Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-01

WOrQ. sif
What are you going to dor asked
Mercy. - III
But Betsey had vanished through the
| door. ri
CHAPTER XVIII
The sun was setting at Betsey Bobbin,
| running as If her life depended on it-much
| more rapidly than she had run to escape
Caleb Cooper that morning when they had
raced to the barn-panted along the side
| walk that led uphill from the station.
Long before she reached "The Express
office she could hear the roar and rattle of
the busy press; the whirring of its wheels,
the slow pounding of its flies upon the
throw-off tables the chug! chug! chug! of
its little engine. She knew what that
pounding meant! She had watched that
press at work more than once; she had
saved the miserable machine from Musser
mat very afternoon. She knew that every
time she heard the trembling stroke another
paper containing the outrageous libel on
the man she Ioved-away above, beyond
herself, she loved him.-had been printed
for circulation to his detriment Every
beat hurt her, as if the machinery had
struck it's blow on her
AS she ran the noise became louder and
louder to her ears, and. finally, with last
desperate squirt, she lodged group of men
gazing Wlde-eyed at paper one of them
held before them in the fading light and
dashed into the office.
The two feeders were intent 11non their
task of pushing the sheets downward on
the inclined tables where they were piled
ana holding each one so that the steel fin
gers on the revolving cylinder would catch
1t accurately by it's edge as they clicked
past. AT the back of the machine a third
man, armed with a long. slender-snouted
on can, was watching the whirring wheels
and trembling framework, putting a drop
mere and drop there, so that every
thing would run smoothly, and there should
be no delay in the printing of the calumny
against an honest candidate. From the
room at the back of the building the regu-
lar chug! chug! of the little steam engine
came rhythmically.
Billy Sucker, all unconscious of the sensa-
tlonal contents of the papers which he had
distributed as he had hurried about the
street, had returned to the Office and alter
nately visited each thrower-off table,
watching the sheets as they descended, and
throwing them in yielding thicknesses of
damp paper over his shoulders to take to
the back room as each pile became consd-
cradle enough for removal.
Betsey stood for second or two watch
ing all this. Then, as Billy made one of
his return trips from the back room, she
beckoned to him. The noise was almost
great enough to drown even shouted words,
but she managed to make him understand.
where's that man HUBBARD" she de-
manded, still gasping from her rapid run.
He In the back room,'' screamed Billy.
tendln to the wrappers for out of town.
We've e just got the town edition printed
Inc lad was visibly proud of his technical
knowledge and felt bit important.
Amt there none been printed to go out
of town yet?" asked Aunt Betsey shrily,
her eyes rowing anxiously about the office,
from the machine and back to it again.
Not yet said Billy. We're Jest goin'
to start on en-.
Betsey's eyes had lighted on a great steel
crank bar four or five feet long which was
used to help the belts by means of lever
age when the press was started. From this
her attention turned to the machine itself
The Whirling cylinders on which the paper
was carried were in it's center and the
platen bed on which the type was locked
slid heavily back and forth beneath it, taxi
ing one sheet on the forward and one upon
the backward journey She could see the
whirling cylinder through the open spaces
in the iron framework of the press
Jest goin' to start emf said Aunt Bet
s seiy to herself and not to Billy. well, now.
III bet you ANTI
1 can show you if you want to see how
the press works, said Billy proudly
"All right do" shouted Betsey Bobbn.
Her eyes were fixed firmly on that lever
par; and she sided toward it as she
spoke. There was no one to see her except
Billy, for the two men up on the press had
their backs toward her. 1t was already
dark up there on top of the machine and
OIL lamps with tin refectors above them
threw the light downward on their work
alone, scarcely leaving the space at the bot
tom OF the press in anything more than
dusky gloom.
Billy intent upon his task as exhibitor
of the wonders of the press was point
ing and saying things to her which she did
not catch.
Slowly she worked her way toward that
lever bar, watching him warily to be sure
that he did not guess at her intention
Nearer, nearer, she was to it. Neareri
Nearer! Now she let her skirt swing be-
tween it and Billy, that he could not see
that her right hand grasped it.
The roar and rattle of the press was over
all, occasionally pierced by the boys shrill
treble he shouted out the explanation of
some detail to her He started to go
around to the other side of the press to
point out some other wonder to her there,
and beckoned. She nodded, and, supposing
she was following, he disappeared behind
the great machine.
That was her opportunity No one was
watching her, and that lie about her Caleb
should not be printed any more With
quick motion of both hands she grasped the
lever bar firmly. Then she changed her
position in a fash, so that she was directly
in front of that part of the machine where
the cylinder was whirling behind the solid
iron framework.
Another motion and the bar was poised
in her hands as lance is poised in the
hands of a charging soldier. Another and
it had flashed through, between the up
rights in the framework straight between
the cylinder spokes.
There was a crash, dull, grinding, rip
ping roar; a shrieking of belts and damned
pulleys; cry from the pressmen, one of
whom knocked his lamp down and fell from
the stand Then a final, smashing crash
and the press was STILL
And, as it stopped one of the belts, over
strained by the strain upon it, brought
down from the ceiling of the room the belt
ing the shafting, and the whole continuance
of steel and leather which had Joined the
press and its motive power.
In its fall the long, round metal shaft
struck Billy in the temple, as he rushed
out from behind the press again, and he
went down without q cry.
Betsey sprang for him and would have
gathered him in her strong arms had not
Henry Hubbard rushed from the rear ROOM
where, as Billy had said, he had been busy.
The first train by which he could leave
Toms River would not go for an hour, and
the man had felt that it would attract less
attention for him to follow the regular rou-
tine of the office work than 1T would do for
him to loiter about the streets or railroad
station.
The first unusual sound from the press
room had attracted his attention, and the
noise of the crashing ironwork had brought
him out with a quick rush. Now, on the
scene of the confusion; ne gaZed for an in
slant at the press and. cursed loudly. But
the words had barely left his lips when he
saw Betsey bending over Billy on the floor,
and with a frightened cry he snatched him