The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-09-29
xAs.e.sel9,eaesee4eeN'ee,e'a'ssssese'ese*
The R|VET. CATCHER
av cRITrENDEN MARRIOTT.


formed the street side of the empty
that in due time would De-
come the sixteenth floor OF the CHM
neystack building.
Over his shoulder was balanced an
empty key. He leaned forward slight
ly, with his eyes fixed on man VINO
was tanning the flames IN porta-
BILE furnace some distance to the Hgn%
on the floor below.
Suddenly the man dropped the han
die of the bellows, caught up a pair OF
longs, apd snatched a heavy white
hot rlvet from the heart Of the fire.
He leaned back to gather strength;
then, with scarcely glance. tossed
the rivet upward.
Fred bent slightly, shifted his key
an inch or two to the left, and the
rivet fell sQuarely into the key, struck
against its sloping inner side, and fell
dead to bottom. The moment he felt
1t strike Fred turned and ran like a
squirrel. leaning slightly to balance
the thrust OF the wind, along the six
inch girder to where two men were
riveting floor beam into place.
One Of them, the bucker-up, picked
the gjYet from the key and thrust 1t
upward, still sparkling hot. through
the holes which had been bored for 1t
months before and hundreds of miles
away. Then, with his dolly-bar. he
bore up against 1t. holding it firmly In
place while the pneumatic-gun man
mashed another head upon 1t with a
volley Of staccato thuds.
Meanwhile. Fred had run back to
his post and stood ready to catch an
other rivet.
The wind tore at him, but he heed.
ed It no more than he did the roar Of
the traflo which rose to his ears from
the stony street, 200 feet below.
He had been catching white-hot
bolts hurled at him from varying dis
tances for more than three years, and.
being young and apt had learned his
work % we'll that It had become me-
chanical. He canght the rivets and
ran along the dizzy spiderweb Of grid
ers and door beams as easily and in.
differently a. q ball player catches q
ball and runs the bases.
On this particular day he had other
things to think about. His ambition
was to be q "gun-man"-to WELD the
pneumatic hammer that mashed the
second heads on the rivets and bound
the floor beams and the Orders into q
solid whole.
Gun-men got better pay than rivet,
catchers, and Annie West had prom
ised to marry him the minute he got
his promotion; 30 he wanted both
badly.
In the ordinary course of events,
however. he could not hope for such
q post for several years, and by that
time anything might happen. Annie
might even marry big Bill McSween
bully and tough though he was.
But his chance had come at ;as.
The high wages paid for rebuilding
San Francisco after the great earth
quake and fire had drained the East Of
structural iron.workers and made
room for scores of younger men who
had learned the alphabet Of the difi
cult trade, and the growth Of t.,
whole country had prevented the de
mand from slackening.
That very morning. Casey, foreman
Of construction on the Chimneystacl
building. had called together the hal
dozen rivet-catchers in his force an.
had told them that Mr.. Fulton. trav
cling superintendent of the great Full
ton Construction company, would b,
at the building the next day, an,
would select the most capable young
ster he could find to 60 West with hin
to help in the gun-work on a new
building in Chicago.
TITS the great opening it ie TO
one Of you boys" declared Casey. 9TH
great opening entirely! Sure, Chicag
is where the company lives when 1t
at home. and it's a fine chance you1
have to make good with the bosses.
IT'S mighty little there is to choos
between you, as far as work goe.
and I'll make no recommendations an
let Mr.. Fulton pick for himself Thin
1t over today, boys, and let me kno,
tonight whether It's go or stay her
in New York you'd rather"
Ten minutes later, as Fred climbe
the ladders to his post, he felt touc
upon his shoulder. and turned to fac
big Bill McSween.
"Say!" growled Bill. Say, Faxo,
I want that job. See! And smashe
the face Of anyone that gets 1t ava
from me. See! I'm sorry you e
engagements that keeps you In Ne
York and gotter decline. See!"
Fred rose instantly to the situatio
Physically he was no match for BIZ
who was two years older, 20 pound
heavier. two inches taller, and was q
amateur pugilist besides. Clearly Il
case was one for diplomacy.
How In the world did you kno,
Binf" he demanded smilingly.
Bill grunted.
"Oh, reckoned your health wouldp
let you leave here" he answered VII
labored Significance. And don't y,
make no mistake, Fred Faxon. VIII,
In 90. l take Annie West with m