Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-11-24

force. II leaped into tho clay line,
:r06ghs, and missed its way, flaming
down to the mouth of the bell
! m6tiid. d
Thc "fool'' had done deed worth,
ofN General on field OF battle. 4
Was 1t too late? Every momen
new fishures opened in tho doomed
!. furnace. Some OF tho upper stone,
t0ppled over. Still the metal poured
outinto the mold. But the waste was
great from thcsa gaping flaws. Tht
pressure was relieved by the open
vent, but tho leaks multiplied contiu
ually. 1t was art running race will
ruin. ttsa
Poor "Mopus' powerless before the
coming catastrophe. His kneee
/; knocked together and his head EVAN
a &feat heap of red hot bricks and
rubbish fell at his feet. He had bare.
slYAAOnght to get out of the way and
saw his life. flo heard wild shont
of Mman voices in the distance, then
an Awfnl roar behind him. and he saw
aadAelt himself pursued by seething
lfd4 Sharp, blisiering flames pierced
bis 1esh at a hundred points. The rest
waslall a horrible unintelligibie dream.
ItsFas as if he had suddenly sank in.
!; ~ qse earth and had been swallowetl
.lnr4orcver.
Ry z O'Clock, comparative quiot
reiYned again on the scene Of disas-
n toE Rnins lay everywhere. Tho en-.
gines had quenchca the flames that
had langht tho building. and the men.
blNckencd with smoke, stood in silent
groups around the remains Of tho fur.
mace, II had fallen to pieces, and
nothing was left bnt heaps of sieam-
ing rubbish. ii
i Poor "lnvenior,' who had been
found with the tapping-rod in bic
hands. lying on his face in the aand,
frightfnlly burned, had been carried
to his home
Little was said. but the few words
spoken uttered with NO mild empha.
| sis the natural wrath Of the master
| and hands against the man George,
whose excuses for himself only exag-
gerafed his ofIense.
"See what he's DONE" said they, q
few days later, as they stood in the
half burned foundry. "Five thousand
dolIars gone TO waste in minute! !!
The best Job I'm twenty years spoiled!
The rascal, TO 60 hunting for bis pipe
! and leave that suffering idiot to
watch Ia that aH he can say for him.
self? Out upon such carelessness I
Why the hoy didn't know enough to
bawi out when he mnst have aeon the
furnace tumbling TO piccss!'
The master. who had moro at stake
than the mon, of conrse felt the loss
more keenly than they. He almost
wept with mingled grief and rage
Suddenly something peculiar caught
hfs eye among the debris, and he
cried in startled voics:
"Hello What's this 2"
He snatched up a fragment Of one
Of the tronghs, which had led from the
mold. There were traces of the stream
Of bronze still running In It. Then
the possible meaning Of the iron found
in the Injured boys hand flashed upon
him.
"Bring me . shovel, quick !" he
shouted.
A spadeA put into his hands, and
he began nervously to heave away the
hot mass that lay piled over the bell
mold. II was herculean task, but he
worked like giant, and thrce or fonr
of his men took hold and helped him.
Rrickbats, ore, Stag and ashes flew
in every direction. Presently the mas
ter's spade penetrated the sand and
touched something hard. He stopped
down. Then he leaped mp like one
half frantic, and, plying his spade with
redonbled energy. tore away the re-
maing sand, disclosing what looked
like great metallic ring.
"MeD," he cried out, lifting his
flushed face, 'thc bell is cast! r
who did this 2" asked every cxcit-
ed voice, as soon as the cheering died /,
away.
"Cbne with me, two or three OF
Enn1@ cried the master III think ] !
They hurried away to safkis1xa3aaf1s sakss 1xa3aafne Or
the hslf-wi,ted boy. The attendant
met them with his finger on his
lips.
"The poor boy is in a brain fover,'
he said.
"Does he say anythiag in hts deliri-
um ?' whispered the master.
"Oh, yes. he raves all the time abont !
the big bell mold. Il hope 1t will All
Il hope 1t will fill,' he says"
The men exchanged glances. II was
indeed true. The idiot had cast the
great bell Of st. Johns. just then the
physician came out. N"Perhaps he
win recover his reason by this shock
and sickness" he said "such things
have happened
Do yon think 40 Pray heaven he
may J" solemnly calculated the master
and his men; aud turned away deeply
moved
Two months later The great bell
hung from hinge derrick in the lathe
room of the factory, and beneath il
stood A heavy truck upon which ii was
about TO be lowered. A silence fell
upon the gronp of workmen as the
pale face OF Inventor" sppesred. borne
in on q small reclining chair. He bad
recovered his reason. and was fast
getting back his strength. His large
gray eyes instantly fastened them
selves on the bell. that splendid mas
terpiece whose making meant so
much to him. They had told him the
whole story OF the casting and the
disaster in the foundry. hut it oil
seemed like a wild romance To him.
"I remember nothing that happen
ed" said he, shaking his head with a
smile. "Its all new to me and all
new and strsnge--so strange"
"Yes,' said the master. devoHtly,
aft was Gods hand"
Every eye turned upon the invalid
Some of tha men felt afraid, it was SO
much like resurrection 10 him there
among them, tho hoy they had known
so long unidentified, now yonng
man, keen and Intelligent, as if chang
ed into another being.
81 should like to strike the bell
once;" two men lifted him up and put
hammer in his hand.
He struck one gentle blow. A deep,
sweet monrnful tone, solemn as the
sound of distant waterfall, rolled
from the bell and echoed throughout
the foundry. Tears filled the eyes OF
the rough men as they heard it.
"Ahw said the master, 'theres q
hallelujah In that, and II may we'll be-
gin here Long may this bell praise
God! He saved 1t in the ruins OF the
furnace by one wise thought in the
rnins OF a human brain Our furnace
Is rebuilt again, and behold this dear
boy has his reason again! The bell
and tho boy shall glorify God togeih-
er." fte
Amen = murmured tho listeners.
Then the great bell was lowered.
and As the truck was rolled away with
its melodious burden, tho boy was
lifted and carried after it, and both
went into the sunny day together, the
rough men standing in the doorway
waving their hands.
"Iittle Inventor" aftorward well
proved his claim to the title go lightly
given him in his unfortunate boy hood.
His name is now read on many bell
whose mstchless richness Of tone his
genius and skill alone created.