The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-04-27
Tho Spire CT ST. Paul.
/, II. Ell, nreed The Lnrs

Try II, Ei urged the boys.
|. seemed as II "a dtzan cf them spoke 9
otec, and perhaps II was go; for Edwar
rorfey, lhe sturdy boy they sddfessC5 va
a leader IN DsIkrght Academy, aud tlwsy
the center OF q crowd OF admirers Now
when be stood ct the edge Of the play
grourd, loollr z up at the church that wa
the Iesrest ishoOr OF the &C idemy, Inter
est In him was uGcomm0nly intense, be
cause ihers wass sbsroo that he nigh
"bresk q record
Nat Bsnis weDtto the top 10 Just two
miru,esf he repeated, thoughifully.
Y,s. He says be could have made bet
ter time II lhl scsh)lding hsdn't been Sc
iilkety. BE dldn't dare to climb as fast al
he could, for fear II would come down will
him
Nonsense Forrty commented. ! holds
up the woikmen all right, and they're heav-
Ter than we are.
Great 'ioings" were In progress at st.
Paul's. Thc roof hsd been raised the old
fashioned windows lad been removed; the
dOme-like steeple bad given place to spire
the tip Of which was Just vl.ible above the
slender framework that enclosed i.. OF
course the academy boys had grown fami-
liar with tia steeple. Probably everyone
had climbed t. Now the question had
arisen, who could get to the top In the
fewest secoi ls
Edward I rrey bad waited ard wa CHI
cd while the others, one by one, painted
upward.
l'm half TX, not an acrobat, he said.
But now the record had been made, be be-
lieved he could beat y, and here, at seven
O'Clock Of this summer evening, he had
practically made up his mird to try.
GetliIg daik, ard there's thunder
storm coming, !. chum suggested. II
you want to have a 90 at 1t, Ed, III start
you, and Sam and Jack here will time you.
You want to 20 up the wts; side Of the
stsging, you know, e., another lad put in,
Not so much capger Of your being seen
from tnst side and reported to Prexy. He's
getting so skitti,h about that staging that
he's likely to lock US all up to keep us from
climbing IL, II they done take 1t away pret.
ty soon.
Yes, Ed sard remembered that the prin-
cipsl OF the academy had warned the boys
to keep away from the Staging. But he
shook head bis defantly and stepped to the
marx from which the climbers had started
The sun was di;arpearipg Ia bank OF
clouds. Seen il the changing light the
slender staging looked dlzzler than ever.
The top Of the steeple, lst liftng itself
above the framework, seemed only a point,
as one viewed 1t from the ground. The fact
wat--lo deceptive Is dlstanct--.hat this
''point" was disk nine inches In diameter,
upon which would rest the cross that was
10 crown the whole. Ga that dick Torrey |
meant to stand. All right, he nodded.
Are you ready; Go! his chum cried.
as the tlmekeepers fixed their eyes up
on their watches, Edward ian nimbly up
the ladder to the roof CT the church, ard
across the roof to the staging. Perfect
e cklessness marked biz quick ascent. His
me wish WAS to be the fcknow lodged sup
,ror OF bis schoolmates 10 sgili,y and dsr-
ng. The staging tremb,ed beaeath him,
,ut be cared not for that.
One minute he heard some one cry. He
new he WAS at q higher pti1t then than
ny other boy had reached in the same
ime.
Higher, still tigh,r, he lifted himself.
The staging ssayed under bis prodlglous
forts, yet be stuck to bis dangerous task.
one minute, thirty seconds Another
espersie struggle upward Ole minute,
orty.fye second, The victory was bis.
50 exhausted was be that he could rot
efcend from SIGHT, to one o. the lower
laiforms Of The staging, to reesia his
resth. He must run the rltk OF being seen
I'D reported.
For some mir u.es herested. Then all at
nee the boys who were watching from be-
1w saw him spiifg forward and stanf, |
rect aud rigid, upon the llttle disk at the {
op OF the spi'e.
What did II meapf Instantly the answer !
sme ! . f.aiful crash. Had be fallen z
iy a miracle, Il feem'd, be bept bis foot '
lg. Bn' for twenty feet beneath him the
tsalng bad dItppsand The sound OF
be colispsir frame work was borne lorg
stance, With ore thought people ,prtns
} their iest aud foshtd 10 the scene, IL
For few seconds they we're IS h,lp.eft 1
$ the horr 4 ID schoolboyp, and could onig
y. with blsnct,d faces AZ the boy on the |
Dlre, Then reason began TO assert i.feli {
stand drn, Ii went up the cry from
slow. sfaDd d,m, aud veil save sou. 7
And Eissrof The Danger would hsve q
pptlled 8 stouter heart than his HE q th q
rebd ssf prirked by myriad needles BE
y. d 20, speak, much lees move. lie dsr I
/ hardly breathe, iesi be lose Lis bslAbeC {
YER 80 little the steepIe ssayet, bat his
relied tenlss magb O q the motion doz. c
B TINES. he f,lI that bis limbs must give 5
az bsreath in. Then to calm biz nerves c
ime the strength Of despAir. He rsisfd
q eges. sni sllb0ezh bis lips did btt
owe, a mighty prayer Tor life went up q
om witlis him.