Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-08

ratchet, it sank suddenly to the ground and turned on it's side.
 A great glowing pool of molten metal poured out on the earthen floor and spread in every direction. A cloud of steam from the damp sand ascended to the rafters. The men knew the dan ger all too well. They had started back at the premonitory sounds, and now they fled instantly, bindly, from the horrible flood.
 The little. boy stood with his back tight against the stone wall wonder ing and thrilled, clasping and unclasp- ing his hands. He was not frightened, but he was fairly sobbing with the ex- citement of this terrific climax to the wonderful sights he had seen. His seyes were confused by the sudden glare of light, and a great wave of awful heat swept over him.
 The first irresistible rush of the fiery wave was checked, but still it spread out slowly in rivulets and branches on every side, like the ten tacles of some hideous monster. Sew eraI of these horrid, glowing arms were stealing toward him, silently,
  one way, then another. He was sur rounded on every side. The little fel- low gave one awful cry of terror and despair, and stood there, trembling and sobbing.
 The men, who had fled instinctively i at the first warnings, had turned now, and were gazing in horror at the ter rible spectacle.
 What could they do? Whatever was done must be done in an instant, for, second by second, the octopus-like arms of fire were creeping toward the boy. There was no time to wait and think out q plan of rescue, and Big George Smith had not waited. Without a word he had rushed to- ward the boy. Men called to him to stop, but he did not hear them, or if he did, he gave no heed.
 Leaping the arms of molten metal, he sprang rearer and nearer the boy. Once he fell short a few inches. The heel of his boot barely touching tke edge of one of the streams, and was cut off as with a knife. @I<S With one last, mighty bound, he reached the boy, and, gathering him in his arms without moments hesi tation, he turned to retrace his steps. 1t was harder now. New streams and branches had formed, and interlaced and made pools of fire. .@-e
 Keeping close to the wall, he hurried
 on desperately. The heat was stifing.
 Measuring with his eye, he leaped from spot to spot of floor yet uncovered, where sometimes only the half of his
 foot could rest, holding the lad high
 and close in his arms. Once he stag
 gered and almost fell into the seeth-
 ing mass. The distance was less than 30 feet altogether that he had to go, but so erratically had the liquid'spread itself that his course was zigzag, here and there, wherever he could gain an instant's footing. To fall, he knew, l meant death in it's most horrible form for himself, and probably for the boy. Out at the edge of the little lake of l fire the men were working like mad with shovels, building dam l of sand and throwing great shov- | eIfuIs on the outer edge of the pool to make a last footing, for l the iron had filled in for several feet 1 from the edge all of the bare spots | which had served for stepping-places | when Smith ran to the rescue but a l moment before. | He was within 12 feet of the edge i now, standing on little hill of sand | where there was only room for one foot to rest, and all around, on every ] side, was a sea of death. There was 1 but one way, and he did not hesitate. I Without pausing an instant, he sprang l as far as he could, splashed for single step into the awful, burning flood, and | staggered into the arms of the men I waiting to receive him.
 The father gathered his boy un- l harmed into his arms, while the men l trained to such emergencies. knelt
 over Big George Smith, tearing away what had once been shoes from what
 had once been feet, and applying the
 first aid" remedies, always at hand. An hour later the surgeon came into ! the office, where the general manager l and the chairman of the board of di-
 rectors sat figuring out the details of
 the ten per cent. increase in wages.
 Well save his feet,'' said the sur.
 geon, cheerily. "A little crippled, but I still pretty good feet. There's man for you!" he continued, with profes-
 sional enthusiasm. Wonderful vital- ] ity! magnificent physique!''
 Strong as horse!" remarked the | general manager.
 "Please don't!a said the chairman
 of the board of directors, gently, and there were tears in his eyes. Don't
 rub it in. The question now is: What
 can we do for Big George Smith?'
 "WelI, Plltell you what I'm going to do,'' said the general manager. "We need another assistant foreman for No.
 3 foundry, and there's no better man
 for the job. He's my choice
 'sEm--em yes" said the chairman,
 musingly. Perhaps that will do-for
 the present. But I can't let you have l him long. I have in mind q little pri-
 Yate enterprise of my own which needs ! just such man as he is, and want to IL IT