Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-08-06
A MAN.
Copyright, 1S95.l


 to work as 0 polisher in the big shop where he was employed and could have said truthfully that never before then had he cared more for one woman than another excepting his mother, of course And that which would have been still easier to be- lieve was that no woman, with that excep- tion; had ever cared for him. He was short, but very broad and thick, with an immense torso and arms almost like those of a gorilla for length and strength. Some times he was called a "hunchback, D but did not deserve it. He was simply very round shouldered from his many years of sitting at the bench.
 Rachel, who was a very pretty girl, of the Voluptuous oriental type of her raee did not look with favor upon Leon. Her reason told her he was skillful, steady workman, always employed at the highest wages, and altogether the best man in the shop but her feminine taste was Better pleased by Isaac Rubinstein, handsome young fellow who spent moro money on scented hair oil than Leon did for beer. Isaac thought more of himself than any body else, but the girl S preference flattered him, and he paid more attention to her than Leon liked.
 One morning when Leon had put be- tween the rolls the end of a heavy gold in got that he wished to flatten down into SliSSU luTLGu lIlb SSJ SCFcWS uOWh uHlll the upper roll was bedded in the metal. Then he called Isaac to him and said, Let me see if you can turn the rolls.
 "1f you can, l can, replied Isaac, who did not lack self conceit, and he grasped the long arms md tugged at them with all his might but in vain.
 "The pressure is too great You will have to ease it up. Nobody could turn them now," he said.
 Leon grinned, and taking his place made the arms fairly spin around, with hardly an effort, and the yellow lump between the rolls darted through, almost doubled in length. "See, Isaac, could flatten like that the skull of fellow who got in my way in some things,' said the hairy gnome. Isaac understood him and after that took good care not to return Rachel's smiles. And if there were any others among the workmen who felt the charm of her brilliant black eyes and full red lips they took their cue from Isaac. Rachel was quite conscious of the invisible fence that Leon had built around her and resented it so that she not only did not smile at him any more, but even ceased speaking to him.
 So matters stood in the shop when one afternoon an alarm of "Fire!" rang through the building. A careless ap- prentice in the loft above had managed to explode can of wood alcohol, and the flames spread with frightful rapidity. Obeying an instinct even stronger than their sense of personal danger, the men | and women employed at the benches, the | cruciblcS, the rolls and the lathes, with scrupulous care. notwithstanding their l fright and excitement, gathered up the valuable property in their respective keep ing and ran with it through the black, choking smoke that came rolling down l the airshaft to the proprietor who stood | by the big 1ircproof safe in his office pale, but courageous, receiving the gold and | jewels and hurriedly putting them away. Each employee. after delivering the ob- | ject of his or her care, dashed down the stairs, all except Leon Shappira, who, | though one of the first to hand over his work, remained standing in the office, waiting. Rachel, who had a handful of valuable rings SCattered on the bench by her lathe, was much troubled to find them | all in the darkness and was consequently last to reach tho office The proprietor in stantly upon receiving her box cast it into | the safe, slammed the big doors together and lcaping over the table hefOre him | dartcd down the stairway The girl was | about to follow when suddenly she re l membered that her pocketbook contain 1 ing pair Of little diamond earrings was l in tho pocket of her street dress. hanging | in the work room closet, and ran back to | rescue it. Leon leaped after her, crying l out, ''Rachel!' From somewhere in tho l obscurity her voice answered, "Heren' At l that moment the floor beneath a heavy safe in tEe front of the loft above gave way, and the ponderous mass of metal l crashed through, carrying away the stairs leading to the street and bringing down an avalanche of fire that lighted up the l office and part of the shop nearest it. Rachel uttered shriek of terror, and find. | ing herself near Leon fell upon his breast, l screaming: Save me, Leon! Save mel" "Of course I will," answered tho con- sciously strong man coolly. Don't get excited"
 It was a rash promise. The stairs were gone. It was no longer possible to reach the front windows, where there were fire | escapes. They were on the sixth floor, and the flames were advancing swiftly. Burst ing open with his shoulder an unused door | to rear shop on the same floor, from
 which the inmates had already escaped, Leon carried the half fainting girl to the rear windows, which overlooked an alley.
 Except that they were little farther from
 the fire, their situation was not much i'm proved. No fire escape was on the back of the building. and it was doubtful if ladders could be raised to them at that height | there. fr1SnteneO 1aceS meU them aG All
 the windows of the building opposite, and
 cries Of sympathy greeted their appearance.
 Leon's quick eye noted a long rope dan-
 gling against the wall fronting him, one
 rigged by some painters to hoist scaffold,
 and he cried, "Tie a line to that rope, 6
 weight at the other end and throw it to
 mel" What he asked was done as quickly
 as possible, and he drew the rope to him.
 By this time the fresh air had restored
 Rachel's courage, and she stood firmly by
 Leon's side on the sill of the window from
 which he had torn out the sashes to give
 them room. "See nowW he said to heI
 five will swing across by this rope, but moi
 straight, for at the point have to grasp
 1t on this side it will carry us down to
 that fifth story window, which we must
 burst through. Put my coat around youl
 head to shield your face from the glass
 and keep your hands covered. So now
 make ready"
 With his strong right hand he graspe6 i the rope. His left arm firmly embraced
 her waist, and even in that moment o
 deadly peril he was conscious of thrill o
 intense pleasure from the contact. Like [
 meteor their two bodies darted down ant
 across the alley, burst with crash through
 the window at which he had aimed theil | flight and rolledon the floor inside in safe
 ty. Leon received some ugly cuts from thu
 glass he went through, but would hay,
 been able to go to work the next day Rachel, though quite unhurt, worked nt
 more at the lathe. As Mime. Shappira sh