Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1901-08-28
Stacy's Chimney
. . Top Party . .
By Edward William Thomson.

w tory was put up at Cornwall,
Ont., by the Scotch-Canadian capital
| lists who are now Lord Mount-Stephen
md Lord Strathcona-and-M Mount Royal.
their contractor for the building wae
John Stacy. He was of great physical
strength, VIGOROUSLY "a tall man of
bis hands" and anything in the nature
Of a practical joke was dear to him.
although he must have been SIS or 60
years old. So nobody who knew him
was surprised when he proposed a
luncheon on top of the factory chin
oey just after it's completion.
1t cannot be truthfully said that
men came fiocking to his invita- tons.
The chimney, which stood about 25
or 30 feet clear of the factory build
ng, was plain shaft of brick with an
unrailed iron coping. and to reach this
top we had to go out on ladder,
about 55 or 40 feet long, which slant
ed from the roof of the ten-story stair
tower to the coping. In high winds
the tall stack of brick swayed distinct
", as all high brick chimneys do at
such times.
cts a wonder entirely what absorb
ing business the gentlemen of Corn
wall do be having on the day of me
luncheon-party," old Mr.. Stacy told
me, with apparent solemnity and a
few touches of brogue. 81 was ex-
pecting the judge would come and re-
ply to the toast of the learned pro-
LESSONS, but himself is for holding
court steady all that day. Darby
Bergin darsn't be leaving his patients
for two hours, poor creatures!
when 1 axed ould Aleck Sandfield
TO ate wild US up there, he fed as one
man. Donald Ban McLennan says
twill be the height of impossibility
for him to get away from his office
that day at one o'clock.
"And even me bowld John Ban could
promise no better than that he'd be
proud to partake of what would be
going if it was the luck of him to be
able to join me chimney-party. Sure,
it's cloudy in his talk John Ban can
be at times! And ten or dozen more
with one accord they made excuse.
dunno what's gone wrong. There's
seldom unwillingness among them to
pense."
They're afraid of the height" |
suggested, being young and innocent
enough to imagine that the contractor
might really be puzzled.
"Look at that now!" he exclaimed.
eying me with mock admiration. "He
seen it at wanSt! The foolish old
man I am! It's the fut of the chin
ney I should have invited them to!
And me at the greatest of pains to
instruct them on the picturesque pros
pect from the top, and about the en-
joyment of sitting foreninst yer pro-
visions wild 100 feet of hole under
your toes and the same of clear air
beneath your backbone!
and then" Stacy continued, "the
pleasure of climbing out on the ladder
with nothing, bar the rungs, betwixt
your boot-soles and the ground
Faith, I discoorsed of the height as
an attraction! And you think it scared
them! See the penetration of the
young!"
"And so the party won't come off ~
said, ignoring his irony.
''Troth, it will! There's yourself
and your chief. Mr.. Bell. Ye will rep.
resent the noble ART of factory
architecture; and the superintend-
ent. he'd climb anything with good
lunch at the top of it. It's manufac
turing industries he'll speak for, and
me son George can stand with your
self for young Canada: and there's
meself for old Ireland; and then
there's the reporters, maybe, and Mac
Dew-that is the mayor-and wee
| Macklem that wants to be. Sure
they'll represent the pr-roud munich
pality of CORNWALL"
"Macklem! Surely he won't try it,
"And why not?''
''That little, nervous, shiverine
storekeeper!"
"Arrah, but you forget the ambition
he has to be mayori It initiates him
to that extent he might float up like
balloon. How did get him to ac
cept? All, that was aisy! just tool
for granted he wouldn't want to BIZ
climbing high places, and I went OF
telling him how Mayor MacDew hat
accepted, and how I'd arrange for tn.
Montreal Daily Gazette reporter, ant
that the Cornwall Sentinel would Civ.
two columns to my chimney-party, ant
how the owners of the factory wished
me success in it-them that will b,
able to 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 1, I'm sorry yol
won't take a bite with us on the chin
ney-top, Mr.. Macklem.'
"'But 1 WILL says he, and thanl
YOU
Its a brave little sowl he has il
his little onaisy body! So you see I'll
all settled, and I've bespoke the ma
terials. and high time We'll have tina
day, anyhow"
A week later we were on top of tn
chimney at about one-o'clock, part,
of six, awaiting the upcoming of MI
Macklem and young George Stacy
whom he had last seen at the foo
of the stairs on the ground foor-th
elevator was not yet running. We sa
with our feet dangling inside the grea
flue, and the void gulf at our backs.
A thick plank laid across the copin.
supported the viands. The wind wa
light. the day sunny. Our eyes range
on an immense prospect from ia
south of the broad, green St. Law
renee norfbwar6 IN the dim HIN