Suspending himself in his stirrups, he girded the needle with a cord,
the ends of which he fastened around his waist; and, so supported, he
leaned gradually back, till the soles of his feet were planted against
the spire. In this position, he threw, by a strong effort, a coil of
cord over the ball; and so coolly and accurately was the aim taken,
that at the first trial it fell in the required direction, and he saw
the end hang down on the opposite side.
To draw himself into his original position, to fasten the cord firmly
around the globe, and with the assistance of his auxiliary to climb to
the summit, were now easy portions of his task; and in a few moments
more Telouchkine stood by the side of the angel, and listened to the
shout that burst like sudden thunder from the concourse below, yet
came to his ear only like a faint and hollow murmur.
The cord, which he had an opportunity of fastening properly, enabled
him to descend with comparative facility; and the next day he carried
up with him a ladder of ropes, by means of which he found it easy to
effect the necessary repairs.
This person must have put forth all the energies of his being to
accomplish what he did. If we will strive as hard for the society of
good angels as he did to reach the artificial one, we shall be sure of
their society and a place in the new earth.
The golden sun shone brightly down the world,
Soft shadows gathered on the twilight track;
The day is gone; with all our sighs and tears
We can not call one little moment back.
Ah, soul, what loss is thine! awaken now!
Let not the moments slip unheeded by;
For just such moments make the golden hours
That bring us nearer to eternity.
RICHEST MAN IN THE PARISH.
The richest man in our parish was the squire. He dwelt in a great
house on the hill that overlooked, with its broad white face, the
whole of the village below, with its clustering cottages and neat
farmers' houses, and seemed to say proudly, as it looked down, "I have
my eyes on you all, and intend to keep you in order." And in truth, a
great many eyes it had, with its rows of high windows brightly
reflecting the summer sun, from early morning till evening, when not
unfrequently the last flush in the west left them glowing as with red
fire. When strangers looked up at the great house, and inquired about
it, the people of our parish used to tell them with some awe what
treasures of grand furniture, and pictures, and choice specimens of
art, the squire had collected in its many handsome rooms; what was the
worth of one picture alone, that he had refused thousands of pounds
for, and the number of others that were beautiful enough, and valuable
enough, to have adorned a palace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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