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

plOsive they regarded him as
dangerous theOrist aud he coul'
not buy dynamite in any store OF
the range.
In spite ofall this it was anothe
sort Of experience that gave tht
Norseman lasting fame. 1t hap
pened one day when the new pow
derhouse had just been completed
on spur of the mine hill anC
among the only trees that had bteI
left standing on The ''lOcatlOn."
Some Italians were engaged II
transferring the powder and dy na
mite from the temporary to the new
store house, and one OF them care
lessly lett the door of the new
building open,
Coming up the bill, the men had
to turn a ledge of rock before they
could see the new magazine, whit h
was covered with corrugated iron
and freshcOated with red paint
Ou the first trip up, after the care
less man bad blundered about the
door, the party passed the ledge
and came upon "a sight at which
every man turned white.
Through tue open door, not a
hundred feet away, seTenely exam.
inlDg the deadly stores strewn all
about was Master Norman Roberts,
aged SIX years, son OF the mile
superintendent. ii 5 sister, t0iliug
up the path aud calling his name
the cblld's presence
there.
Master Norman at the moment
when he was discovered, had pos.
sessed himself CT r--~1 dozens Of
Eliminating caps, q he thought
we're excellent plsythlags, and had
scattered the bright brass literally
on the floor.
The situation was desperate.-
Within the space of "a few feet were
hundreds OF pounds OF every sort
of high explosive, from ordinary
'gian." to the most terrific comb.
nations OF nltrogllcerlne. The con-
cussion of an exploding cap, of tie
sort with which the lad was play
ing, meant death and destruction
to every soul on the hill.
The Italian who first got view
Of the situation went down upon
his kneeS--sOmew what gingeIly, to
De sure, Tor he had twenty pounds
Of dynamite in his hands. \ dOZ-
en- men huddled together behind
him, afraid to s,artle the boy by a
sound, last they might hasten the
moment when those childish feet
would annihilate them, and not
daring to run because they could
not get away from so much dlna-
mite. Besides there was the su-
perintendents little boy.
lngar Nelson, swinging up the
nill Ou bis way to the powder
house, where his brother now work.
Q !, saw the shrinking group and
hurried to them. One of the fore.
men del egated to watch the filling
of the powder.house had recovered
himself enough to signal fTantlcally
to Norman's approaching sister,
She, astonished by the earnest
pantomIme and not diviniDg its
cause, stopped on the hillside aud
ceased to Gail her brothers name.
Iugar understood the instant he
arrived, tor he knew something
about dynamite now. He stopped
a moment and scrat ched bis head
The circumstance did not seem to
favor conversation, and besides,
Ingar was rather tacitUrn man
so after an inslant's pause, in alb.
solute silence, he tIptOed steadily
toward the open door.
Little Norman had his back
turned to the interested spectators
OF his play, and was joNously Toss
Ing his new found pIaythings abou :
The men in the path bent forward
until their trembling fingers almost
touched the ground. Ole cannot
avoid some nervous agitation when
he approaches a baoy who is play
ing with illuminate among cases OF
miro gly cerine, and the palms Of
Iugar's hand we're moist before he
had made many steps.
Softly he stole TO the door. Nor
mau was babbIlng merIily aud
thinking 1t all fiue fen, when he
was Suddenly gripped by the back
of his waist. A powerful arm rails
ed hin, struggling and crying with
fright, and held blm high above
rbe dangers with which the floor
was spread. Then IDgar, tossing
he tiny figure upon his shoulder
pranced down the hill, relieving