The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1911-06-15
The SlaUe of
the Steel God

| pierre ng the blackened roofs OF
the stupendous shacks known as the
work. vomited their dense masses oil
| sulphurous smoke into the alread.
poisoned atmosphere. and steam pipes
spurted viciously here and there be-
| low; half a dozen cupolas fiared with
rel and violet against the darkei
| drift or faded in pale glow as a reck-
less wind pulled the settling clouds
| away.
Inside the works thousand OF
more pairs of hands or pped lever, bar.
| shovel handle, hammer, hammer OF
| cable as the mighty muscles behind
them strained and relaxed nceasing
| ~ to multitudinous cIangor of metal
on metal and the creak and scream
and whirr of wheels and puiieys.
In -one OF a thousand and more
shacks that were not stupendous save
in tleir CRIME and bare ugllness. the
blinds we're down in that room facing
the main avenue of cinders
1t was Lafe Sp.nney's shack. "Lafr"
is, of course, the familiar abbreviation
of Lafayette, who, it will be remenl-
bered, r.sked his life and spent his
money in the cause OF American free
dom.
Somebody in the Spinney family
must have admired HIM at the time
the christening took place-if there
was christening.
4 few hours before, LATE Spinney
bad been one of the thousan1 or more
toilers in the works. He had started
in at one end of line of furnaces
aaked to the waist. raking, stirring and
feeding their soaring fires until he
reached the other enc, and then back
again. Twelve hours of il at shift,
and if you don't like the job, why this
is free country and you know what
you can do.
[ The blinds We're down, but Ir. Spin
ney was not dead Far from IL He
was only So years old and, lar acct
dents, good for another 10 years Of IT,
His eye was closed I'D his mouth
was open and from that mouth pro-
ceeded a rhythmic snore, broken al
regular intervals by choke and
gasp.
In the adjoining kitchen, Mrs. Spin
ney busted herself at the stove, tried
to restrain the activity of four chill
dren in semi-clean dresses and RIB.
bons and looked q good deal at the
clock
AS the noon whistle blew Mrs. Spin
pey pushed the coffee pot to the back |
Of the stove, took an odorous herring
from the oven, looked at the clock
again and sighed.
Il hate to wake him." she said. 81
don't think we ought to wake him at |
that"
Four shrill voices were raised in
protest.
We'll, then. hush your racket" said ,
the mother She put bread on the Ia |
BILE with the herring and surveyed the
food disparagingly. "Hunkies' grub /,
is" she grumbled. But it might be
worse easy enough. Now, if can |
turn my back for a minute without |
you mixing up your buds. I'll go wake
him up
1t was no easy matter to wake him.
He muttered and swore, half arose
and rolled back again, and woulS
have slept but for his wife's persist
ence. At last he lurched half his
bulk from the bed, sat up, and nodded
drowsily at his shoes.
Come" said his wife sharply, bun
all put up, and your brikfus is ready
and the children is crazy TO be
a-goin."
~GoiDg?' repeated Lafe "A-going
where?'
ITO the park" snapped the woman
Don't you know? Wake up now"
Presently he came clumping into
the kitchen, tall. ungainly figure.
with SCARED face and an empty eye
socket. is shoulders bowed and his
nair grizzled by toe stress of his 80
years. Without word, he seated
himself at the table and devonred
the food wolfishly. Then he turned
his one eye on his family in not un-
kindly regard
We'll, you all ready?' he asked.
There was chorus of assent and
be smiled horribly, for, owing to the
exigencies of the steel business, he
couldn't smile any other way.
Were all awaiting on you," said
his wife. Hurry. now, and ger
ready"
He hurried and soon he was at the
head of small procession that strag-
gled along the cinder path toward the
car line. A neat patch was over the
empty eye-socket and he was in his
black best, with celluloid collar tor
turing his sinewy neck.
1t would take too long to tell the
events of the street car ride that took
the Spinneys from the gloom and OPP
preston of .the works into the sun
Light and air of the park. There
were events, as when the conductor
tried to charge full fare foI Evelyn.
and when LATE Junior nearly fell Out
Of the window in his eagerncss to OF.
serve an asphalt gang. In fact, the
trip itself was an event, and a big
event.
But the point is that they got to the
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