The Republican journal., 1876-10-26

| IRON OF more Oh IT, lheN had praised nm
and thanked him for his services What
good workman would moth glad. pleased
with himself, quietly happy? He was soft
ly whstling one of the old lullaby tunes
that always came i'll happy moments, aud
too often made the tears well into his eyes
--one Of the gentle airs his boys mother
used to sing--as he bent over some odd
piece Of work and thought how good the
great God had been 10 him, when the boy
whose work it was to break the limestone
came running down to him.
The boy was breathless and wild with
terror; his great eyes fairly stuck ont ot
his head; his dusky face was gray; his
knees shcok he held on to the doOrpost
of the shed, trembling: "Oh, massa ="
The founder. intent upon liking a brok-
en- rivet in a tool. did not look up He
only asked, ''Wcll my boy. what is the
matter ?"
The boy tried TO speak. lie gasped and
moved his lips. but no sound came Still
the founder did not look up lie struck
sharp blows with little hammer upon
his rjvet They fell upon the boys heart
At last be got the words out: Little
Ben's fell i'll Oh, Iordie Lorde =
The founder sprang up and caught him
by the shoulder; Eel in what ~
"Oh, massa' massa Whatll we do !?
Hes .ttN IN Me tulWnce!
Still! holding the boy 5 shoulder and drag
ging him along. he dashed to the engine
house and stopped the blast, then up the
| long ladder-llke steps to the feeding plat
form above On, how far il was but Ec
sprang up two, three steps al time: the
boy did not tollow-hc was dragged along
The sharp edges Of the steps bruised his
shins, but he did not feel it, He only
thought OF the awful thing that had hap
| pened, and wondered what the founder
would do What did he do? He looked
into the top of the furnace and saw moth
| ing but M lncandescent masS-one white,
scorching, binding heat rninous. unbear-
able. He drew back With !; groan, and
| sIgnalled the engineer to start the blast.
| Then he questioned the boy, who WINGED
at the tight grasp that had not yet relaxed
He whimpered and shook Blood tricked
down his face from u wounded eyelid
Poor black. he had never known ANYTHING
above the dead level OF his daily life be
fore 10 sleep ut night, by day too, when
| practicable. to eat and 10 break limestone
so many irksome hours day. to get food
and a bed. had been the sum and substance
Of his being. lie had never heard Of II play
much less seen one, and in Il moment he
! held Il chiei role in II tragedy The hard
face and starting eyes OF the founder ter.
riiied him. his rough grasp hurt hinl. his
| fierce sharp questions stunned him; bat
what he thought lie had seen Il few mo-
ments before made these seem rs nothing.
| The engine and the pump went on lhcir
| nh,
notonOus and mourntul accompaniment to
the recital that followed The white forked
| flames sprang up from The lurnacc-top and
curled around and licked the iron tacings
of the stack. The bridge tremblch with
the motion Of the engine. Outside was
the warm sunshine. and the men laughed
in it at their work. One person sang a
merry tune, and all laughed again as they
took up the chorus
The miserable boy went on with his
story ''Oh, massa! massa lse awful
sllcert What'll we do ? How it happened
| Yes, I'll tell YOU fast as can Please.
massa, 'tWant my fault f'se ies' come up
| from dinner and sot down brcakin' stone
Ben--poor little Ben .--le es. yes. lse 60
ing ON. Ben he was roastin' ches' nuts
see 'em there, roun' the stack-top an
while they were roastin', Ben he played
| ball Iou know that ar leather ball he
had He'd toss it off, and Spike he'd
lotch it back; An sed, Ben, sez |. 'don't t
90 too close An les then the bal! it
kinder bounded back this yer way. and
Spike jumped for it, and Ben run too, and
then-oh Lordie l.ortiic. see my eye p
| cracked a piece OF stone wrong, and u
| spark flew up and struc, my eve and cut
me. See the blood 1t hurted me so had
TO put my ham up this yer way, and
couldn't see for a while, .ics' for a moment
An when | looked, Ben was gone, au'
Spike was gone, an ali"
Here he broke down, and it was only
with hard questioning that the founder
! learned that he had run outside. and when
he could not see the boy, had run quickly
down t. HIM with his awful news He
| stood Whimpering and sobbing. "Massa.
'twan't my fault .
| There were the chestnuts, burnt to cin-
ders now there was Ben's hat on the floor
| The founder looked at them mechanically.
He had heard all the evidence, and was
in dazcd way summing il up After all.
there was one hope: there might be QUO
chance. Ben might have passed quickly
out while the boy held his hand to his eve,
and be safe at play somewhere now He
would search. His mind grew clear again
at the hope. lie stepped out to the bank
where the men were screening ore II
| say. men, have you seen my boy ,"
mo: we've only just come up from
| dinner" but answered indiilerentlv, as
men reply to every day questions that are
indifferent. But when they looked up and
saw his face, they knew something was
wrong: "Eh. boss, what is it?'
He only asked again, "Have any OF you
seen Ben ?"
Then they made search The whole val
| ley was ransacked: not a nook or corner
was forgotten, not a road OF mountain path
opening into it was missed ihev went
to the places where he loved to play; they
called him; they ran up and down in
search Of the lost boy. He could not have
wandered far. for he was about at dinner
time. The founder felt in his heart that
the hunt was idle, yet none was so eager
as he. At length night came, and gloom
settled with it upon the folks, for the boy S
| story came to be known As for the toun-
| der, he had not uttered u word about it,
Night came on, and they gave over the
/
preparing for the east He was stunned,
benumbed. The blow had crushed all feel
ing out of him. He went about his work
as usual, determined to 90 on tor the
night at least and make u plan for the
morrow when it came. He did not know
what else to do. Men take this course of
tener than we think Tomorrow becomes
to-day, and so on till years pass. We say
they do not feel their sorrow, and what in
sensbilty!-and comment with such kind
illness, not dreaming how the worker sul-
ters nor suspecting that but for his accus-
toned work his heart would break. The
founders heart was nearly broken, and
his face showed it. Some of the workmen
came to give him words of sympathy, but
when they drew near their hearts failed
them. The superintendent came down on
the same errand, but when he saw that
scared. set face he asked some Indifferent
question about the work. and went sadly
back again.
|