The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-03-16
you've never seem him in the lab
d ought not to miss it."

you've never seem him In the lab
ID ought not to miss it."
f'How did he lose his sight" Cald-
we'll asked eagerly of the young fellow,
who, with a hand on Kirke's chair,
was~accompanying them down the slop.
ing aisle. Tom rejoiced within him.
self that it was all happening so natur-
ally. If stranger told the story 1t
would not look to Caldwell so much as
if Tom had meant to read moral to
him.
"Got hurt in lab explosion" the boy
said. Freshman making carbon mon
oxid-sulphuric and oXalic acids In the
generator, you know. Chump left out
the safety bottle-had the burner too
high-opened a window. Wentworth
came in and saw him with his head
over the retort-fame blowing one side
in the wind-January wind. He
jumped to disconnect, gave the fellow
shove one side just quick enough to
save him. and got that awful explosion
in his own face. AIkali, you see, drawn
back into the acids by the generator
cooling too quick in the zero wind. No
safety bottle between"
Caldwell nodded. his face full OF in
tense interest. They were at the lab
oratory door. The student went on in
whisper.
II saw it all. don't like to remem-
Der how he suffered-''ith the pluck Of
bulldog all the time. Eyes blown
full Of glass as well as acid-face hor-
ribly burned. Never saw ray Of light
again. Freshman wanted to die-to his
credit. Wentworth made a chum OF
him. Well have to hurry. He never
loses a minutes time himself, or lets
any one else lose it for him. This
way"
The next half-hour passed for Cald-
well in haze of delight. He was less
conscious of his pleasure-although
that was very great-in the somewhat
remarkable experiments which were
made under Professor Wentworth's
direction, than in the recognition OF
the great and noble spirit Of the man
himself
Alert in every sense but one; eager
as boy to prove what he had asserted;
intimately interested in the class itself.
down to its individual members. with
whom he showed perfect familiarity,
calling upon one and another to note
various steps Of the work in confrma-
ton or refutation of their personal no
tions concerning 1.-THE was the genius
of the place, a dominating personality,
which it was an inspiration to >each
mind within its influence to know.
"Glad you enjoyed it." said the young
man who had brought them in. Were
os proud Of him here we never lose
chance to have others appreciate him.
He never lets up on himself. Takes
his cold tubs and his dumbbells just
the same, and tramps miles with one
or another of us every day. We count
it treat to go, you know"
Tom Thorpe kept Caldwell until the
class had nearly gone, and the professor
was left with his assistants, making
ready to 60 to the next duty. Then ne
wheeled his friend up to the blind man
and made blunt introduction which
came from his heart:
Professor Wentworth, this Is my
friend, Kirke Caldwell, an electrical
engineer, who was in my class. He
can't give you his right hand, because
he tried to save the life Of one OF his
men last February, and lost hand
and foot and-some other things. l
want"
The strong left hand Of Maurice
Wentworth had found Kirke's long be-
fore Tom had struggled thus far. His
face had lightened instantly at Tom 8
description with a peculiar tenderness
of sympathy which as long as he lived
Kirke never forgot.
"a handicap" he said, his fine lips
smiling. "!Ah, then we shall see what
YOU are really made Of. Electrical en-
sineering-and your brains are LETT
you. Let the other men put on the
rubber gloves; it's you who can solve
their problems for them"
All the way home Caldwell sat star
ing out of the car window with eyes
which took no note of the April land
scape. Just budding into beauty. Tom
Thorpe sat and read newspaper up
side down, and hardly dared so much
as glance at him. In the pale face
grew and grew the thing Tom had
longed to see there-courage.-fouths 3
Companion.