Year: 1877

elm game to do il" says Billy John
son, "any time you like"


"Not you." says joey Rance. " 1t
amt in you.


"Ain't it?" sar Billy.


And as he spoke he took pull at his
strap, and Parson says


"My good man I couldn't think OF
allowing it.


You see, this is how it was. We'd got
weathercock atop of our church spire
at High Beechy; and it was cock in
real earnest, inst like the great Dorking
in Farmer Changers yard; only the one
on the spire was gilt, and shone In the
Gun quite beautiful.


There was another difference, though.
Farmer Changers Dorking used to crow
in the morn, and sometimes on moon
light night; but the gilt one atop of the
steeple, after going On swinging round,
and round, to show quietly which wa.
the wind blew, took it into its head TO
stick fast in calm weather, while In a
rough wind-oh, lor' a mercy! the way
it would screech and groan was enough
to alarm the neighborhood, and alarm
the neighborhood it did.


I wouldn't believe as it was the
weatherccck at first, but quite took to
old Mother Bonnett's notion as it was
signs of the times, and kind OF warn
ing to High Beeshy of something terri
BILE to come to pass. :,


But, there, when you stood and saw it
turning slowly round in the broad day
light, and heard it squeal, why, You
couldn't help yourself, but were bound
to believe.


Just about that time chap as called
himself Steeple Jack-not the real
Steeple Jack, you know, but an impostor
sort of fellow, who, we heard afterwards,
had been going about and getting sover-
eigns to climb the spires, and oil the
weathercock, and do a bit of repairs, and
then going off without doing anything
at all-well; this fellow came to High
Beechy, and saw Parson, and offered to
r go up, clean and scrape the weathercock
oil it and all, without scaffolding, for a
q five pound note.


Parson said it was too much, and con-
suited churchwarden Round, who said
"ditto," and so Steeple Jack did not get
the Job even when he had come down to
three pound, and then to sovereign ;
for, bless you, We were too sharp for
him at High Beecby, and suspected that
all he wanted was the money, when, you
know, we couldn't have made him go
up, it being risky job.


The weather cock went on squeaking
then awfully, till one afternoon when
we were out ON the green with the crick-
eting tackle for practice, Parson being
with us, for We were going to play Ram
boro' Town next week, and Parson was
our best bowler.


He was thorough gentleman was
Parson, and he used to say he loved a
game of cricket as much as ever, aud as
to making one of our eleven, he used to
do that, he said, because he was then
sure nof>oae would swear, or take more
than was good for him.


Speaking of our lot, I'm sure it made
us all respect Parson the more anil |
tell YOU one thing it did besides, ii
seemed to make bin our friend to so 70
in all kinds of trouble, and what more,
it fetched all our lot in the cricket club
to church, when I'm afraid if it hadn't
been out of respect to Parson, We should
have stopped away.


Why, you may laugh at me, but we
all of us loved our Parson, and he could
turn us all this way or that way with
his little finger.


Well, we were out on the green, as
said, and the talk turned about oiline
the weather cock. and about how we'd
heard as Steeple Jack, as he called him
self, had undertaken to do Upperthorpe
steeple, as is thirty feet lower than ours
and had got the money and gone of.


'Ithought he was rogue, said Billy
Johnston. "He looked like it [; drink
ing sort of fellow, Tell you what, In
game to do it any time you like"


"Not you," said joey Rance. j
Amt in you"


"Ain't it, says Billy, tightening his
belt, and then


"My good man." says Parson, "l
couldn't think of allowing it."


You see, ours was splendid spire
standing altogether a hundred ant
seventy feet six inches high; and as i
says in the old history, was Landmark
and beacon to the country for milo
round. There was square tower sevent.
feet high, and out of this sprang ta
spire, tapering up a hundred feet, al,
certainly one Of the finest in III
COUNTY,.