Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-10-13

on with his new meat market.
At this point Peter Baird wen
into the storage shed back of bis
main bulldiDg to fill az OiI.can thai
had been sent IN from a prOspec
tots camp, and this was a lucky
circumstance.
In the twlnkling of an oye The
store was rent aud shaken as ifs
very Vesuvius had broken loose
under 1t and in one or two mort
twlnklings McHale's ballroom, OF
the opposite street corner, sudden
~ spilled meu out Of every door
That was where the largest piece
OF stone struck.
When his employer cautiously
app cached the shattered store
very white as to the face aud with
knees not to be depended on, IngaT
gravely explained the eruption
that had Just taken place. IL dis
posing of the r. rtfractory boulder
he had wished to put bis newly
acquired knowledge OF explosives
into effect. From supply store
he had obtained a miners "stickD
of dynamite, which looks very
much like a tallow candle, and
with it the necessary fuse and
Illuminating caps. With these 1t
was bis design TO shatter the one
and surprse Mr.. Bard state
meut that caused loud laughter
aud cheers.
lyon done it, me boy, you done
it." Yelled Pat McH IIe, who had
inst arrived, loudly demanding to
know whom he bad to thank for
drOppf0g three hundred pounds of
very ordinary stone upon his
premises. Even Peter Bard slap.
ped IngaT On tine back aud called
him "a blrd,0 bnt the Swede never
knew what he meant.
fngar had placed the dynamite
under the boulder, attached the
cap and fuse, and then applied the
match. He had notion that when
he returned he would find the
stone conveniently broken IutO
small pieces, like the ore at the
mine, and his chagrin was keen
that the explosion should have
made such IA mess OF the buildlrg.
lie did not make the statement at
the time, but secretly held the
opinion that it would have been n
successful operation had he used
only half the "stick,' Mr.. Baird
patched up his store and ordered
a new stock OF crockery.
After that tie supply men were
not disposed to sell Ingar dyn a
mite. One day, however, he per
chased son G tor the declared pur
pose OF blOwlpg out stumps, at the
sane time engaging In solemn
terms not employ any of the dan
gerous substance in the course Of
ar.digging.
Ingar had lOdsins at large
clearinghouse on the outskirts ct
the town, where miners and other
workmen were Quartered, and III
walking down the street with his
formidable purchase he thought OF
particular offensive stump on his
landlords premises. This stuUp,
remnant of a giant pine, so firmly
rooted that it bad resisted all or.
binary meth, ds OF extraction, was
a nuisance aud an eYesore.
Ingar recalled perfecIly that tie
force of dynamite was expended
vertically. tor he had proved this
20 his satisfaction In BaiTd's cellar,
where the stone certainly went
up ward and exhibited no tendency
toward horizontal movement. Re-
asonlug thus, it was clearly safe 10
blow up the landlords stump,
which must IDfailisOly be lifted,
broken and dropped upon the
neighboring land.
This, like the other attempt, was
to be a surprise, aud owing to the
mpressiye size Of the stump, and
to guard against failure, lngal
placed two sticks under it.
That stump was blown squarely
through the clearinghouse, from
side to side, and Ingar, who had
rrtreated to a safe distance 10 watch
the explosion, fled from what be be
Ieyed to be a scene Of death
Faith had dained, however, that
a; the supreme moment the land
lord and his wife should be IN The
kitchen, engaged in high aIterca-
lion With the COOK, anu no one was
in the front of the house, which
was the part devastated by the
neteOric stump.
In The instant of shock, the cook
departed in a cloud OF dust, and re-