Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-06-19
"GoinG DOWN." asked Bale,


George nodded and looked about
him, rather evading Bales eye thar
not, said an indifferent thing or two
about the weather and SO on, ant
went his way.
"Ting!" said the little bell. Bale
handled his levers, and watched the
dial face.
"I could smash him like an egg,
said Bale, ''and not living creature
would think it was anything but an ac
cident."
Georges mind was in his work, aud
he had no guess of what was passing
in thoughts of the man who at the in
stant controlled his destinies. The
descending skip swung to it's stopping
place like feather. The married man
stepped out and made his way along
the workings in pursuit of his own busi.
ness. The bachelor above ground
folded his smeared arms across his
chest, planted his back against an iron
upright which ran from floor to ceiling,
and pulled at his pipe, awaiting the
next signal.
"Here, YOU" he shouted to the boy
who passed the door. "What do you
mean by letting all this cotton-waste
lie about here? Clear it out"
"Allright, galfer," said the boy. 'In
q minute"
Ting" said the little bell Bale
set down his pipe, and took the levers.
The pipe fell over. When his i'm
mediate task was finished he looked
for it, and could not find it. He raked
the cotton-waste here and there with
his foot No pipe. Bale cursed a lit
tie to relieve his feelings. "Ting!'
said the little bell, and he went back
to his work. He swung the skip up,
the careful eye seeking the dial every
now and then. Being free once more,
he began his search again. He kicked
the oily waste savagely, and all at once,
as if it had been living thing, flame
broke out at him. He raced swiftly to
the door and shouted "Fire" "Ting!
ting! ting! ting a-lingle-l -ling-ling!"
The little bell was mad.
"Shaft atirer roared n voice from
the side of the distant downcast.
my God!" said Bale, and dashing
back to the engine house, he fought
wildly with the growing flames. He
stamped out the blazing waste, and
turned again to his levers. Round
spun the shining wheels. Smooth and
steady went piston and crank, round
crept the hand on the dial. He looked
behind him and the floor was smoul-
dering.
"Fire here!' he shouted. "Engine
house atiren'
"Ting!" said the little bell. There
were hundred and fifty men below,
and he was their one helper. He
obeyed the bell, and then rushed once
more into the open, trumpetting with
all his lungs.
"Help here! Help! Engine house
afire!''
"Ting!" said the bell. The floor was
crumbling with flame, and the partition
wall had caught. 1t was built of thin
wood, and was dryer than tinder. The
fire ragged, and he was back at his lev
ers in the midst of it--scorched,
choked, blinded. Then help came with
roar of voices. "Tiug!' said the
inexorable bell. He heldon to his post,
fighting against death. Outside, men,
formed in line, passed buckets from
hand to hand. and the contents being
dashed upon the flames filed the room
with scalding steam. He could not
see the dial any longer, but he worked
by instinct, aud the instinct never be-
trayed him once. Ting aud the
first stage of the cage was filled with
rescued men. "Ting!' and the sec
ond stage was filled. "Ting" and
the third stage was filled. Then he
tore her up like fire, checked her,
coaxed her. stopped her to foot.
Ting and cling" and "Ting' and
the three stages were empty, and that
batch of thirty was back to life again.
Then he sent her down like stone,
and lived along the plunge in his own
mind until he felt she should be there.
Instinct proved true again by the
bells voice.
His body was in hell, but his soul
leaped with passionate intoxication
of revolt and mastery to defy its pains.
The men outside dashed water on his
burning clothes. They howled ap-
plause at him. Some among them
wept as they cheered, and one went
shrieking, with both hands writhing
in the mir, as if he himself were tor
tured.
1t was all done at last, and there
went up cry of triumph terrible to
hear. Bale reached the open air
charred, blackened, scarce human
to look at, and as he fell into the
nearest comrades arms the roof of the
engine house dropped in. They car.
ried him to the nearest cottage, and
nll that could be done for him was
done. He was conscious to the end,
aud he made shift to ask for Selma
She came, her mother with her.
81 wanted you to know" said Bale.
81 could't ha' gone through with it il
your George hadn't been down.
Selma stopped and kissed him, her
tears raining OH his face.
There, there" said Bale. "That's
the end of it ALL"
God has made nothing stranger
than man, to be blackguard aud hero,
devil and angel in breath. New
York journal.
Eafher Of E0yaItips.