Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-08-14

pay day. Mr. Hawkins looked busy and
preoccupied.
Z" won't interfere in this matter. Green,
he said. " You don't like this young fellow,
and your spite is alwavs bitter. II two
workmen fight fairly, in honest quarrel,
don't object. 1t is ten times better than per
petual wrangling, or lying pettiiogging law.
/ Why can't you leave the fellow alone
You've lost the girl. Very well then lose
/ her with good nature for, man, You know
/ the old proyerb, - There's as good fish in
/ the sea as ever came out Of it. She WASH
the sort Of a girl for you. Now, observe
this SO end all this scuiile. | shall make
/ Carter assistant foreman, and manager Of the
/ glazing mills, from Monday next-a fort
night, at least earlier than intended No
( words about it, or YOU and | must part.
Green Mr. Hawkins looked at the door,
and then bent irreyocably over his account
/ books.
Saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal, when
mixed contain, in their black compound
/ grains fierce and deadly, though dormant
/ power. The foreman's heart, at that mo-
ment, held passions that possessed evils of
more terrible potentiality but he bowed. and
said nothing.
J
/ the door, when Mr.. Hawkins called him
1 back.
" Tdalmost forgotten said the manu-
iacturer, - the only thing | wanted You
specially for. Ely's people have written for
one hundred sample barrels of our best Iihe
powder. They want it quick. Let Carter,
and two Of the best workmen, get everything
in order tomorrow evening. Can't help it
/ for once. We must begin at day break on
Monday Let the wheel he got in good
working order, and all ready for the men.
Green bowed again and left the room
but, as he left there was an evil and almost
/ phosph1resceut gleam in his eyes such a
gleam as Mr.. Millais has 30 wonderfully ex-
pressed in his figure Of The Sower of
Tarcs.
BY quarter past eight clock, on the
Sunday evening the mill was in perfect
working order. By half-past eight the men
/ had done their work and left. 1t only now
/ remained for Carter 10 visit the mills. and
return the keys to Green, who had deyolycd
the task on him.
1t was well known in the mills that Car
ter would be there as near 10 a quarter past
nine as possible, as he had gone with Lucy
70 Elwell Church. which was distant about "a
mile and a quarter through the fields The
evening service at Elwell was over about half
past eight, and the walk would take about
half an hour.
The laborers had scarcely got beyond the
first field from the last patch Of willow plan
tatiln. on their way % give up the keys %
Carter. before "a man arose from dry ditch
hali-flled with bramble, where he had hid
den himself, and stoored behind a great bush
of towering gorse, peering over to observe
the men, already small as toy figure, in the
1 distance. as they gradually re.edei into per
spectiye From where Tie stood, Green-ior
be it was-could see meadow after meadow
grow DINNER and bluer. with the little wood
en- bridge that led into Ewell forming the
last object visible to the unaided eye.
How hideously smiled the wretch. whose
thoughts were 50 cruel and murierous. as be
stopped down and tore out large flint from
under the bush near which he stood. and.
drawing outa small but heavy hammer, pro-
ceeded to pound the stone into small angular
fragments 4 handful Of these be screwed
up hastily in a piece of newspaper. and
thrust into his pocket.
" Now my man. be- cried, as be leaped
back into the willow clI-r-'' now. You
shall find I'm as good "a, my word for ] u
send You To heaven a little before your time.
With the cruel speed of tiger, Green
leaped rather than ran back to the glazing
mill The door was locked but be drew
duplicate KEY from his pocket, and softly
opened it. There were the barrels half fall
Of powder. there the machinery connected
with the outer wheel, to which the barrels
were already fastened while over all arose
the llim-v black, c0nical roof. In moment.
with the leNcrity Of long habit, the villain
removed two of the lids of tire casks, and
-trewed his fint-iu-t. mixed with powder.
upon and around the axle Of the wheel. 80
that tie slightest movement would produce
shower Of sparks. any one of which would
Instantly communicate with the open casks.
Green had planned his crime with "a terri
I bic -aEacitv- 1uly direct interTo-itiou from
heaven could save his unsusIee-ing victims.
He knew that IL was a rule with every in
sIector Of powder mills 20 visit first the grind
ing mill, and the other buildings in rotation,
ending with the glazing mill having work
men to raise the dam while he observed in
side the mill whether the wheel had been
properly oiled, and worked with evenne>s and
regularity. That moment death would
strike all within the mill.
I'm the meantime, the two lovers. needless
Of the evil awaiting one of them. came ramb-
ling along the stream. their conversation only
interrupted by his stopping TO pick lunches
of iorget-me-not, or by her running % gath
er odorous flowers Of meadlw--wcet.
ON the last stile but one sat a man with
I his back turned to them. As be heard their
voices, he turned and came toward them. To
! their surprise, II was Mr.. Hawkins.
3. la. Carter Good evening, Lucy.
Garter, wanted to see YOU. I've got the
keys from the men, and sent them Of.
want to 20 with YOU, and see the wheel work
There is a slight hitch, Green says, in one Of
the hoats-we must look to it, for it rather
slackens the speed We ought to have the
carpenter to overhaul the whole affair, or We
shall be stopped before We get this import
ant Job done for Ely's people
'' All right, sir, saId Carter. '' If You
ike. I'll leave Lucy TO come on shortly, and
run around the side way, and pull the hatch
es up.
d" No. no, John =" said Mr. Hawkins
- I'm not quite so helpless as all that You
know was working man myself once,
and can bear hand at most things I'll
run and pull up the matches, while You 20
straight to the glazing mill (here are the
keves) you'll be there before shall get to
the mill-dam You look at the wheel and
see how it works Don't you hurry you
can come on quietly with Lucy it isn't two
minutes for you along the bank.
As he said this he walked away laughing
and in a moment or two was out Of sight.
At the very moment when Mr.. Hawkins
was pushing his way through the willows,
( half hidden bv their netted branches and
the thick underground that grew around
them. Green was closing the door of the
[ Glazing mill. with all the caution Of a urac-
| ticed thief His quick. frightened eve, had
| caught a momentary glimpse Of the figure of
/ a man passing hastily through the wood.
/ which now stood out dark against rose col
/ ored sky. Quick as thought, the guilty
wretch. for fear Of being seen. unlocked the
door softly and stole in, closing and locking
/ it behind him. No doubt Carter and Lucy
were coming so before the man could reach
/ the dam. he would slip out Of the glazing
raill. and dart of some hundreds of yards in
a northward direction, where the brick
warehouse would protect him from the death
to which he had SO ruthlessly devoted others.
| The figure was Just disappearing around a
corner Of the wood as Green turned the KEY
TO let himself out. At that same instant.
/ Carter with his arm around the waist Of
| Lucy. who was singing hymn in a clear,
sweet voice came slowly down the steep path
leading to the valley below the mill, and
some thirty feet below its level.
There was still ample time for Green to
sink out unnoticed and plunge into the
willow grove but at that moment, as he
turned to unlock the door, to his inefiable
horror and the freezing Of his very heart,
the great black wheel lifted and began to
slowly revolve. With a scream Of anguish ,
he seized huge iron capstan bar and, lift
ing it as if it was reed, such supernatural
strength his terror gave him. thrust it be
tween the shafts of the wheel to arrest it,
movement The wheel stopped, but it stop
ped with a sudden Jolt. There came a blind