Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-07-17
THE MILL sPRITE.
BY CHARLES NJ. uARaHn.

BY CHARLES NJ. HARGER,
The great stone Touring mills OF the
northwestern wheat region have little
about them to remind one of the modest
structures that clatteringly turn into
flour the farmers grain in the country
districts farther east. There are nc
farmers driving up to the door and UNI
loading dusty sacks of yellow wheat
while they chat with the miller. Whole
freight trains instead, puff their noisy
way under the massive archways into
the building and car after car is
enptied in twinl,ling, each one dis
charging its load through trap-doo1
in it's floor. Then the cars, having been
almost as quickly loaded with flour as
they were emptied of grain, are pushed
on through another great stone arch
way, and go forth to carry the product
to eastern markets.
IL the Perthton mill there was general.
ly one onlooker as the trains unioaded
who took no part in the work. Annie
the little crippled daughter of the JAM.
tor, limped up and down the platform,
in and out of the mill. us well us her
lameness would allow. Brakemen, en-
gineers and shippers all had pleasant
word for her. THE mill-sprite," one
engineer of poetic turn of mind had
called her; and she went by that name,
even among those who did not know
what the phrase meant,
About midsummer q new superin=
tendent, Mr.. Griswold, came to the mill.
Aren't you afraid of being caught
in the machinery?" he asked one hot
evening, when he found Annie perched
on wide beam watching the wheat
flow downward like golden river.
NO; I've always lived in the mill,
and go everywhere" she answered.
Might and day, too?'
Eyes, it's pretticr at night" she an.
swered, simply; and the superintendent,
whose heart sometimes swelled with adj
! miration when the great structure was
lighted with electricity, agreed with
her.
He stopped moment to watch the
swinging lever which, at pull from an
assistants hand, pushed back the heavy
cover to the deep bin, and allowed car
load of new wheat, fresh from the
prairies. to flow like q torrent into the
receptacle.
"'Twould be death to be under that
shower" Mr.. Griswold said, half to him
self, and passed on.
A few evenings afterward, when she
was left alone by her father in the JAM
tors nest-Iike qualsters in the trout OF
the mill, Annie's thoughts called up
this remark of the superintendent
about the stream of wheat. Just then
she heard a low, rumbling sound in the
distance. Another train of wheat was
coming. 1t would be unloaded in tho
night. She started for the door to see
it roll past, and glide out along dark
wall toward the tracks.
Just before she came to corner she
heard low voices from around the turn.
Two men were whispering hoarsely,
hIhe last night of the month always
bringsit, you KNOW one said.
Eyes, but how can we get it7 TIL
watch will be on"
"That's all right. I've been studying
the thing, an the superintendent is
here alone tonight. The office men are
sick"
The roar of the train was coming
nearer, and the men raised their voices.
hlIe may show fight an ring in an
ALARM" said the second speaker.
mo danger" was the reply. 1t came
so sharply that it seemed to be Kissed
in the others ear. 'It won't take more
than a minute to settle him. Wen jest
wait till tn train is in, an"
"Whir! whizz! came the noisy freight.
The engine threw out millions of sparks
as it tugged up the incline, and all
sounds but its roar We're drowned.
Nothing was distinguishable until the
long line of laden ears had disappeared
beneath the black arch in the wing of
the mill, and then Annie heard again:
Don't get scared now-it'll work all
right" Then the voices ceased.
Presently she peeped anxiously
around the corner. Nothing was Wis
ible now butthe silent, dark walls, with
CLEANS of light coming through the
scores of windows,
These men We're going to rob Mr..
Griswold! She must so and warn him.
But whatever they meant to do, it would
happen when the train was in" And
already it had come to standstill on
the dump platform.
Annie seized her bonnet, to protect
her brown hair from the flying -four,
and not daring to go outside and at
tempt to climb the long railway trestle
in the darkness, turned through small
door into the depths of the mill and
started for the superintendent office.
Mr.. Griswold was not there. The
doors of the safe in which the money
was kept were closed, and she reflected
that the small night force was prob
ably assisting in the unusual task of un-
loading the train at that hour.
Out of the Office she hurried, and talk
ing the upper floor because she knew
its windings better, and there were few
e;' belts and shafts, she turned in the
direction Of the great bins. Another
roar told of a second cars disposal, and
she caught her breath little CO she
trenblcd lest she should be too late.
AT last she turned q corner in the
tangled path she was following, and
wheat bins. A line of beams led toward
the cleaning electric lipht Mt the for