The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-07

dirty trapdoor to the roof, and was con-
fronted by the hideous face Of the sweep,
black against the frosty blue Sky. He
had eneamped with all his paraphernalia
on the fiat top of the roof, and was good
enough to rise and put his pipe in his
pocket on my arrival.
Good morning. Major. That's a grand
view you have up here said the sweep.
He was evidently too well bred to talk
shop. Il thraveled every roof in this
country, and there isn't one where you'd
get as handsome a prospect"
theoretically he was right, but / lad
not come up to the roof to discuss seen
cry and demanded brutally why he had
sent for me- The explanation involved a
recital of the special genius required to
sweep the Shreelane chmneys of the
fact that the sweep had in infancy been
sent up and down every one of them by
Great Uncle Mccarthy, Of the three ass
leads of SCOT that by his peculiar skill
he had this morning taken from the
kitchen chimney; of its present purity,
the draught being such that it would
"dhraw up n young cat with it. Fin
ally--realizing that / could endure no
more-he explained that my bedroom
chimney had got what he called "a
wynd" in it, and he proposed to climb
down little way in the stack to try
would he get to come at the brush"
The sweep was very small, the chimney
very large ! stipulated that he should
have a rope round his waist, and despite
the illegality, l let him go. He went
down like a monkey, digging his toes
and fingers into the inches made for the
purpose in the old chimney; Peter held
the rope, l lit a cigarette and waited.
Certainly the view from the roof was
worth coming up to look at | turned to
survey with an owners eye my own gray
woods and struggling plantations of
larch, and espied a man coming out OF
| the western wood He had something
| on his back and he was walking very
| fast; rabbit poacher no doubt. AS he
passed out Of sight into the back avenue
| he was beginning to run. At the same
instant 1 saw on the hill beyond my
western boundaries half a dozen horse
men sorambling by zigzag ways down to-
ward the wood. There was one red coat
| among them; it came first at the gar
| in the fence that Tim Conner had gone
out to mend, and with the others was
! lost to sight in the covert, from which
in another instant, came clearly through
| the frosty air a shout of "Gone tC
ground Tremendous horn blowings
| followed, then, all in the same moment
l saw the hounds break in full cry from
the wood and come stringing over the
| grass and up the back avenue toward the
yard gate. Were they running a fresh
| fox into the stables?
| 1 am an Irishman, and so, it is perhaps
| superfuous to state, is Peter. We forgot
| the sweep, as if he had never existed
| and precipitated ourselves down the lad
| der, down the stairs and out into the
yard. One side of the yard is formed
| by the coach house and a long stable
| with range of lofts above them, plan
| ned on the heroic scale in such matters
! that obtained in Ireland formerly. These
| join the house at the corner by the back
| door. A long flight of stone steps leads
| to the lofts and up these, as Peter and
/ | emerged from the back door, the
| hounds were struggling ter-skelter.
Almost simultaneously there was con-
! fused clatter Of hoofs in the back avenue,
! and FURRY Knox came STOPPING at a gal
| lop under the archway, followed by three
| or four other riders. They flung them
selves fom their horses and made for the
steps of the loft: more hounds pressed.
| yelling, on their heels; the din was in
| describable.
l jostled in the wake of the party and
! found myself in the loft. wading in hay
and nearly deafened by the elamor that
was banded about the high roof and
walls. At the further end OF the loft
the hounds were raging in the hay. en-
! couraged thereto By the whoops and
screeches of FURRY and his friends.
| High up in the gable of the loft. where
| il Joined the main wall of the house.
there was a small door. and | noted.
with a transient surprise, that there was
long ladder leading up to II. Even as
it caught my eye. hound fought his
way out OF drift OF hay and began to
jump al the ladder
"There's the way he's Comet" roared
Furry, "TFumpeter has him. What's
up there. back OF the door. Major?
don't remember II at all"