St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-07-02
None Of that white-hot liquid stream
must escape and strike anything damp

none OF IndL Wn1Ie-0Ol uQu1O SIleau
must escape and strike anything damp
or else
Seton Holder. sharply outlined
against tie birding glare of the molten
steel, smiles grimly as the sparks fall
in brilliant showers round him, and lit
/ tie thinks that at the moment he forms
1 a vivid human target For Jack Simp-
son, black hatred in his heart, is glanc-
ing along the barrel of his revolver,
with his finger trembling on the trig-
ger and his soul trembling on the verge
of that awful precipice, murder! An
almost uncomfortable passion to end
things then and there takes possession
Of him. Still, better to wait little
while and then-the top entrance, and
face to face in his Office. The draw
ings are there. Who can guess what
card Holder will play when faced with
a climax? Best to come armed, any
way. And If the pistol has to be used,
why, what feeble spark it will be
amidst all this roar and flame and
changing stir. How terrified Jess would
be If All, he will soon be away
now.
The furnaces are empty and the
| bucket, containing many tons OF
molten steel, is being carried over to
| the mold. Seton Holder stands upon
an iron box about three feet from the
ground level, and is ready to give the
final order to remove the bucket-plug.
| Then suddenly he looks up at the
chains above and shouts with horror
One of the side pivots is bending,
| the men as they rush for the door, and
that mighty cauldron of Kissing, seeth-
ing steel turns over and runs like q
fiery lake on the floor. Swift as some
bursting dam 1t darts its fiery way, fed
deeper by the swinging bucket. Seton
Holder, looking which way to escape,
pauses a moment too long. Like =
flash the metal surrounds the mold he
is on and he stands, as 1t were, on an
iron island amid a lake of white-hot
running steel. Above the noise and
confusion he hears some one scream
ing: run for your lives"
Run? Yes, but how can he cross this
burning moat? The heat is terrific.
He sees the steel forcing a channel
down to number five pit, which con-
tains water If it reaches there-the
thought sets him shuddering. Have
they all escaped but him? The heat
is scorching, suffocating, and it will
take hours for this mass of steel to
cool and set-hours; why, long before
that he will be literally baked alive.
Will none of them come to save him?
No, no; they will not risk the explosion
until it is too late. The growing fear
of a horrible death overwhelms him,
and he screams with terror. Then
some one dashes through the door,
beats his way through the hands that
try to stop him, runs nimbly up the
foot-ladder and along the wide baulks
that hold the rails for the crane.
Look, he is clinging now to the
chain. Lower" he shouts, and lower
he comes; down, down, until he swings
as close to that terrible liquid bed as
the men he is trying to save. "For-
ward!" he roars, and there is the click
Of levers, the hiss of steam, and the
rattle of the ponderous crane. Hold"
he screams, as he lurches forward,
seizes Holder, and clings to him with
wonderful strength. For moment ii
seems as though both must slip and
crash to their doom, and then, tightly
n11
are swung clear Of the burning lake.
and on into safety. And the last thing
Seton Holder notes ere he sinks into
inconsistencies Is confused babel OF
voices, and above them all some one
loudly clamoring for cheers for brave
Jack Simpson.
For week Jack Simpson lay &C.
lirious-a week of great anxiety and
terrible tension to his wife. Over and
over again had he gone through the in.
cidents Of that memorable night. In
his wanderings she learnt of the dark
purpose he had brooded upon; how he
had seen the awful position Seton
Holder had been placed in; how, at
sight Of fellow-creature in such hor-
rible danger, he had cone to his nor
NAL senses, flung the pistol from him
and resolved to save this man who he'd
schemed to wreck his happiness
"Jess," he said, almot the first in.
telligent words he spoke as he chung
to her in recognition; II didn't do it;
thank Heaven, didn't do it,
flush, dear" she said, .'you never
could have done it; your nature would
not let you. No one knows but us and
the doctor that you were SO cruelty
tempted. And we are all to forget
that. Let us start now and never refer
to 1t again"
Daddy" cried Miss Beatrice Simp
son, running to his bedside, why don:
you get better? There's such a lot Of
nice fings waiting for you"
EYES," said her mother, and I have
a letter to read when you are strong
enough"
s'If it is good news" he said, with q
feeble smile, I've the strength of a
giant now" st
1T is a long letter." she said, "and
the Doctors orders are strict. But its
chief contents are that Fairlow's wish |
to buy your new process and the price |
they offer is s1,50o. They also wish to
know If you will undertake to put II
into operation and run it at their
American works at q. salary Of,
She paused.
Don't kill me with Kindness" he
said.
"Bfg boats go to 'Merica," interrupt
ed Miss Beatrice, with the usual alert
n noc Of v0,,nu ovoo ond 1,ounr ooro