Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1876-01-03

george hnlshed MS supper, and saun-
tered into one of the tool shops to find
his pipe. Inventor sat alone before
the great blast. The one rational facui-
ty of his feeble mind enabled him to
comprehend what it meant, and even
something Of the magnitude of the en-
terprise that was ripening inside those
burning walls. He knew that the fur
mace was full of valuable metal. and
that close beside him, buried out Of
sight in the deep sand, was the huge
mold, SO soon to be filed with the pre-
cious cast He knew and could see that
all the channels for the flow of the fiery
liquid were ready, and that near the
mouth of the furnace stood the long iron
rod that was to be used when the mo-
ment came to let on the molten stream
All this his limited thoughts took in
by habit Dimly conscious that some-
thing great was going to be done, he
sat with his eyes on the furnace, alb
sorbed and intent.
Suddenly something startled him.
There was slight noise. and burn
ing crack appeared near the top of the
furnace. Then another crack, and a
scOrching brick fell out and rolled to
the ground at his feet.
The lad opened his mouth to shrek,
but so terrified was he, that the sounds
stuck in his throat, as if he had the
nightmare.
A thin red stream followed the fall
en- brick, and trickled down the fur
mace side like running lava Then
came another alarming noise, and a
thin gap halfway down the masonry
let out more of the Kissing metal.
Where was George? Was the un-
faithful fellow still hunting for his
pipe? The furnace was bursting with
only poor, half idiot lad to guard it
What could he do? He did what
perhaps lad in his right mind would
not have dared to do. Rushing to the
mouth of the furnace, he seized the long
iron rod that stood near, and tapped the
vent. One desperate thrust with a
sharp point up the terrible funnel-a
few quick prying strokes Stand back
now! The cOnfning clay fell away,
and the yellow white food spurted out
with resistless force. 1t leaped into
the clay-Iined troughs, and hissed it;
way, flaming down the mouth of the
bell mold. ---4.+
The fool" had done a deed worthy
of general on field of battle
Was it too late? Every moment new
assures opened in the doomed furnace
Some of the upper stones tOppled over
Still the metal poured out into tn,
mold But the waste was great from
these Gaping flaws. The pressure wai
relieved by the open vent, but the leak
multiplied continually. 1t was ar
running q race with ruin.
"POOr '.Mopus' stood powerless befOr
the coming catastrophe. His knees
knocked together and his head swan
A great heap of red-hot bricks and rub
bish fell at his feet. He had barrel,
thought enough to get ont of the wa,
and save his life. He heard will
shout of human voices in the distance
then an awful roar behind him, and b
saw and felt himself pursued by surge
of seething fire. Sharp. bhsterin
pains pierced lis flesh at hundre'
points. The rest was all horrible IN
ineligible dream. 1t was as if he ha'
suddenly sunk into the earth and ha
been swallowed up forever.
BY seven o'clock comparative quie
reigned again on the scene Of the dis
aster. Ruin lay everywhere The Ell
gines had quenched the flames that ha
caught the building. and the mel
blackened with smoke, stood in silen
groups around the remains Of the fur
, mace. 1t had fallen to pieces and moth
: ing was left but heaps of steaming rut
bish.
Poor Inventor, who had been fOun
: with the tapping-rOd in his hands. !,
ing on his face in the sand. frightfull
) burned. had been carried to his hom
| Little was said, but the few wOrc
: spoken, uttered with no mild emphas
! the natural wrath Of the master an
{ hands against the man George, who's
excuses for himself only exaggerated h
: offense.
''See what he's done" said they.
few days later, as they stood in Il
: half-barned foundry Five thousaI
e dollars gone to waste in minute III
a best job in twenty years spoiled I'll
b rascal. to 60 hunting for his pipe, an
: leave that suffering idiot to watch
that all he can SAY for himself? o.
b upon such carelessness Why the b
e didn't even know enough to bawl o.
= when he must have seen the furna
e tumbling to pieces r
It The master, who had more at sta
% than the men. Of course felt the 10
J. more keenly than they. He alme
1t wept with mingled grief and rage. So
10 denly something peculiar caught /
a eye among the debris. and he cried in