The Open Air 



whom a housetop calendar might be made. The fine 

 old roofs which have just been mentioned are often 

 associated with historic events and the rise of fami- 

 lies; and the roof -tree, like the hearth, has a range 

 of proverbs or sayings and ancient lore to itself. 

 More than one great monarch has been slain by a tile 

 thrown from the housetop, and numerous other inci- 

 dents have occurred in connection with it. The most 

 interesting is the story of the Grecian mother who, 

 with her infant, was on the roof, when, in a moment 

 of inattention, the child crept to the edge, and was 

 balanced on the very verge. To call to it, to touch 

 it, would have insured its destruction; but the mother, 

 without a second's thought, bared her breast, and the 

 child eagerly turning to it, was saved ! 



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