After Quasimodo’s death, the bishop of the cathedral of Notre Dame sent word through the streets of Paris that a new bell ringer was needed. The bishop decided that he would conduct the interviews personally and went up into the belfry to begin the screening process.
After observing while several applicants demonstrated their skills, he decided to call it a day. Just then a lone, armless man approached him and announced that he was there to apply for the bell ringer’s job.
The bishop was incredulous. “You have no arms!”
“No matter,” said the man, “observe!” He then began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful melody on the carillon.
The bishop listened in astonishment, convinced that he had finally found a suitable replacement for Quasimodo. Suddenly, while rushing forward to strike a bell, the armless man tripped and plunged headlong out of the belfry window to his death in the street below.
The stunned bishop immediately rushed down the stairways. When he reached the street, a crowd had gathered around the fallen figure, drawn by the beautiful music they had heard only moments before. As they silently parted to let the bishop through, one of them asked, “Bishop, who was this man?”
“I don’t know his name,” the bishop sadly replied, “But his face sure rings a bell.”
New Bell Ringer
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At which point a man appeared from the crowd in floods of tears.
"my dear brother" he wailed and turned to the padre "please I too can ring the bells and would be honoured if you would alow me to ring them now, in his memory"
How could the parde refuse?
The man rang the bells even more beautifully than before, but in is grief he lost track of the ropes and one tangled round his ankle and whipped him into the air then dashed his head against the flagstones.
The padre was confronted with another dead body and when asked the name of the dead man he replied
"I don't know, but he's a dead ringer for his brother!"
"my dear brother" he wailed and turned to the padre "please I too can ring the bells and would be honoured if you would alow me to ring them now, in his memory"
How could the parde refuse?
The man rang the bells even more beautifully than before, but in is grief he lost track of the ropes and one tangled round his ankle and whipped him into the air then dashed his head against the flagstones.
The padre was confronted with another dead body and when asked the name of the dead man he replied
"I don't know, but he's a dead ringer for his brother!"
..... at which point the 3rd of the triplets turned up and, although his two brothers had only briefly held the position of bell ringer, he demanded to be allowed to continue the work that his dear brothers had started.
All went well for a couple of weeks - never had more beautiful peels been heard ringing out from Notre Dame. Tragically, one dark foggy night the luck that had cursed his brothers returned and the third brother, working high in the belfry, tripped over a loose bell rope and fell headlong through an opening.
Fortunately, he fell out of the other side of the tower to his brothers and into the river below. For once there was a happy ending - he was pulled from the waters by a passing ferryman.
The next day this was the talk of the town - the newspaper headlines proclaimed "Third brother rescued while Ringing in the Seine"
Coat and hat now being collected .... I'll close the door on the way out
All went well for a couple of weeks - never had more beautiful peels been heard ringing out from Notre Dame. Tragically, one dark foggy night the luck that had cursed his brothers returned and the third brother, working high in the belfry, tripped over a loose bell rope and fell headlong through an opening.
Fortunately, he fell out of the other side of the tower to his brothers and into the river below. For once there was a happy ending - he was pulled from the waters by a passing ferryman.
The next day this was the talk of the town - the newspaper headlines proclaimed "Third brother rescued while Ringing in the Seine"
Coat and hat now being collected .... I'll close the door on the way out
