Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-08-02

But while the crowd talked, cried and
gaped, Arthur May hastily endeavored to
comprehend the plan Of the burning house
and its stairways. Then, needless of the
scorching heat, the binding and suffocating
smoke, and deaf to the warning cries of the
men, he rushed into the Inflated building.
With great difficulty he found the child and
wrapped her in an old shawl which he saw
lying in the room. Then. dashing again
through the smoke and flames, he emerged
once more on to the street, where he was
greeted with loud hurrah and almost deaf
ening hand-clapping. Arthur gave up the
motherless girl to some of the women and
quietly returned to his lodgings. But sew
eral of the Ironvale people followed him,
and in the office of the hotel-his sleeves
rolled up, his hair and muStache singed, and
his face, hands and arms blackened by the
smoke-Arthur May held quite reception,
in the course of which he took occasion to
introduce himself and explain his object in
coming to Ironvale. When he said he was
a preacher and wanted the men to come and
hear him talk to them next Sunday they all
promised to be on hand, for they thought
a man who wasn't afraid to risk his life, as
Arthur had done, was worthy hearing,
whatever he might have to say. One thing
women folk: and that was great thing in
Ironvale, as indeed it is in any community.
Another method was necessary in Iron
vale to secure the lasting regard and esteem
of the men. and the opportunity to bid for
the respect of the Ironvale masculine popu-
lation came in Arthur's way on the first
Sunday in the smoky town.
There was no church in Ironvale; there
was not even hail. so on Sun lay afternoon
Arthur took up position just outside of the
big mills belonging to Spriggs and Company.
Somehow or other he had managed to make
it pretty we'll known that he was going to
preach, and quite a crowd assembled to hear
the young fellow who had so calamity
rescued Jim Doolan's little En-"
Arthur was fascinating speaker, and be-
ing good judge Of human nature and pos
sessed of his full share of common sense,
he made himself more than interesting to
these rough men, who gave him respect
full hearing. There was one man i'll the
crowd. however. who objected to the preach
ing This was Jerry Burke, a big loafing
bully, who worked very little and drank a
great deal He was a chronic grumbler and
especially objected on general principles, to
any thing like an innovation likely to better
the moral condition of things in Ironvale
This same Burke was sharp thorn in the
side of Spriggs and Company, who only toler-
Grated the fellow about their works fearful
of possible mischief which he might per-
petrate should they discharge him. Physic-
ally, Burke was a powerful fellow, stand
ing six feet high and tipping the scale at
two hundred pounds. He was never salts
fed with either the wages or the hours of
work, though as a matter of fact he had
small cause for being discontinued. In
short, he was bully, a sneak, and uncon-
scionably lazy. Still, among the Ironvale
men he had some sort of following: the
weak minded and pore ignorant workmen
looked upon Burkeas the champion of their
rights, and an additional reason for their
tolerance of Jerry as sort of unacknowl-
edged leader, was the fact that they knew
he could lick" any one of them.
Now about the time that Arthur May
came to Ironvale, Burke, with some other
restless spirits in neighboring iron center,
was secretly arranging plans for a strike
among Spriggs and Conipany's employees. OF
course, so far as Jerry Burke was con-
cerned, he cared nothing about lettering
the condition of the "boys;' he was looking
to his own ACKNOWLEDGMENT as labor
leader" and TO the easy acquisition of money
by means of assessments which would be
levied on the boys to further the strike.
Now Burke had fairly good idea that
sensible young fellow like Arthur May
would not naturally assist him in his
schemes, so he resolved to inform the
preacher that he must ''git." Arthur had
almost finished his talk when Burke,
who was in the crowd, rudely interrupted.
'sMost through, parson!'
Yes" said Arthur. Are you tiredsn
10, you can finish your say this time, but
You can't talk here any more. Preachin's
all right, mebbe, but we don't want it here.
Saveym
swell. my friend, no one else seems to
object, and if you don't like il Just stay
away. Still, would rather have you come
and listen. may as well announce now,