The morning call., 1890-09-13
BESSIE'S LOVER.

y[Y1OU want to hear how came by all
n.y.. these scars on my face and hands?
LA = said the man, rolling up his sleeve
sand show ing the bare, sinewy arms, marked
and scared as with red-hOt iron. Twenty
veors AGO l first met Bessie Morton. She
was going across the clover field yonder,
taking her father his dinner. He was a
miner in the works of the great Bergen Coal
Company. and Bessie was all the kin he had.
AT that time was young and handsome,
and had lust been installed foreman OF the
blast furnace Of the Bergen Iron Company.
Il steprel aside for Bessie 10 pass. ana
lifted nv hat as did so. She smied-the
faiutest shadow of 4 smile but II MADE me
nappy all. dav. You know how 1t Is, IL you
have ever been in love. -.
hen did not know even her name, but
I lost my heart to her, and never got II back
,caiD Afterward l learned who she was,
,ti-h the disagreeable fact that Mark Gall
laird admired her. Gaillaird was one oil the
members of the coal company-a million
aire-middle-aged, handsome and unprln-
ciiled. ,---,-
II made my blood boil to hear him speak
Of Bessie in that cool, superciliOus way OF
his in which he spoke of every woman.
" And the scouudrel lit his choice Havana
and StrolItd off 10 what he called his work.
WHEN WIS sll-ul- III d ll-NhI lNb1 UNIV S'7h
ing checks and reading French novels.
. had been some two months quaintei
with Bessie, when one day | told her that
loved her. and won her sweet consent TO be-
come nine And truth to tell, | did not Ieel
unite sure of nv Bessie until | had a legal
Tglt t. her. Not that doubted her, but in
q sort of indefinite way | feared Gallliard
so YOU can understand that L was
anx ous TO make her my wife, and have her
under my own protection as soon as possible.
lone morning eight or ten days before
the time set for marriage, GAlIllard came 10
tie works. and under pretense OF looking at
the working Of the furnaces. he got speech
wiki me, for generally | avoided hnl.
Look here, Gi bert sad he, is this
bosA that hear about you marrying Bessie
Merton true
.I answered him cOolly:
80 es, sir; | avn 10 marry Der.
" He put his face close to mine, so close
that felt his not breath like the blast OF an
oven on my cheek.
al owe her myself he said hoarsely.
AT first | thought only to amuse myself, rs
! mad done with score OF silly girls De.ofe
Ter, but since | have come 70 know herroyal
nature. to know what very queen she Is
among women, have decided t. make her
my wife Now listen to my proposition.
Resign Bessie Merton, and you shall have
Iamiurg's place at $1,000 a year-the best
Office in the gift Of the company, and with
that YOU can take your pick from the youth
and beauty Of Bergen. Refuse these terms
and | swear 10 be your utter ruin. | have
warned you. l give you thee days to de
eide
- told Bessie something of ths-making
very light of it aS | saw how pale and fright
ened she was but she clurg to me and wept.
and begged ne not to trust myself alone with
GaiiiaTd.
Il promised to keep clear of him, to salts
f. her. though truth to tell | did not feel any
fear Of him. for judged him to be coward.
aud Hardly believed that he had courage
enough to lay violent hands on any one.
Three days after my interview with
G Illiard | was going my rounds as usual to
see after the furnaces. 1t was after dark.
lut l carried no lantern-the light Of the
o. ten metal made objects sufficiently vlsl-
l-r t-r my purpose. Have you ever exam
med one II these blast furnaces? They
Were vast piles If uasoDry-h0llOw ike
iaTrel-Wjth a capacity OF seven ms of ore.
slme OF these were twenty or thirty feet
dep and four or five feet in diameter.
a." The furnace was full Of ore to within
I've or SIX ieet OF the TOP, and the intense
hat from below was steadily rising, until
before my eyes l saw the grayish yellow
rass grow luIid red and knew that it was
lu~ing.
AS I stood there. heard step at my
SIDE. Some subtle presence told me that |
should see GalliaTd when l looked up. He
Wa landing close beside NE. Tie sullen,
Ird light Of the metal played over his face,
4-I showed me the cruel eyes and the white
lee. h cleaning savagely under the dark
i-Ustache. He took step forward and
i.thed into the Seething crater at my feet
then lifted his eyes to my face.
49,, Wen said he, do you accept my offer
ami give up Bessie|
Never said I. 4 would rather see
her dead. well as | love her, before l would
J lrll her TO mend in human guisen
hen feel my yengeancen he cried.
IeTcely. and hurled at me blow. which off
my guard rs | was. sent me down, down
into the. mouth of the horrible pit had
been regarding with such feelings OF strange
fascination!
In the brief second of time before 1
touched the red hot iron, realized my posi-
lion fully. | knew that as the ore melted it
would sink down, down, d0wn-and | along
with it, until at last! On, heaven. Iclosed
my eyes at the terrible picture and was
hopeless! Only second the excrucating
pains which flied me at the touch of thai
fiery heat nerved me to superhumar
strength. Bounding upward, seized upor
a staple set in the side Of the furnace I,
fasten lid to, and exertng all my power
swung myself upward to the platform, thu
flesh dropping from my feet as | did so.
Gailliard fell upon me like a demon
and |, burned and bleeding, and half dead
as | was, closed with him and fought TO
my life
- 1t was sharp aud frenzcd struggle
ne htu the strength OF q InaGInau IN tnOS'
delicate arms of his, and.as for me it seemed
as if had the power Of ten meni One las
desperate wrench, | freed myself from him
ard flung him backward. All! even now
see his demoniac face as he went down
down into the furnace, shouting out agains
me his dying curse! In moment wa
cooled rushed forward-I sought to say
him, but great heaveni when l looked int
the fiery grave | saw that the ore was al
fused, and mad sunk fully ten feet. AM
do not ask me to speak OF what saw Strug
Cling in the pillows of liquid fire!
- Was found there lying insensiDle Of
the brink Of the furnace, an hour afterward
by one of the workmen, and for month
succeeding | lay ON q bed of sickness an
delirium. Bessie nursed me through it, ant
when ! was able to sit up we were married
| loft my business at the furnaces for
ever-the V5.y sight of the place filed m
with horror. Did they ever find any trac
Of Gailaird? Bless you, only few frag
ments of bone, crumbled to white ashes b.
the heat, were among the contents of til
blast when the furnace was drawn mex