The Iola register., 1891-07-24

child, as bright as steel. His great
j:ss vented his Laughter, with the sound
OF roaIirg breath, like the respiration
snd Eisu: e!yety of mis- bellows, and
when he lifted his arms with that move
ms mt # sRiiEfed power which toll at the
Envii had made his habit. he appeared to
c rry hi 8 --a's even more gayly than
Lera q =. Demoiselle,' a hammer
weigh ng 25 iivres, terrible bulk which
lie alone rom Vernon to Rouen could set
dancing.
/; was while recovering from a sick
ness that spent 4 year at the black
fmiih's. / had lost both heart and sense;
went rAight ahead in search of some
corner devoted to peace and labor in
which ] could recover my tone. Thus IL
h"ppeard that one evening on the high
II, after having passed through the
laSe. saw the isolated smithy stand
= sidewise near the cross OF he Q Iatre-
& r:uinS, glowing ike a bIasier. Such
WAS The illumination that the rush Of
hEat through the big door wide open for
Iuc passage OF carts made the cross roads
seem on fire, while the row of populars on
the other side of the way smoked like
torches. Amid the soft twilight the
crash of the hammers could be heard for
half a league, suggesting the gradual ap-
and consoled already by the exhibition
# toll, by watching the manly hands
Nv 81 and fatten the red-hot bars, /
paused in front of that yawning door
way, smid the brightness, the din and
the crashing of the thunder.
That autumn evening saw the black
smith for the FIST time. He was shaping
q plowsh re. w tn open shirt display
Ing his brRwny chest, where the ribs al
each breath defin.d their tried frame
work, he drew himSeif back, gave
Twist END brought down the hammer.
He toiied on without a pause, with a
supple and continuous swaying of the
body, accompanied by a tremendous
swelling of the muscles. The hammer
swung in a regular circle, bearing off
sparks, leaving behind IL q a ash. IL
was LA Demoiselle' to which the
blacksmith thus gave motion with both
hands, while his son, an athletic young
fellow of 20, held the glowing iron
in a long pair of pincars and stru. K
in his turn, but the sound OF hls
blows Was GT~"nsi w the loud rir G.
Irg dance OF his father's terrible
''Demoiselle. Toe, toe, toe, toe. /.
sounded like q mothers grave voice en-
coUr4ging the first lispng efforts OF
baby. ''La DemoiseiIe' ceaselessly
waltzed, agitsting the spangles of her
dress and lesv .ng the marks of her heels
on the plowshare she was shaping every
time she reoounded UpJ IN the anvil.
A rudy fame like a trail of blood
flowed to the floor, lighting up the
salient angles OF the two workmen,
whose huge shadows stretched away into
the somber and obscure corners of the
smilny. The brightness gradually pale
the blacksmith paused. Like some huge
dark object be stood, leaning upon the
handle OF the hammer, with sweat on his
forehesd which he did not even wipe [ If.
Amid The rumbling of the bellows which
his son was slowly working, / heard he
humping OF the backSmith's ribs " hich
were yet in motion.
spent that night at the blacksmith's,
taking up my abode there for the future.
There was an unoccupied room upstairs
over The smlthy, which the blacksmith
offered me, and 1 accepted. Before day,
al O'Clock in the morning, commenced
10 enjoy the labor OF my host. / was
aroused by the laughter OF the entire
house, which was animated until night
fall BY its colossal gayeiy. The ham
ners were dancing beneath me. II
seemed as IL LA Demoiseilc'' had
hurled me out of bel by rspping on the
ceiling, The while charging me with lszl-
ness. The whole humble chambe with
lis vast clothes press, its white wood
table and its two chairs, creaked ana
called TO me to listen. So / was ccm-
PEELED TO go down stairs. There l found
tie forge already glowing. The be lows
rosred; blue anu pink flame arose from
Inc coal, amid which a round spot shone
like a star beneath The wind which dug
into the fire.
The blacksmith was meanwhile pre-
pairing for the days work. He ratified
the iron in the corners, turned over the |
plows and examined The wheels. The
worthy man, when he saw me, put his |
hands on his hips and laughed, with his |
huge mouth open as far as il would go.
Hs was triumphant al having dislod ged
me from bed 50 early. 1t is really my
opinion that st dawn he raped for the
sake Of rapping, in order to give the sig
nal for Using with The Iormic able chime
of his hammer. He placed his big hands
on my shoulders ard bent down as il
talking TO a child, while he informed me
that had certainly improved in health
since l had come among his old iron.
Daily we drank white wine together, sit
ing on the bottom of an old cart which
hsd been turned upsid down.
Frequently / epent the day at the
smiIhy, especially in winter, when it
rained. / was in crested in the work in
progress The constant strife between
The brawny blacks mith and the rough
iron which he shaped TO his liking excited
me as much as a powerful drains. l
watched the metal in its passage from the
furnace 10 the anvil; L experienced con-
SAINT surprise on seeing il bend, spread
and roll like soft wax beneath The VIC
tarious blows OF the workman. When
The piow was completed ! knelt before
x; i no longer recognized the sbapeiess
mass hsd seen the previous day. ex-
smined the parts, dreaming so to speak,
that fingers supIemely strong had seized
upon them and fashioned them thus
without the aid of fire. Sometimes
l smiled as i thought of q young girl
whom l bad formerly seen for whole
Gays together, at the window opposite |
mine, twisting with her hands brsss wire
stems. TO which, with the help OF silken |
thread, she fastened artificial yioIets,
Not word OF complaint was ever ut
tered by the blacksmith. After having
banged away al the iron throughout
Gays OF u hours, ! saw him laugh h.s
nearsy laugh IN the evening, es he |