The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-08-25
CHAPTER XV-(Continued.)

cure all right. Tom GOrdon-you
and your daddy. But you've hit US
plum 'twixt dinner and supper. If you
two was the company
I'VE are the company While Mr..
Farley is away were the bosses; what
We say, goes"
"All right" Ludlow went on. That's
a little better. But we've got kick
or two comm Is this half-pay goin'
to be in orders on the companys
store?"
Il said cash." said Tom, briefly.
Good enough. But 1 s'pose we'd
have to spend 1t at the company's
store, jest the same. r get fired"
No!"-emphatically. I'm not even
sure that we should reopen the store
We shall not reopen it unless you men
want it. If you do want it. We'll make
1t strictly cooperative. dividing the
profits with every employe according
to his purchases"
We'll. that's white, anyway" COM
mented one of the coke burners. BE
q mighty col day in July when old man
Farley'd talk as straight as that"
"Ag'ip." said Ludlow, what's this
half-pay To be figured on-the regular
scale?"
And what security do we have that
tother half II be paid. some timer
My fathers word, and NINE"
Ludlow turned to the miners. What
dye say. boys? Fish or cut bait?
Hands upl"
There was a good showing of hands
among the white miners and the coke
burners. but the negro foundrymen did
not vote. Patty. the mulatto foreman
who was Helgerson's second, explain
ed the reason.
You amt said unttin' bout de foun-
dry, Boss Tom. Ww-ww-we- all boys
been wukkin' short It'll time, and m
m-makin' pig amt gwine give we-all
n-n-nuttin' ter do Patty had a pain
1ul impeachment in his speech, and the
strain of the public occasion doubled Il.
we are going to run the foundry,
too, Patty, and on full time. There
VIII be work for all of you on the
terms I have named"
/ Caleb Gordon closed his eyes and put
MS face in his hands. For weeks be-
fore the shutdown the foundry had
been run on short time, because there
was no market for its miscellaneous
output Surely Tom must be losing
his mind
/ But the negro foundrymen were TAX
Ing his word for IT, as the miners had.
Pup-pup-put up yo' hands, boys."
said Patty, and again the ayes had it,
Tom looked vastly relieved.
We'll, that was a short horse soon
curried," he said. bruskly The power
goes ON tomorrow morning. and well
blow in as soon as the furnaces are
] nd
fce at o'clock and I'll list the shifts
J with YOU Patty. you report to Mr..
Helgerson. and you and the pattern
maker show up at half-past 5. / want
to talk over some new work with you
Anybody else got anything to say? If
not, we'll adjourn"
Caleb followed his son out and across
the yard to the old log homestead
which served as the superintendent
Office and laboratory. When the door
was shut he dropped heavily into a
/ chair.
"Scn." he said, brokenly, you're
you're crazy-plum' crazy. Don't you
know you can't do the first one o. these
things you've been PROMISING"
Tom was already busy at the desk
emptying the pigeonholes one after an
other and rapidly scanning their con-
tents.
IF 1 believed that. I'd be taking tc
the high grass and the tall timber
But don't you worry, pappy; we're 60
Ing to do them-all of them"
But, Buddy, you can't sell a found
of foundry product! We may be able
to make pig cheaper than some 9th.
ers. but when it comes to the foundr,
In less'n a week"
Wait" said Tom. still rummaging
There is one thing we can make-ant
SELL"
I'D like tolerable well to know wha-
It is" was the hopeless rejoinder.
You ought to know, better than an,
one else. It's cast-iron pipe-water.
pipe. Where are the plans of that in.
vention OF yours that Farley wouldn'
let you install?"
Caleb found the blue-prints. and hi,
hands were trembling. The invention
a pit machine process for molding ant
casting water and gas-pipe at a cos
that would put all other makers Of tn,
commodity out of the field, had bee,
wrought out and perfected in Tom,
second Boston year. 1t was Caleb,
Z
hand through a long preparatory
period.
Tom took the blue prints and sprea,
them on the desk. absorbing the detail
as his father leaned over him an,
pointed them out. He saw clearly tina
the invention would revolutionize pipe
making. The accepted method was 4
cast each piece separately in a foo
de- IL IN
hand, once for the drag and again 70
the cope, with reversings, crane hand
lings and all the manipulations neces
sary for the molding of any heavy cast
ing. But the new process substitute
machinery. A cistern-like pit; a cir
cular table pivoted over II, with a hun
dred or more iron TASKS suspended up
right from it's edges; huge crane car
rying a mechanical ram. these wer
the main points of the machine which
with a small gang of men. would d
the work of an entire foundry floor.
It's greati" said Tom. enthusiast
cally. II got your idea pretty we
from your letters. but you've improve
on 1t since them. 1 wonder Earle
didn't snap at IT,"
HE was willin' to-" said Caleb, grim
I
the patents to the company; in othe
words. to make him a present of tn
controlling interest. / bucked at tina
and we come near havin' a fall-out.
there was any market for pipe no
There is a market" said Tom, hope
fully. II got a pointer on that befoy
left Boston. Did 1 tell you 1 had
little talk with Mr.. Clarkson the day
came away?"
No"
We'll, I did. I told him the cond
lions and asked his advice. Anon
other things, spoke of this pipe pit
yours, and he said at once. There
your chance. Cast-iron water-pipe
like bread. or sugar or butchers me;
its a necessity, in good times or ba
If that machine is practicable. you ca
make pipe for less than half the pre-:
ent cost Then we talked ways al
means. Money IS tighter than a shi
hst-up East as we'll everywhel
else. But men with n1OnpV m iOVp