The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1917-04-26
room, but l don't know who.~

steeples- / must get such control
OF myself that 1 can go up to the
cross of ST. Thomas and hang there
long enough to be married"
Nonsense % l exclaimed.
mo nonsense about it if I'm to
marry you. l know father well
enough to be sure that if he says a
thing he'll stick to it. He has said,
or implied, that he will only give
his consent to our marriage under
certain conditions, which he meant
for a refusal. But in law, if the
conditions are fulfilled, his consent
has been given"
GLOW do you know that?"
81 don't, but / can ask a lawyer,
can't II"
"But, good gracious, you can't
learn to climb steeples. One must
be born with head for that; they
say steeplejack has absolutely per-
feet eyes"
"Well, can't you hoist me up
there at the end of a rope with
bag over my eyes?"
thought for some time before
answering this question. At last I
said, II don't know but l might"
"Come in tomorrow. Meanwhile
I'll find out II we have a witness to
fathers conditional consent"
"But I've been dismissed" g
"That does not matter. Father
knows that do as / please. He is
aware that his only hold on me is
that his consent to my marriage is
necessary to my getting my legacy.
And he's pretty sure won't give
up $4,000 for steepleiack, and
very simple one at that"
Her last words cut me to the
heart, but she put her arms around
my neck and gave me a hug, which
made me feel better. l left her
feeling that she had more level
head on her shoulders than |, even
if she couldn't climb steeples as /
could. The next day I went to see
her, and she said she had discovered
who was in the other room when
her father had been talking to me
q plAsterer who had brought him
an estimate for some work. She had
found the man and asked him if he
could repeat what was said. He
gave the matrimonial condition
word for word. Molly took it down
in writing, and he signed it. Molly
is q mighty practical girl and a very
energetic one.
! "There," she said, concluding her
account Of what she had done,
"we've got father just where we
want him"
A few days later I received Q
note from her saying that she had
made an arrangement to visit q
cousin in n, a neighboring town,
where there were several churches,
ell with steeples. She told me to
meet her there with climbing tackle
and she would take her first les
son. / put my ropes and pulleys
In a baggage car and went with
them to n. I found Molly in gym
nasium costume. She had taken
prizes in gymnastics, and she said
she would 90 right out and take a
lesson. sent my tackle to the
church with the lowest steeple,
climbed to the roof, fixed a beam
from which hung a pulley, then
sang out to Molly to put the loop
on the end of the rope under her
arms and haul herself up. She did
it without any trouble. Then
went to a window midway up the
steeple, fred another beam, and
this time pulled her up from below
and she got in at the window.
was surprised that she didn't vince.
But, as I've said, there's a lot Of
sand" In Molly.
Before we had finished the first
lesson Molly was sitting on the base
Of the ball Gaping the steeple, a
hundred feet from the ground. A
number Of people had collected be-
low, watching her, and she kissed
her hand 10 them. l saw from this
that she had q steeplejsck's head az
well as I.
This was valuable preparation,
but the height was only 14O feet,
while 81. Thomas was $50. But
Molly said that II she could hang
140 feet above ground with her
eyes open she could hang ESQ with
them shut She seemed very happy
over II all, and / wondered whether
she was glad because she was going
TO get me and her $4,000, too, OF
on account Of having demonstrated
her ability 70 climb.
"AollE" J gsi6, ~ seems y ps