Iron County register., 1898-12-15


his hands from trembling.
''If it is about them car wheels. viii
Fam" he began, in a faltering voice.
Not bit of it," said william, re-
assuringly. 81 had forgotten all about
that never thought anything of it,
anyway. I've been thinking over this
for some time, and I've got it all fixed
up. Sullivan will take your place,
though / know he won't be able to
handle it as well as you. That re-
minds me, Roffey, it's part of the
arrangement that can call on you
at any time and get your advice when
I want it,
"Old Roffey" pulled himself to-
gether with an effort as his daughter
came downstairs and told her he be-
lieved he would take a walk. He put
on his old plush cap and overcoat and
stood still while his daughter brushed
him down energetically with whisk
broom; then he went out and stood
on the sidewalk for a few minutes
looking up and down the street, un-
decided which way he should go. AS
he stood there Hayes, the bartender
at Jim Payson's place, came up and
stopped to offer his congratulations.
They tell me you're a gentleman
now, Mr.. Roffey," he said. Nothing
to do but amuse yourself"
That's it," assented "Old Roffey,"
dryly, nothing to do-but amuse my
self"
You're in mighty big luck" said
Hayes, enviously. "Most of them when
they've worn a man out and amt got
no more use for him turn him off and
let him starve if he amt got nothing
laid by. He must be a good man to
work for, that boss of yours"
Hes all of that" said "Old Rof-
fey" with fervor.
He did not stay out long, however.
He walked up the street and down
the street, and in the course of his
walk he met number of his acquaint-
ances, who felicitated him heartily, but
with the same sort of wistful envy
that the barkeeper had shown. The
old man almost decided that they must
BE- right and that he was lucky. Then
ne went in and smoked thoughtfully
until dinner.
In the afternoon he yielded to the
impulse that had been strong upon
him for days and went over to the foun-
dry. 1t seemed to him as he passed
into the cinder-strewn and sloppy yard
with its stacks of charred TASKS and
litter Of scrap iron that he had been
away for years. Looking up on the
bank at the rear of the building he
saw that the cupola was sending aloft
its sheet of flame, while half a dozen
men were staggering to and from the
mouth of the raging furnace laden with
pig iron and broken castings which
they threw in with mighty heavings
under the direction of Murphy, the fore
man. Murphy barely nodded to "Old
Roffey," and almost Immediately
poured forth blighting stream of pro-
family on the devoted head of one of
the helpers who was in the act of pitch
ing some wrought iron into the cupola.
None of the others made any sign of
recognition. They were too busy.
A minute later he was standing in
side watching the men trotting up with
the hented, clay-lined ladies with the
interested air of one to whom the
sight was new. Charley Stokes was
there, and Scotch Dave, Tom Burton
and Little Pete. Fritz Schuler, the
stubby, dark-browed importation from
the Black forest, was standing with his
long pole poised to poke the clay stop
ping from the cupola spout, and Will
liam was standing behind him. anxious
and obscrvant, but none of them had
a word for him-hardly a look or a
smile-they were all busy.
Let 'er CO." said Murphy, and Schu-
ler's pole launched forward with un-
erring aim. A hiss of flaming gas, a
shower of sparks and the glowing,
molten flood poured out into the ladle,
to be stopped at the exact second of
time by another clay plug. A molder
and helper seized the ladle and bore
it off TO the nearest line of TASKS and
began 10 pour. Other ladies were filled
and emptied and soon the gas was blaz-
ing from hundred vents. throwing gil
gantic, fiickering shadows all about the
long room Then the cranes swung
around their big caldrons and bore
them lightly away, and the air was
filled with pungent fumes and steam
and smoke, through which strange
shapes moved here and there, glowing
and quivering for moment in ruddy
light and then fading away in gray
mist. And "Old Roffey" looked on.
AS he passed out into the cleaning
room, where the men were plying ham,
mers and chisels chipping the jagged,
shell-like edges from the castings, the
old man felt a momentary impulse to
see whether his hand had lost it's cum
ming, but they were all busy and he
had not the courage TO interrupt them.
He would go up to the pattern room.
Sullivan was there. but he was too in
tent on his work at the lathe to notice
his visitor at first. "Old Roffey"
glanced curiously around the room.
was changed but the draught-
ing table; that was moved over to the
window. He looked at his old locker,
and something seemed to be clutching
at his throat. Sullivan's assistant was
off a die pattern with sand
paper, and "Old Roffey" noticed that
be was spelling it, but
Sullivan looked up. why, hello, Mr.
Roffey" he said, cordially. What
brings you up here?"
81 thought I'd kind of take a look
around" said the old man. How are
you getting along?"
"Fine-first rate" replied Sullivan. |
.It's keeping me pretty busy. though"
Andrews, the foreman of the machine |
shop, put in his head at the door Just |
hen and said that he was ready and |
hoA l