Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-02-05
BESSIE'S LOVER.

marked and scared as with a red-hot
iron. Twenty years ago | first met
Bessie Morton. She was going across
ble clover field ynndcr. 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 I 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 [ 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 / did not even know her
name, but lost my heart to her and
never got it back again. Afterward [
learned who she was. with the disa-
greeable fact that Mark Gaillaird adj
mired her. Gaillaird was one of the
members of the coal company-a mil
lionaire--middle-ag 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
luxurious Office signing checks and
reading French novels.
II bad been some two months ac-
quainted with Bessie. when one day /
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 had legal right
to her. Not that | doubted her. but in
sort of indefinite way | feared Gail
laird.
$50 you can understand that | 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,
Gailaird came to the works. and, I'M
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 hear about you marry
ing Bessie Morton trueP
Il answered him coolly:
eyes, sir; am to marry her.
He put his face close 20 mine, so
close that / felt his hot breath like the
blast of an oven on my cheek.
II love her myself, he said hoarsely.
AT first | thought only to amuse my
self as had done with IA score of silly
girls before her, but since have come
to know her royal nature, to know
what Il very queen she is among
women, | have decided to make her
my wife. Now listen to my PROPOSE
ton. Resign Bessie Morton and You
shall have Hamburg's place at So, 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. | give you three
days to decide
II told Bessie something Of this
making very light of it as | saw bow
pale and frightened she was. but she
chung to me and wept, and begged me
not to trust myself alone with Gail
laird.
Il promised to keep clear of him, to
otllNlN HCl, tIltu0n lIIlll 10 lCil tlu
not feel any fear of him. for | Judged
him TO he n coward, and hardly ne
Hcved he had courage enough to lay
violent hands on ans one.
Three days after my interview
with Gaillaird was going my rounds
rs usual to see after the furnaces. 1t
was after dark, but | carried no Ian
tern-the light of the molten metal
made objects sufficiently visible for my
purpose. Have YOU ever examined
one of these blast furnaces? They
were vast piles Of maSonry-hollow
like barrel-with capacity of seven
tons of ore. Some of these were twen-
ty or thirty feet deep and four or five
feet in diameter.
The furnace was full of ore to
within five or six feet of the top. and
the intense heat from below WAS stead
lily rising. until before my eyes | saw
the gray ish yellow mass grow lurid
red and knew it was fuSing.
AS | stood | heard step at nv
side. Same subtle presence told mr.
that | should see Gailairl when |
looked up. He was standing close be-
side me. The sullrn red light of the
metal played over his face and showed
me the cruel eyes and white teeth
cleaning savagely under the dark
mu~tache. He took step forward
and looked into the Seethinw crater ut
my feet. then lifted his eyes To my face.
"'Well,' sail he. do YOU accept my
offer aud give up Bessir?'
Never. said |. / would rather
see her dead, well us love her before
/ would yield her TO Il fiend in human
guiSe.'
Then feel my vengeancer he cried.
fierceIy. anil hurled ut me Il blow.
whicn. off my guard as | WAS. sent me
down, down into the mouth of the hor-
rihle pit | had been regarding with
such feelings of Strany, Presentations!
In the brief seconds of time before
Touched the red-not iron | realized
nv position fully. | knew that as the
ore melted it would sink down. down.
down-and | along with it. until at
last! Oh. heaven! | closed nv eyes
ut the terrible picture and was hope
less! Only Seconii-the overwhelming
pains which filled me at the touch os
that fiery heat nerred me TO super
human strength. Bounding upward [
seizr'i upon Il staple set in the side of
the furnace to f;lsten IL lid to. and eX-
ertng all my power | swung myself
upward TO the PLATFORM the flesh drop
ping from my leet as | did so.
''GaiIlaird fell upon me like de-
anon. and !. burned and bleeding and