The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-03-02

lady sir, as a keepsake" Once wo
man had been caught in the act o.
nnscrewing nut for "a souvenir;
another had sent him bill for OF
spilled on her dress. And yet with al
these warnings he was frittering ava,
his time and making endless trouble
for himself. Confound It! Would she
never finish telephoning? He'd onl.
take her through the model-room ant
the stock-room and the testing-depar
- BY Jove, this was Tuesday. No
machine would be running on test!
He flung up the window as a mar
passed before it.
"Boltwood." he cried, "tell the fore
man in the test-shop to start up one
binding and one grilling mach
No. don't bother about it, he added
abruptly. 1--WE changed my mind"
The window closed with bang, ant
he turned to find Leslie seated quietly
at the desk.
"If you're ready" he began, "1l
take you through the place now"
The words were ungracious. and hi
knew It, He almost feared she woult
apologize for troubling him, and wher
she merely nodded her readiness h,
almost thanked her as he held oper
the heavy door.
They passed through the clerical
offices and the covered passage con-
Meeting the buildings without speak
ing. At the threshold of the forge
shop he paused as though about to
warn her of something, then changed
his mind and showed open the iron
door. The noise which up to this point
had seemed deafening to her, now
burst like a whirlwind from a dozen
different points, crashing. shrieking.
thudding, 5craping. squeaking, and
hammeriDg. For an instant she hesi-
tated, and her hands moved instinct
lively to her ears. Then she looked up
at Kennard, caught him glancing at
her curiously, and then without a ges-
ture stepped inside the pandemoniac
chamber
Leslie followed her guide down the
long passage without attempting to
speak, almost afraid to breathe. Ken
nard was joined every now and then
by foremen, who asked questions in
or shouted in his ear
words inaudibie to the nearest by
stander. But he marched on without
pausing, pointing in answer or below
Ing back replies. There were men
on every side, before the forges, at the
bellows, at the furnaces, and move
ment everywhere. Sometimes the shad-
Owy workers absorbed in their labor
did not notice the presence of the boss,
but when they did there was always a
pleasant smile or nod for the tall,
grave man striding along before his
guest. At last they reached the end
of the room and passed through d
door into another short connecting
passage. The cool air and diminished
noise were like a sudden release from
bodily pain, and Leslie almost gasped
her relief. Kennard paused as he
closed the door.
You would prefer to 60 outside now
and sit down for a moment, would
you not?" he asked. Almost every
woman does"
The tone was courteous, but the
words stung her like a challenge.
Let me be one Of the exceptions
to prove the rule, won't you, please?"
she answered quietly.
They passed into the machine shop.
alive with moving fingers and arms of
iron and steel, throbbing with the
revolutions of giant wheels,
resonant with the singing Of motors
saws, and lathes. They stopped before
a steel Titan, holding In its grasp a
mighty pillar of iron, which II shifted
and clutched, turned and twisted as
easily as a man would roll pencil.
Now 1t placed its iron fingers on the
surface of the shaft, while an unseen
hand revolved 1t swiftly until the
fingers, lifting lightly as a piano-play-
er's, showed the indentations of a
thread" Once more 1t was lifted,
shifted, and clutched, and the fingers
descended, combing the iron surface
with relentless, steady touch. All
around little wheels were turning
some swiftly, some slowly; pistons
were raising and lowering their heads,
putting out tiny jets of steam, SEEM
ing to play hide-and-seek with levers
and balances darting and retreating on
every side to the clicking Of hidden
tongues.
Leslie looked at the workmen who
lowered about this monster, watch
ing it with almost loving care.
These men understood this Thing,
could check and control 1t, knew what
1t meant when ii panied and what II
said when It Kissed its mighty breaths.
Did she know anything as perfectly as
these men who slipped in and out
among these wheels and levers and
bars? How impotent she felt before
it, how ignorant, incompetent and
idle! And this man beside her, whose
seriousness she had thought pose
and whose awkardness had amused
her-he controlled the whole vast
mechanism of this business. That was
life worth living; that was accom-
plishing something in the world.
In the power-room workman was
crawling along the top Of the engine
touching little pin-holes with the point
OF his long-stemmed oil-can. 1t was
fascinating to see him step over the
moving wheels and between the flash.
ing pistons, intent upon his work
never glancing at his feet but feeling
his way along with the sureness OF
thorough knowledge. She was sup.
posedly educated, and yet all these
things were as mysterious to her as
She heard Kennard,s shafp com.