The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-03-07
BI:SSIE'S LOVER.

BESStE'S LONE Elk.
You want to hear how came by
all the ie scRrS on my face and handsY"
sail the man, rolling up his sleeves
and showing the lare, sincwy arms,
marked and scair'd with red hot iron.
Twenty years ago first met Bessie
Marion. She was going across tho
clover fold yonder, taking her father
his dinner. He was n miner IN tho
works of the great Bergen Coal Conn
pauy and Bessie was ali tho kin lie
mad.
IA that time was young and hand
some and had Just uenn lnsiillle,l fore
man OF The blast furnace OF the Bergen
Iron Company
II stepped aside for Bessie to nass,
and lifted my hat us l did So She
sniled-the faintcst shadow of Il
smile but it made me happy all day.
You know how IL is, il you have ever
been liz love.
''Hhcn did noteyen know her name.
but lost my heart To her and Be>er
got j. back again. After, learned
who she WAS; wiih the dsaErceailc
! iact that Mark Gaillairl admired her.
tiaillaird was one of thu members of
the coal company-a millionaire mid
dle-aged. handsome and unpiincipIed.
''lt made nay blood boil TO hear him
speak Of Bessie ia that cool, supercil-
liOus way of his III which he spoke of
every woman.
and the scoundrel lit his choice
Havana and siruiIeu OF to whit lie
called his work. which was sitting in
luxurious Office signing checks and
reading French novels.
u had been some two months ac-
nItpiI1tnl with EpG4i, ,l,., I
told Ter that loved her, and won her
sweet consent to become mine. And
truth To tell did not feel quite sire OF
my Bessie until ] Ind legal right to
her. Not that doubted herr but in IL
sort OF indefinite way feared Gail
laird.
so you can understand that | was
anxious to make her my wife aud have
her under my own protection as soon
as possible.
zone morning eight or ten DAYS he
fore the timo srt for oar marriage.
Gaillaird came to the works and under
pretense Of looking at the working of
the furnaces, be Eot speech with me,
for generally | avoided him.
Look here, Gilbert, III said, is this
bosh that l hear about you marrying
Bessie Morton trueY
] answered him Coolly:
Yes, Sir; am to marry her,"
lie put his face close ia mine SO
close TINT felt his hot breath like ths
blast OF an oven upon my checss
Il love her myself" he said hoarsely.
AT first thought only to ainuaO my
self, as / had done with score of silly
girls before her, but since have come
To know her royal nature, to know
what very queen she ia unluu;r
women, ] have do, ided to make her
my wife. Now listen to my propos-
ton. Resign Bessie Morton and you
shall have Hambals's plAao at IS, coo "a
yeat-the best Office in the gift of the
company, aid with that you can take
Your pick from the youth ard beauty
OF Bergen. Refuse these and swear
10 he your utter rniI. ! have warned
you. / give you three days to de-
eide"
II told Bessie something of this
making very light of it us ] saw how
pale and frightened she was, hut she
chung To Ile aud wept, and begged mo
not to trust myself alone with Gait
lairl.
"a promised to keep clear of him, to
satisfy her, though truth to tell did
not feel any fear of him, for Judged
him to be Il coward, and hardly Deliev-
ed he had courage enough 10 lay vio-
lNlii VII any tllt.
Three days after my interview with
Gaillaird WIS going my rounds as u.s.
ual to see after the furnaces. 1t was
after dark, but ! carried no lantern
the light OF the molten metal made
objects sufficiently visible for my pur-
pose. Have you ever examined one of
these blast furnaces: i hey were vast
piles OF masonry-hollow like barrel
with capacity OF seven tons of ore.
Some OF these were 20 or 80 feet deep
and -four OF live feet In diameter.
The furnace WAS full OF ore to with
III live Or six feet from the top, and the
Intense heat from hefew was steadily
rising, until before my eyes l saw the
Eraylsh yellow mass grow luril red
and knew that IL was fusing.
As stood there | heard step by
| my side. Some subtle presence told
me that / should see Gaillaild when /
| locke up: He was standing close he
side Inc, The sulien red light of the
| metal played over his face. and showed
me the cruel eyes and the white teeth
cleaning sayagely unuer tho dark
mnstaehe. He took IL step forward
and looked into the secthing crater at
iny feet, then lifted his eyes to my
face.
"'Well, said he, do you accept my
| offer and give up Bessie"
Never said !, 4 would rather see
her dead, well as / love her, before /
would yield to a tiend in human
outset
Then feel my vengeance! he cried,
fiercely, and hurled at me a blow,
which, of my guard as | was, sent me
down, down into the mouth of the
horrible pit / had been regarding with
such feelings OF strange fascination!
In the brief seconds OF time before
/ touch the red-hot iron, / realized my
position fully. knew that as the ore
melted it would sink down, down,
down and | along with it, until at lust.
Oh. Heavenl closed my eyes at tho
terrible picture and was hopeless! Only
second the eNcruciattng pains which
filled Inc at the touch oil that fiery
heat nerved me to superhuman
strength. Bounding upward / seized
upon staple set in the side of tho
furnace To fasten "a lid TO, and exerting
ali my power ! swung myself upward
to the platform, the flesh dropping
from my feet as did So"
"Gaillaird fell upon me like demon,
and j, burned and bleeding and half
dead as was. Nclosed with him and
fought for my life.