Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1908-01-02
LOVES ALL BIRDS
8TEEPL.EJAck's STRONG STRAIN
OF sENT,MENTALITY.
Never Too High or Too Busy to Do .
Kind Act for His Feathered
Friends-Thinks They
Like Him.

Biz JACK norton, the Steeple1ack.
was busily daubing away on the huge
150-foot smokestack Of the Union sta
ton power house, says the ~Indianap.
oils News. He sat suspended In a
small chair, which was swinging from
the top Of the stock supported by two
three-quarter.inch ropes. The crowd
In the street car below was rubber
ing" up at the daring steeplejack and
stack painter.
While the crowd watched IL saw
Norton quit his work and begin draw
ing himself nearer to top of the stack.
Then he put forth his hand and
grasped something, the crowd did not
know what. After a moment or two
the people In the street saw tho
steeplejack begin lowering himself
back to earth.
Down, down he came, slowly and
deliberately. Several of the watchers
ran over to the power house to have
a closer view of the daredevil and to
try to satisfy their curiosity as to
why he came down from his lofty
perch when the morning was not half
worn away.
Norton reached the ground safely
and swung himself free from his chair.
Those gathered nea saw him put his
hand In the pocket Of his jacket, and,
to their amazement, bring forth a lit
tie sparrow.
There you are, you poor little fell
low" he said to the bird. giving no
heed to the crowd around him Near
ly frozen to death, aren't you? Well,
I've got a good warm coat pocket in
here In the power house and you can
get In there and go 90 sleep"
With that tenderly spoken comfort
to a half-frozen sparrow, the common
est OF all birds, the steeplejack hur'
ried into the power house and found
his coat. Into one of the pockets the
suffering sparrow was deposited. Then
Norton went to his lunch basket and
found, among his other MONDAY
viands, a bread sandwich. One Of
the slices of bread was broken into
crumbs and dropped into the pocket
containing the sparrow.
Now, Mr.. Sparrow. you stay there
and fill up and get warm" he said as
Il parting comfort to the bird. when
you get all Strengthened out again II
turn you loose" Norton then turned
to a negro ash hauler and said: Gin
me a boost on the ropes, will you
John? I've got to get back up to the
top of that stack and get busy. | hat
to come down with the bird. Poor lit
tie devil! He was up on the flange OF
the stack and was almost frozen t.
death. You fellows don't make enough
smoke come out Of that stack to keel
a bird warm. That's n thing I've
got against smoke consumers"
did yoa come all the way dow
from the top Of that stack Just to save
a sparrow a %bystander asked.
ITS q cinch." answered the steeple
Jack. II always do 1t. I always have
and always will. When a bird get
into trouble I'm never too busy MOI
too high up to give 1t a helping hand
My wife laughs at me and says In
sentimental. II that's what 1t is, well
well Just let It go at that"
The st~eeplejack then went on {,
tell stories of experiences he has hat
with birds while he was working a
lofty heights. Pigeons, sparrows ant
every other species Of bird that soar'
to Jack Norton's workshop-steeplei
and smokestacks-find a friend II
him. Time and again he has fount
them crippled, Just as he found thu
sparrow on the hange Of the stack
The birds are his only companions
away up there and he frankly admits
that he rs fool enough to believe the!
feel pretty kindly toward him" Nor
ton says that he never harmed a Dir,
in all the years Of bis life and that h
would come down a stack or steepl'
any day to do a friendly turn for on,
Of his feathered friends.