The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-03-16
LINK THE SIXTH.
STRENGTH, LABOR, AND SORROW.
I.-BIIL KNowsLEY.

STRENGTH, LABOR, AND SORROW.
I.-BIL KNowsLEY.
For a dark, chill, and gusty night, tho
scene inside one OF Lord Dibblecums
great iron works in Staffordshire is cherry
enough: furnaces glowing and roaring.
men like salamanders playing with the
fire; ever and anon throwing open great
doors that radiate a fierce, hot glare,
seizing with long iron fingers the
metal forms that had been blown up to
a white heat inside, dragging them forth
incandescent and sputtering flames Of
clear circle of light Titans swinging great
hammers, and sparks shimmering out in
fountains and Jets OF brightness. As
other furnaces are opened, out rush cas-
cades of molten metal, wonderful to see
"a weird, translucent glow about il, the
fire Unfolding itself, and the flames dis
porting in terrible, silent tongues Of am
ber
At the end nearest the great gate Of
the nearest shed half dozen big fellows
are fashioning a piece of iron into a
girder for a mill One. two, three-iour,
five, six-go the huge hammers, swung
aloft and dropped to a tenth Of an inch
exactly in the place and to the tenth Of
an ounce exactly with the force, desired
by the skillful wielders. One, two, three
four, five, six-rise and fall the heavy
hammers; for il is Saturday night, and
this is last bout of work by one of the
late shifts Therefore, merrily and with
a will ring the hammers, in their cadence
of labor, noble and heart stirring music
to the man who knows what labor is.
That big fellow who takes the lead with
a swing and stroke so mighty yet so deft,
while bis giant chest heaves glistening
in the mellow light, is Bill KnOwsley,
one Of the vastest men thereabouts; and
at this moment another man, standing
out in the chill shadow, is watching the
work and observing Bill Knowlsley with
curious eyes.
That's the man." he had said to him.
self when he first stopped and glanced
in; and then, shivering the while, he
gazed admiringly at the movements Of
the Herculean frame and listened to the
ring Of the rapid strokes, until, beneath
them the iron had taken shape, and,
with its fire beaten out Of IL, lay there
dull, deadening and subdued.
The light, striking out from within
against the wind end sooty night, showed
this young man to be young aud slender,
though he was dressed in coarse work
mans. garb, and his face. seemed to be
grimed with the rust and smear of the
iron labor: but if you had looked at him
sharply. as the glare lit up his features
and his attitude, you would have seen in
moment that neither belonged to a
true son of toll. That well proportioned
but slim figure that easy grace OF pos
ture, straight leg and flexible back, had
never been left by fair labor such as he
had been watching Those curly locks
were too smooth and clean to be worn by
any real son of fire and furnace.
Bill Knowsley having finished with an
oath, and slung his hammer away into
the inner gloom. had caught up his coat
and was rushing out to face the inclem-
ent night. when he was stopped by the
stranger.
IL say
well, what do ee sayr'
lis your name Knowsley z
"Ay, ! be Bill Knowsley; but who be
your You doan't talk like one of these
paarts
NO. Give me your hand-God's
hailr'
Knowsley returned the pressure, and
his manner changed.
Gods hailr' he replied, "and d
the traitor !"
"All right" answered the other MO
ses Pell sent me to you. ] want quiet
lodging for a day or two"
"Sh.shsh :" said Knowsley, slipping his
arm into that of the stranger and draw
ing him as il ne were a sparrow out Of the
lights and away from the track OF his
departing comrades you mum be hard
pushed to come here. What is it-mur-
der2'
NO replied the other. shuddering
Its nothing. am not what l seem.
want for special reasons to keep out OF
the way few days
"Nowt2 Thee bean't true man, say.
Pell don't send folks to ] for nowt less
than manslaughter. Nav, nav. You be
a Lunnun flash cove, you be- but you
woan't get the flash side of Bill Knows
ley. Tell US all about un avuore you see
tn inside o Knowsley's shelter. And
the. speaker stopped and grasped his
companions two arms in his great hands.
lie could feel that they were not the
arms of toll.
Look here" slid the other, take me
home with you. It's all right, you know.
Pell has given me the word, and il you'll
loose your internal grip, here's five
pounds to begin
"Foive punr exclaimed Bill Knows
ley. feeling the precious disks with his
horny fingers, and trying TO make out
whether the surfaces were yellow or
white-"Foive punl Come along. gent
for gent you be. FOive pun! It's nowt
but murder, young master, tho a must a
been a uinny to be murdered by you
He led the way to his house, the other
remaining silent.
The home OF the iron.worker was a
| halEruiued stone cottage Of two rooms
| A rude shed behind was used as pigpen
By day the..sole redeeming feature OF this
/ residence was its separation 10y about a
quarter OF a mile from the rest OF the
/ huddled shelters Of brick and stone which
/ constituted the village Of West BOynton.
/ The house stood on a wavy expanss Of
rusty slack and cinders, diversified here
and there with foul-looking pools Of water
when the weather was not dry. Low,
grim, and dirty were its walls inside and
out; its broken pavement looked as II