flushed and excited; all
were turned upward.
During all this confusion a man
was quietly at work upon the roof of
the building separated from the Board
of Trade by only narrow alley. He
stood upon sliding platform-sus
pended by means of ropes and pulleys
from two large iron hooks fastened
over the ridge of the gable above
him.
The roofs of the two buildings were
the same distance from the ground,
the cornice of each being some twenty
feet higher than the pedestal upon
which the bronze lion rested.
So high was the man above the
street that not the slightest sound
from the crowd reached him, and he
kept industriously at work, unmind-
full of the confusion below until he
suddenly caught sight of tho sea of
faces staring upward, and apparently
at him.
At first the gaze of these countless
eyes caused an unpleasant chill to
creep over lin, but later he rather
enjoyed the sensation-enioyed what
he thoughtwas their amazement at his
cool daring and absolute lack Of fear.
Presently n window on the nine
teenth floor of the Board of Trade
Building was raised, and two men
thrust out their heads and shoulders
and stared upward at the pedestal and
the lion.
10 the crowd in the street they
seemed to be engaged in an earnest,
almost angry, argument. They made
many gestures, frequently pointing
upward; but those below could not
catch their words. After a few mo.
ments they closed the window and
withdrew from sight.
BY this time one of the policemen
was hurrying to n patrol box to send
in an emergency call, when-the I'M.
expected happened! The workman on
the roof had discovered that the crowd
was interested, not in him, but in the
bronze lion.
His curiosity was arou1ed. Slowly
lowering himself to the cornce of the
building on which he was at work, he
made his way carefully along the mar
row edge to the corner.
When lie reached it his glance fell
upon the lion. He staggered and
trembled like one struck by bullet.
He had not the courage to look again,
but closed his eyes and tried to drive
from his mind the picture of what he
had seen-there at the lions feet.
When he found his nerves had
grown steady again he retraced his
steps to the ladder. This he hurriedly
unfastened from its tackle and raised
until it stood on end upon the narrow
edge of the great building.
As the crowd below, intently watch
ing him now, OWNED his intention.
mighty cheer arose-then silence
reigned.
Needless of this demonstration, the
man lowered the ladder until one end
rested upon the cornice of the Board
Of Trade. The alley between the
buildings was but twelve feet wide,
and as the ladder was eighteen feet in
length it was necessary for him to span
the distance diagonally and at such
IN angle as to make the poles of the
ladder rest unsteadily.
| Then the eager and expectant watch
/ ers saw the man test the tirmness of
this improvised bridge with his foot.
1t wobbled frightfully, and those in the
crowd who had glasses announced the
fact to the others, who held their breath
and grew nervous.
For moment the man hesitated,
and then, drawing himself to his full
height, he started resolutely across
the ladder, like tiny spider walking
from building to building on single
thread of its web. Those with the
glasses saw with shudder that the
ladder careened from side to side. like
q ship i'll storm. But with his arms