The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-24
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! 4 The
| RED MOUSE |
! A Mystery Romance
!. By WILLIAM HAMILTON
! OSBORNE
I Copyright. zoos. b, Dodd. Mead q Co
- 4 q cnsa>H~%4>AH4s
(continued.)

gradually BORNE ia L.,Jn him that light
but incessant and vigorous iamping in
one spot was more effective than the
heavy. battering strokes employed by
the Italians
If the hampers were only light
enough he argued to himself. "a fell
low could almost use two of them
one in each hand
And so he tried it with the two lamp
ers that were on the work. but they
proved to be too heavy. Then one
night he made pair of lighter ones
and experimental with them. 1t was
too much OF Il strain. He could not
handle them satisfactorily. Somehow
the work needed the concentrated eff
i fort OF two arms.
All one night lie sat up trying to fig
ure it out. And yet" he assured him
self repeatedly. I'm on the right
track And SO II proved. for at 4
o'clock in the morning the idea came.
I've got it." he exclaimed. jumping
to his feet"a pump handIe..'
A week later CiIalIoner rugged up
simple contriyanee depending upon
strong leverage that would do the
work of a man much more easily.
1T will do the work Of tro,n he told
himself
But when Challoner had taken it to
the works the authorities refused him
/ permission to use it.
This here is a real job. We haven't
/ time to monkey with things like that
/ they told him with u sheer.
! But Chalioner was rot to be turned
aside SO easily. and still he persisted:
1T will do the work of two
He now rugged himself up small
4 trial mold. bought some sand and CO
ment and rock ard demonstrated the
1 superiority of his pump handle con-
/ trivance with its strong leverage. its
regularity and its strong, steady beat,
beat, beat. with two light hampers upon
/ adjacent spots. When they knocked
off the mold these same authorities
/ found that Challoncr was right. This
bit OF concrete wall was as solid as II
/ it had been cut out OF smoo.l azoic
rock. So they called out:
"Ail right. Chailoner. Try it on.'
! Challoner tried IL on the big wall. 1t
| worked like charm.
At the pay window at the end OF
the week Challoncr said:
II want $50 q day
What for9' asked the voice inside.
Challoner replied firmly:
Because I'VE done the work of
more than two men,. He was paid
at the rate of SO a day.
Now he was allowed TO have one OF
the corners all to himself for his con-
trivance. They laid OF two men.
Challoner was doing the work of three
men.
The boss was iubilant
Gee. guess Wei get this job
done on time after all | thought the
old man was In for a few fines sure.
Nobody else tried ClIalloner's device
nobody else knew how to use II. He
found that III his eagerness he iabored
three times ms hard as before. Be
sides, lie was even better at the worl;
than the italians who knew it, had
become accustomed to it and who
were better fitted FOR it. And yet there
was nothing wonderful in this con
trivance Of his But Challoner was
convinced that If some time he c0ull
induce the boss 10 put 1t into constant
operation it would save that gentle
man a great deal of money. Nor dis
it ever enter Challoner's head to hav,
1t patented. Its principle was that O
; the lever, and, OF course, even ii b,
: had tried, he could not have obtained
lar III 1t.
But he told himself. IF ever | e,
into this concrete business | shall In
, sist upon its use As business Ii
, went on, what can be more profitabl
than concrete? Ii produces wall q
solid as a rock and as indestructibl
as brick. BrickIayers receive S. an,
: Sc day, and brick costs money. Blu
this sand, cement, stone and unskitie
labor, Challoner could see million
| III it.
! Meanwhile he was useful at two an
: half dollars a day Now they detel
mined to put his brain to work 10
tHrlh. ~ OttdHif Ills uuty III
; the mixing gang at his end of the ne'
/ store
t Don't forget. now; watch ont" sal
: the superintendent. taking him aside
80 many barrels of cement. SO man
barrels Of sand and so much stone.
The very first day that be watche
the mixing process he discovered th:
r the mixer had put In too much roc
K and too much sand and too little G.
g ment.
y Look here" cried ChaIloner. "you'y
g made mistake. Two more barrels I
q cement go in there.
y But the mixer merely grinned.
y Two more barrels Of cement, ! to
X you persisted Cialloner. The hes
s. superintendent had given him his |
l, strucfions. ard ciialloner meant to S,
IT that they were properly carried out.
d The mixer grinncd again. ChalloI
D Ieaped up OH the platform and stot
Is over The mixer AZ that the mt
waved his arm Ills signal broug
rot the head superintendent. but q
a