The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-12-24
IN THE IRON WORKS.

tent going to be tried" he said to him
self if he had the means how soon he
would have devised artificial locomotion.
He counted on the invention to pay for
Jem's schooling. Jcm was very bright,
and a universal favorite. Who knew,
John asked himself, what Jem might not
accomplish in a profession2 Then, If
there was half the money in it he
thought there was, it would enable his
mother to try what a change of scene
and variety would do for her.
eff the machine does not do all we
expect, we'll just have to wait, Jem."
But John Dunn's voice trembled as he
said it. ''It's best not to be too sure
at least at the first go-off, you know.
We have all counted too much on it
maybe"
There was pathos in his voice that
moved his mother as she had not been
moved since the day he looked up at her
when she thought him dead. She turned
aside asking herself bitterly why her
son should be deprived of the pleasure
of witnessing his own invention. She
would be there, and Jem. The brothers
| talked of little else now.
The eventful day came. The new in
vention was carefully scrutinized by the
curious, the progressive, the well.wishers
of the inventor, and the secret and avowed
sceptics. The last were clearly in the
| majority. They were prepared to dem
| onstrate the impossibility of the success
J of the invention. They quoted authors
glibly; and few expressed their sur
prise that the owner of the mill should
surrender valuable time to tie test, be-
sides incurring expense. The mill own
er administrated singing rebuke to
these carpers.
81 take pleasure 10 furnishing such aid
as lies in my power to oil who are en-
deavoring to improve recognized meth
ods, while count it privilege to con-
tribute my time and means to the devel-
oplnent of new methods and new pro-
cesses."
The evening was we'll advanced when
John Dunn heard step on the pave
ment he we'll knew. All that weary
afternoon he had beheld men, women
and children hurrying up and down the
street. The majority bore bundles and
packages; some were loaded down with
bundles; children scarcely able to walk
mere "tots" tottered along, chirping like
young birds, beside the men and women
they clung to. Everybody seemed to be
in hurry, and why note Tomorrow
was Christmas.
John Dunn's heart suddenly sunk.
Sandy Rae's firm, deliberate step was no
longer heard. The step paused at the
entrance to the stairway.
"He brings me the news" Johns
hand was on the window; he was on
the point of raising it; he wanted to
shout down to Sandy, then he checked
himself. It may be failure. 1t will
keep. -.
Now another step, still more familiar
to Johns sharpened senses, fell on his
ear; the light springing step OF his
brother Jem. II, too, halted strangely
rs it ncared the entrance to the stair
way. 49,,
"Why do they stop there3" the invalid
asked himself, as a lump rose In his
, throat. "It must be bad news, or Sandy
wouldn't stand there. Jem couldn't keep
back" Then he began to ask himself,
: 'sIf it fails?" repeating it again and again,
and involuntarily, unconsciously, he
supplemented it with Sandy Rea's re-
frain, "The Lord will provide" until
3 query and answer were linked strangely
8 together, and tear dropped on John
2 Dunn's hand.
r. Now another step approached-his
mothers step. 1t came very slowly; he
: fancied it was more deliberate than usual.