The champion. (Arcadia, Fla.) 1895-1911, 1908-03-12

nor nUlnlU llkr llal III III inc men
wasn't that kind least ways most Of
'em wasn't.
"No. we amt a.goin' to hurt mann
mys darlin' - bless his pretty little
heart.-not less he gifts in the way
when he'd better be out of it, says
Tom. with grin. But if the play
thing he's so tlckcd over jest flies to
| flinders some day and the noise scares
! him so that he gives up and runs home
| it'll be the best thing for him and all
the rest Of u.s.
Seemed like nobody doubted he'd be
easy scared, and so the vhlsperin' and
! black looks and secret meetins went
on.
| "Onc day in summer boz was
/ brought into the room where we work
ed. shall always remember that
day, just how everything looEed. ii
had been bright. warm mornn'. hut
about noon 1t clOuded up slowly, ana
every breath of wind died away Not
n leaf moved on the trees.
"Irsidc the mill everything looked
|
queer gray light, Great piles of cast
ms throwed black shadows over the
slippcry door. the long iron shafts was
like hungry arms forever rehrhin
down and DRAWN back empty, and
from under the brick urchway the
round door of the furnace seemed glar-
in out like big red eye.
"Nothin' seemed to go that day the
way folks had calculated. That mis-
crblr little box had no sooner been set
down In the room than somebody call
ed: Hist. Look out" And there was
Boss narlin'. comm back from his din
ner nj an onarthly hour when he's
never been known to come before
He had rose stuck In his buttonhole
aud Hooked like dancin' master goin'
to Il party as | heard Bob mutter as
he slipped the box out of sight under
II pile of stuff at the end of the room.
They couldn't carry out their plan
then. so there wasn't nothin' left for
em but to hide 1t.
"Thc boss looked round kind of
smilin' and pleasant-like. He'd got
that model he was busy with about
into workin' order and he was wonder
full pleased over 1t. And what ala lie
do that day but have 1t brought into
our room. because the weather hnvin
turned gloomy-like there was better
light 10y big window there So there
he STAYED. fussin' over it. just rs II he
was on guard.
Then IL began to thunder, and there
was sudden dash of rain so that jim
Bryce's little girl who had come down
with his lunch basket wouldn't so
home. Jim was II pieceworker and al
ways said he could do twice as much
work in IN afternoon If he had
snack bout o'clock,
"Jim looked sort of uneasy now ana
then when little jimmy d get OIL TO the
back part of the room anyways hiSh
where that box was. But he couldn't
say nOthin'. and maybe there wash
any danger only was sure he didn
like her round there and was glad
when she wandered off into the room
bcyond-a storeroom. where she was
let stay sometimes while she waited
for her fathers basket.
"The storm grew heavier instead OF
lighter till we could hardly see to
work All at once there was blindin
fash Of light and a crash as II the
whole earth was tearin' to pieces. ano
we all started and tumbled In every
direction. The minute we could gel
: our senses and look round we founC
that the whole end of the room was
blowed off and a gully plowed wa!
down to the foundations like as II
bombshell had tore through.
BEYOND that ragged openin th'
great brick wall was still standin', bu
we could see that 1t was swayin' aht
wavln' just ready to fall. I've neve
seen anything look so awful as tina
trenholm wall did. for over on TN
other side Of it run another buildln
where the dnlshin' rooms was and al
hands at work.