The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1908-05-30

Then he heard q quick step down the
Marshland lane. The colonel came
Into the open space at the mouth Of
the lane carrying . ride.
Irwin Grey!" called the colonel
with a strange metallic sound in his
deliberate words. III you have .
God. look to him now!"
The man on the horse looked up
suddenly with an oath: the rife rang
out The man clutched at the horn
Of the saddle. reeied. steadied him
self. There was an omnibus click
click of the colonels repeater.
"Don't!" called the man hoarsely.
holding up his hand.
Even as he spoke the rife fred
again. The man plunged headlong
into the dusty road.
The colonel turned grimly, misera-
bly,, and walked slowly toward his
home. In the road he left a dead
man and q splotch of blood-soaked
mud; In the bushes. q little negro.
his white eyes starting from his head.
his stout little body shaking horribly.
uimOot poIdlyL ECU VIII ACaI.
This was the scene to which Big
Jack referred for an answer to his
question. what to DO to Henry Led.
better.
He had just swallowed the last
bite Of the neighbor woman's lunch
when the foreman approached him.
big Jack, the superintendent says
you are to 60 on top Of the furnace
after dinner. The man up there was
knocked out by the gas"
Big Jack stretched his mighty arms
In yawn and drew them slowly
double. The great biceps balled and
swelled till 1t was larger than the
giants black, bull-like neck. "All
right. subj" said the negro, Lastly.
Thinking had made him tired.
The furnace IL an Unsuitable mon
ster. All day long men pace the great
iron platform. 200 feet in the air,
and feed into its flaming jaws great
barrows Of coke, iron ore. limestone,
and still 1t belches out its hot, poi
sonous breath and roars for more.
When Big Jack stepped from the
elevator to the high platform, he saw
Henry Ledbetter lounging against the
iron railing. looking at the view be-
meath him. The beautiful scene had Its
dim appeal to the muiatto. There
was something pleasing to him In the
broad, yellow river winding from pur.
pie horizon to purple horizon, between
high white cliffs crowned with green
cry.
! re mulatto looked up and saw Big
Jack. Come up here to he'p2" he
called, genially. DE oil lady KANT
knock you out, kin she, Big Jack?''
The furnace is the "cf lady with all
the furnace hands.
The giant made no reply, only
scowled at the mulatto, seized the
handles of his barrow and pushed II
easily toward the smoking furnace
mouth.
Ledbetter looked askance at his
huge helper. Why had Big Jack
\ stopped speaking? For two negroes to
Z stop speaking is like two nations
recalling their ministers, tantamount
/ to a declaration OF war. Ledbetter
was puzzled. He thought over his
past weeks conduct very carefully
but could find no reason for Big
Jacks attitude. Naturally he re-
membered the incident with the
daughter, but this never occurred to
his mind as a casus belli.
Injury smoldered in Big Jacks
heart, and desire for revenge. The
injury was to his daughter, an injury
! Il behooved him, as man of honor, to
blot out with blood, even as his mas
ter did. years ago. Big Jacks beefy
heart trembled with pride as he felt
himself walking in the colonel's foot
steps. Then he thought of the half
cooked lunch, OF Liza, and his wrath
mounted.
The afternoon wore slowly away.
When working on the platform, II
was one OF Big Jacks delights to run
the steam crane that holds the huge
bell in the mouth of the furnace.
When the bell lowered and the great
dump" dropped into the fire below
the swirling flames, the hot, belching
smoke. the believing roar of che fire
gave the negro passionate pleasure
He felt sense of Mnship for the huge
might displayed. Strength had an ir
resistible attraction for him-liks
loves like.
They had Just dropped the last two
barrows of coke on the bell, and Big
Jack had stepped back to the crane
to drop the fuel in the furnace. Al
the great bell lowered, and the NUT
ned roar of the furnace blared out
into monstrous below, with flames
shooting high above their heads, the
mulatto unconsciously stepped right
between Fog Jack and the fiery cy
close. At this slight offense the wholt
anger of the day flashed suddenly into
fury, catching, as II were, the spirit
OF the furnace. The huge negro trem
bled with his wrath; a DEVILS impulse
seized him, and he stepped swiftly
forward and grasped the yellow mar
by leg and shoulder. Then the mighty
muscles in the giants arms and bach
balled and contracted, the hundred