Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1901-08-15
Stacy'S Chimney :
. . Top Party Q Q :
BY Edward William Thomson.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

NHEN The first great wooden fac
wv tory was put up al Cornwall,
OEf.. b. the Scotch-Canadian capital
lists who are now Lord Mouut-StePhen
ind Lord Strathcona-and-Mount-Royal.
their contractor for the building was
John stacy lie was Of great physical
strength. VIGOROUSLY "a tall man ot
his hands" and anything in The nature
= 4 practical joke was dear 20 him.
although be must have Seen s. or 50
years old. = nobody who knew him
was surprised when b. proposed a
luncheon on top o. the factory chin
ney just after its completion
Il cannot be truthfully said that
men came f0cking 20 his invitations.
The chimney. which stood about 3
or 90 feet clear Of the factory built-
ing. was plain shaft Of brick with II
unrailed iron coping. and % reach Tbs
top We had 20 70 Ont on a ladder.
about s. or 40 feet long. which slant
ed from the roof 81 The ten-story stair
tower 20 the coping. In high winds
the tall stack of brick swayed distinct
y. as al high brick chimneys DO al
such times
Its a wonder entirely what absorb
ing business the gentlemen Of Corn
wall DO be having on The day Of ne
luncheon party" old Mr.. Stacy told
ne. with apparent solemnitv and a
few touches OF brogue. 4 was ex-
pecting the Judge would come and re-
ply 20 the toast OF The learned pro-
fessious. but himself IS tor holding
court steady all that 6av. Darby
Bsrgia darsn't be leaving his patients
FOR two hours. poor creatures.
When I axed ould Aleck Sandfie,d
20 ate Wild rs up there. he fed as one
mar. Donald Ban NcLennan saws
twin be the height ~ impossibiiity
for him 20 81 away from his Office
that dav a one o'clock.
And even me bowld John Ban could
prom - 10 better Than thar he'd be
proud 20 partake OF what would he
gong Z i vas The luck % him 70 be
able 20 JON me ch'maey-party. Sure.
It's cloudy in his TAX John Ban can
be a tines And ten or dozen more
with one accord they made excuse
dunno what's gone wrong There.
seldom unw5}lingness among them "a
partake OF what's going az me ex.
pense-"
They're afraid OF the height ]
suggested. being young and inHocen,
enough TO imagine that the contractor
might really be puzzled
Look a. that uow,~ he exclaimed
eying me with mock admiration He
seen L a. wa1s:, The foolish old
man am. It's the fut OF the chin.
nev I should have invited them TO.
And NJ a. the greatest OF pains &c
instruct them on the picturesque pros
pect from the top. and about the en-
toymert 81 sitting foreuinst yer pro
visions wild 80 feet Of hole under
your toes and the same OF clear all
beneath your backbone,
And then" Stacy continued. 9Th.
pleasure Of climbing out on the ladder
with nothing, bar the rungs, betwiYi
YOUR boot-soles and the ground,
Faith. I discoorsed OF the height a;
- sfur,,,raetion. And you think ii scared
mem, see-The- Fe1etration Of ne
young."
And so the party won't come of?''
said. ignoring his irony.
-Troth, IL viii, There's voursel.
and your chief. Mr. Bell. Ye will rep.
resent the noble ART Of factory
ar-rehiteeture; and the superintend.
ent. he'd climb anything with a good
lunch at the top Of Il. It's manufac
turing industries he'll speak for. and
ne son George can stand with your
self for young Canada; and there,
meself for old Ireland; and Their
there's the reporters. maybe, and Mac,
Dew-that Is the mayor-and we,
Macklem that wants to be. Sure
they'll represent the prroud munich
pality Of Cornwall"
'Maekiem. Surely he won't try it,
And why not?'
THAT little, nervous. shiverin.
storekeeper.-
"Arrah. but You forget the ambition
he has 10 be mayor, II initiates him
TO that extent he might float up ike
a balloon How did I get him 10 &C,
cePt? All. that was aiSy, I Just took
it for granted he wouldn't want TO be
climbing high places. and I went or
telling him how Mayor MacDew haf
accepted. and how Ia arrange for tn.
Montreal Daily Gazette reporter. anC
that the Cornwall Sentinel would Civ,
two columns TO my chimney party. ana
how the owners Of the factory wished
me success in it-them that will b.
able 10 influence so many Cornwall
votes hereafther. and what popularit,
the present mayor do be always gain
ing by being to the fore on public oc
occasions.
And finally says I. I'm sorry ycv
won't take bite with US on the chin
uey-top. Mr.. Macklem-'
But I Will says he. and thanh
you
Ills a brave little sowl he has in
his little onaisy body, So you see III,
all settled, and I've bespoke the ma
terials, and high time wen have that
day, anyhow"
A week later We were on top Of the
chimney at about ons O'Clock. a party
Of SIX awaiting the spcoming Of Mr.
Macklem and young George Stacy
whom he had last seen at the foo,
of the stairs on the ground fioor-th.
elevator was not yet running We sal
with our feet dangling inside the grea,
fue, and the void gulf at our backs
A thick plank laid across the coping
supported the viands. The wind was
light, the day sunny. Our eyes ranged
on an immense prospect from far
south of the broad, green St. Law
renee northward to the dim blue
Lawrentian hills beyond the Ottawa.
We were all at ease, for all had
grown used to being on high during
the upward progress of the building.
except Mayor AaeDew, who seemed