The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-02-04
BESSIE'S LOVER.

You want to hear how 1 came by
all these scars on my face and hands?"
said the man, rolling up his sleeve and
showing the bare, sinewy arms,
marked and scared as with red-hot
iron. Twenty years ago l first met
Bessie Morton. She was going across
the clover field yonder, taking her
father his dinner. He was miner in
the works of the great Bergen Coal
Company, and Bessie was all the kin
he had.
.'At that time l was young and
handsome, and had just been installed
foreman of the blast furnace of the
Bergen Iron Company.
Il stepped aside to let Bessie pass,
and lifted my hat as l did so. She
smiled-the faintest shadow of smile,
but it made me happy all day. You
know how it is, if you have ever been
in love.
Then I did not even know her
name, but lost my heart to her and
never got it back again. Afterward I
learned who she was, with the disa-
greeable fact that Mark Gaillaird ad-
mired her. Gaillaird was one of the
members of the coal company mill
lionaire--middle-a handsome and
unprincipled.
1T made my blood boil to hear him
speak of Bessie in that cool, supercil-
ious way of his, in which he spoke of
every woman.
And the scoundrel lit his choice
Havana and strolled off to what he
called his work, which was sitting in a
luxurious Office signing checks and
reading French novels.
81 had been some two months ac-
quainted with Bessie, when one day I
told her that loved her, and won her
sweet consent to become mine. And,
truth to tell, did not feel quite sure
of my Bessie until I had legal right
to her. Not that doubted her, but in
a sort of indefinite way feared Gail
laird.
$50 you can understand that I was
anxious to make her my wife and have
her under my own protection as soon
as possible.
''One morning, eight or ten days be-
fore the time set for our marriage,
Gaillaird came to the works, and, un-
der pretense of looking at the working
of the furnaces, he got speech with
me, for generally avoided him.
''Look here, Gilbert he said, is
this bosh that I hear about you marry
ing Bessie Morton true?'
II answered him coolly:
s"Yes sir; am to marry her,
He put his face close to mine, so
close that l felt his hot breath like the
blast of an oven on my cheek.
'"I love her myself, he said hoarsely.
AT first l thought only to amuse my
self, as had done with score of silly
girls before her, but since have come
to know her royal nature, to know
what a very queen she is among
women, l have decided to make her
my wife. Now listen to my PROPOSE
tion. Resign Bessie Morton and you
shall have Hamburg's place at S., 600
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 to be your utter ruin. !
have warned you. 1 give you three
days to decide
Il told Bessie something of this
making very light of it as l saw how
pale and frightened she was. but she
clung to me and wept, and begged me
not to trast myself alone with Gail
laird.
Il promised to keep clear of him, tC
satisfy her, though truth to tell die
not feel any fear of him, for judged
him to be coward, and hardly be
lieved he had courage enough to lay
violent hands on any one.
Three days after my interview
with Gaillaird l was going my rounds
as usual to see after the furnaces. l
was after dark, but I carried no Ian
tern-the light of the molten meta
made objects sufficiently visible for m.
purpose. Have you ever examines
one of these blast furnaces? The
were vast piles of masonry-holloN
like barrel-with capacity of seve
tons of ore Some of these were twer
tv or thirty feet deep and four or fiV
feet in diameter.
THE furnace was full of ore t
within five or six feet of the top, an
the intense heat from below was steaC
, ily rising, until before my eyes l sa7
the grayish yellow mass grow luri
red and knew it was fusing.
LAS l stood I heard step at M
side. Some subtle presence told m
y L
looked up. He was standing close b.
, side me. The sullen red light of tt
metal played over his face, and Shove
me the cruel eyes and white teet
cleaning savagely under the dal
mustache. He took step forwal
and looked into the seething crater
my feet, then lifted his eyes to my fac
ssWell,' said he, do you accept n
offer and give up BessieP
".Never,' said /. I would rath
see her dead, well as l love her. befo
I would yield her to a tiend in hum;
guise.'
.'Then feel my vengeancen he erie
) fiercely, and hurled at me blo'
which, off my guard as was, sent Il
\ down, down into the mouth of the he
y rible pit I had been regarding wi
such feelings of strange fascination!
vi s.In the brief seconds of time befo
touched the red-hot iron ) realiz
r nv position fully. l knew that as t
ore melted it would sink down, dow
!, down-and 1 along with it, until
u last! Oh, heaven! 1 closed my ey
at the terrible picture and was hoE
Y less! Only a second-the excruciati
pains which filled me at the touch
y that fiery heat nerved me to sup
J human strength. Bounding upwarC
4 seized upon staple set in the side
u the furnace to fasten lid to, and {
erting all my power I swung mys
b. upward to the platform, the flesh drt
ping from my feet as l did So.
.'Gaillaird fell upon me like
mon, and /. burned and bleeding a
half dead as was, closed with b
and fought for my life!
1T was sharp and frenzied str
gle. He had the strength OF a N
man in those delicate arms of his, a
for me it seemed as if | had the poV
of ten men. One last desper
1ureneh / freed myself from him