The Redwood gazette., 1909-11-10

PlncKney was Snlllng now with re-
lief. He saw he had chance if he
could only get the girl out of the way.
'And you believe such story?' he
protested in hurt tone. why. my
child, O'Leary was delirious. Smith
was drunk and struck him while they
were fghting-a plain, ordinary fight
between hot headed workmen
'What possible reason could l have
for wanting to injure this gun? To
have it a success means as much to
your father and to me as it does to
SomnerS. Think of the reputation of
the plant. of these works. that your
father has spent his life in building
up!
"Why, Sommers is here now looking
after the gun himself. If he were to
hear such a story it might ruin your
fathers business. You don't want to
ruin your fathers business on the
word of a delirious workman, sore on
his foreman for beating him? Don't
you see how wrong you are?'
The girl hesitated. 1t did seem
had been fighting. And then she did
not imagine any one could be so con
temptible as to fight rival in the
way Pinckney must be doing if he
really had planned all that O'Leary
charged.
The girl felt that perhaps she had
been too hasty. She felt just bit
foolish. coming there in Lucy Smiths
clothes and possibly exposing herself
to ridicule before the men. She hesi-
tated, looking at Pinckney
From the other end of the furnace
room, where he had gone to intercept
Sommers, Smith had made out Lucy.
as he supposed, talking to Pinckney.
The drunken rage Of the foreman
changed instantly to this new object
Of attack.
Why should Lucy be talking to
Pinckney? What was she doing there? :?
He had warned her time and again to
keep away from the works, and espe-
cially from Pinckney and the Office,
because Smith knew Pinckney and
Of his position more than once to in
jure girls whose fathers and brothers
depended on him for their livelihood.
The general manager was a little
czar in the town. Mr. Durant did not
come into close personal relation with
the men in the plant, and Pinckney
could take on and put off, make and
ruin men at his will He had ruined
some, and others, Smith knew, had
risen from the works through COM
plaisance and pretended blindness to
the actions Of the general manager.
But the independent foreman did
not propose to put himself in that
class. He loved his family when he
was sober, and no matter what he
might do himself he was determined
that his wife and daughter should go
straight. No wonder, then, the sight
Of his daughter talking to Pinckney
in the works before all the men en-
ragged him. With the bar in his hand
he lurched down the long room.
"Hey, therev he shouted when he
talking to this fellow? Haven't told
you 1 didn't want you hanging around
the works and not to talk to him
Now, you get out Of here quickv'
Frances turned, and Smith stepped
back aghast.
"Miss Durant!' he exclaimed. "Ex-
cuse me, miss. I thought you was
Lucy"
That's all right, Smith," exclaimed
Pinckney hastily. "No trouble now,
remember" And he turned back to
Frances. "Come to the Office. Frare-es.
Come away from here I will explain
everything to you fully"
Puzzled and a bit uncertain as to
Pinckney's real attitude, the girl ohe-
diently followed him up short fight
Of steps and into a little overseer's
office that jutted out into the furnace
room. Pinckney closed the door after
him.
"Mr. Sommers' gun is just going
into the tempering BATH" he said.
"He is here superintending it. So you
understand all must be right Just
wait here a few moments, and then
you can see Sommers himself"
The suggestion seemed reasonable.
Frances nodded acquiescence.
"All right. l will wait" she said
Outside in the furnace room a fu-
rious hustle followed the closing of
the little Office door. Smith gave the
signal, and the big gun, caught in the
chains from the traveller, began to
rise slowly out of the trap furnace
and hung suspended, huge mass of
white hot steel
Hustle it up, quick, into the bathr'
yelled Smith, for already Sommers
had appeared at the end Of the long
furnace room and was coming quickly
toward him.
The men, driven on by their drunk
en- boss, worked desperately fast. The
huge traveller carrying the Sommers
gun moved slowly toward the waiting
oil hath hoI