The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-07-14

sell, Tor she hardly dared say 1t to an
other, Bale was so hagrantly sinner.
"He's got the very look of his father on
him. 1t might be printed on his back
and be no palmer reading. Ruined
daredevil. It's wrote large all over
him. But he's q beautiful figure of a
man to look at yet, an if iver a ohild's
heart was i the right place, that child's
was when he was child"
George Truman and Selma Rice
were cried in church, but of this Bale
knew nothing, for he did not mix with
church-going people. But George and
Selma were married, aud that fact
came to his hearing. Except Selma
and her mother and Bale himself, no
soul had an idea that it concerned him
in the least.
The married pair took up residence
in their own house after three days
trip, and George Truman went back to
the Office of the mining engineer who
employed him. Bale drove his engines
at the mine, the Three Crowns Yard;
and year went by. Then the two
men met again, Bale in his laboring
CRIME at the engines, and George in
his more respectable working gear.
"Hallo, Bale, old lad" said the
lucky man, chow art? I've come to
have a business look at things"
"Going down?" asked Bale.
George nodded and looked about
him, rather evading Bales eye than
not, said an indifferent thing or two
about the weather and so on, and
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 on ac-
cident."
Georges mind was in his work, and
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 its 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, gaffer," 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 rakei
the cottonwaste here and there will
his foot. No pipe. Bale cursed a lit
tie to relieve his feelings. "Tingl'
said the little bell, and he went bacl
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, a flame
broke out at him. He raced swiftly t.
the door and shouted "Fire!" cling
tingl ting ting-a-lingle ling ling g-lingl'
The little bell was mad.
"Shaft aire" roared voice from
the side of the distant downcast.
"My Godl" said Bale, and dashine
back to the engine house, he Tough
wildly with the growing flames. H,
stamped out the blazing waste, ant
turned again to his levers. Rount
spun the shining wheels. Smooth ant
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. "EnginC
house afre!"
"Ting" said the little bell. There
were a hundred and fifty men below
and he was their one helper. HI
obeyed the bell, and then rushed once
more into the open, trumpetting will
all his lungs.
"Help here! Help! Engine house
afre!'
"Ting!" said the bell. The floor wa!
crumbling with flame, and the partition
wall had caught 1t was built of thiI
wood, and was dryer than tinder. TIL,
fire ragged, and he was back at his lev
ers in the midst of it-scorched
choked, blinded. Then help came Will
roar of voices. "Tingp said the
inexorable bell. He held on 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 filled the room
with scalding steam. He could no
see the dial any longer, but he worked
by instinct, and the instinct never be
trayed him once. "Ting" and tn,
first stage of the cage was filed witt
rescued men. "Tingl" and the sec
ond stage was filled. ''Tingw ant
the third stage was filled. Then h,
tore her up like fire, checked her
coaxed her, stopped her to a foot
[ Ting" and Ting" and "Ting" anC
the three stages were empty, and tina
batch of thirty was back to life again
Then he sent her down like a stone
and lived along the plunge in his owl
mind until he felt she should be there
Instinct proved true again by In
bells voice.
His body was in hell, but his sou
leaped with a passionate intOxicatiol
of revolt and mastery to defy its pains
The men outside dashed water on hi
I mi