The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-07-20
LOVE LEVELS ALL.

The great factory was tecminr wit
life, the pondcrous machinery was all i
motion. the busy workers We're eac
and all ii their respective posts, whe
the heavy outer doors changed, an
there swept in Il breath from the QUITE
world-a world SD different from thi
that it seemed rs though the two NIGH
never mingle.
The butterflies had come to visit TIN
bees.
IL was Il little party of four which TIN
doors had opened TO admit-two gen
tlemcn. an elderly lady. and youn:
girl.
The latter wore a simple but elcgan
costume of dark-green velvet. bordcre,
with fur. A tiny velvet. fur-trimmc,
hat rested on her dark auburn hair
which escaped in little. wilful curls be
meath IFS brim.
She was wonderfully beautiful. ant
many among the women looked up ant
after her. rs she passed. with sudden
consciousness of their own dull lives.
Yet their work gave her the means Il
live, rs she was the daughter of one OF
the owners of the factory. the largest
and most prosperous in all Winchester.
Now and then she spoke To one OF
them as she went by, not in patroniz-
ing way. but in interest aroused in their
labor. and her admiration of their deft
skill.
She had reached one of the rooms oc-
cupied only by men. when her glance
fell on II man standing close beside the
door. He was only one of the upper
workmen. but there was that in his
face which spoke of strength, and a GER
tain scorn WAS in his brown eyes and
about the firm lines of his mouth us he
looked upon the intrudcrs. which caused
an Evolutionary flush to mantle her
check.
The next moment she saw the scorn
vanish and new light leap into his eyes
"A new expression transligure his face,
rs his glance. for an instant only. met
hers. Then it grew harder, colder,
Steiner, than before.
''Who is that man." she asked, turn
ing 10 one of the two gentlemen who
accompanied her. Reginald Trustworthy
10y name. junior partner of her faith
er's, and. rumor added. her i"tAnh"L
His name is Alan irving" was the
answer. rather slightingly spoken, the
girl thought. "A clever fellow, with
wonderful insight into machinery. but
proud and reserved. A
man take care Miss McrritOn. All!
great llcaven!'
Too late! The girl. Interested i'm list
ening. had drawn too near one of the
heavy, swiftly revolving wheels. and it
had caught Il portion of her skirt.
One more revolution. and she would
have been drawn within It's relentless
threw himself between her and destruc-
ton.
There was q sound of crunching
bones. The great machinery Jared
and stopped. There was but one way
to bring it to a standstiil One spot
where Il solid obstacle might cut off
communication from the lever which
swayed it, and there was one eye which
understood both the danger and the pos
sible manner in which it might be avert
ell.
But nothing was ut hand to fill that
awful gap-nothin% but one mans
strong right arm. Alan Irving neither
faltcred nor wavercd for one instant but
darted between Daisy MerritOn and the
fearful peril which menaced her.
1T is nothing compared with her life, y
he mtrmured. when the machinery had
stopped and they drew out the poor.
wrecked arm, whose strength might
avail him never more. and gasping out
the sentence. fell in dead SwOOn ut
her feet.
Very tendcrly his fellow workmen
lifted him and bore him to his home
For II few days it was feared that his life
would pay the forfeit of his act, but on
the fifth day the crisis was passed; and
though many weeks of weakness and
suffering must still be entailed upon
him. and though his right arm was
henceforth shattered and helpless, yet
his life was spared.
Looking forward To the dreary pros
pect before him. it seemed to Allan Irv-
inc no boon. He lacked none of the
Injuries of life during this weary time.
Each day fruit, and flowers, and rarest
delicacies, were sent him in abundance;
but when they brought them TO him,
that he might see that the girl whom he
had saved was not unmindful nor I'M
grateful, the bitter lines dcepcned rath-
er than disappeared, and no CLEAN OF
gladnesS lighted the handsome face, on
which suffering had so strongly set its
mark.
'.She would do so much for her dOg!"
he said once. with the bitter injustice
born of his ignorance of the true nature
of Daisy Merriton.
But one day they told him that she
stood without and asked to be admitted
to his room; and then wonderful light
leaped into the great, brown eyes, and
the pale cheeks flushed. He learned
i'm that interview. how he had misjudgcd
her.
Each day she had come herself TO ask
for him, she told him. rs with something
akin to reverence in her lovely face, she
stood beside his couch.
..On my knees have prayed that
Heaven would spare your lifc!' she said
with tears heavily fringing the jetty
laslles that shaded her glorious eyes,
"and Heaven has heard my prayer. All.
YOU cannot know what have suffered!
How brave, how noble you are! | never
knew such men lived"
"Husll--hushr' he answered, flushing
hotlv. "You must not look ut it like
this! What was my life compared to
yours? Nor was it life-only this!"
And he glanced down at his shattered
and bandaged arm.
"God bless you, my hero! she whis-
percd, softly with tears in her voice.
Ere the echo of her words had died
away. she had left the room; but
through the long hours of pain, over
and over they kept repeating themselves
to him like waves of music endlessly
echoed.
The next day she came again. and the
next and the next, until he grew to look
for her rs he looked for the breaking of
the dawn after his sleepless nights Of
suffering.
AS he grew stronger she read to him,
until gradually she broke down the shy
Iwall of his reserve and he talked TO her
lin return. She learned then that this
imam was scholar and thinker. The