Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1914-12-19
CHAPTER v.
Crossroads.

-hard-tap," requiring quick and heavy
9sledging 10 break out the hardened
Shre-clay and Stag in the tap-hole- The
eslag that had f1oated on the metal was
iSnow dripping into the cinder pit, send
Ting up shower of golden sparks.
Roman Andzrejzsh, melter in charge
of the furnace, was watching the
Scorched, haggard face of his second
shelper" That young man. leaning
with an air of exhaustion and discour-
.agement on his inverted sledge, was
coughing violently. He had been just
three months in the heat and toll the
sopen-hearth furnacemen must endure
and an unnerving fear was upon him:
that his steadily waning strength
would not hold out
vat ISIS it? zick?" Roman spoke
in the slow, careful fashion that was
his habit when he used English.
Mark shook his head. '-Tuckered
out
''Tuckeredt out2" Roman looked
at him gravely You drink too much ?"
Il don't drink at all"
THAT ISIS goot. Mineself," Roman
explained naively, Il drink too much.
Unit that ISIS not goot. But always 1
haf been very strong. 1t ISIS the douple
turn" he added. 1T ISIS very hardt
on the young. Later it gets not SO
shardt-zometimes. Ware do you lif?"
With a Frenchman in Rose alley.
Rose alley-it stinks! It's too near
the mills. / can't sleep for the noise.
I'm tired and my head aches all the
time"
For two, three days then you must
not work. but zleep."
Marks red eyes darted angry sus-
a
want my job for somebody else" he
sneered
NO. You are a goot worker. Unit
j like you
"All the same" Mark answered dog
asedly, q quit when l have to-not be-
fore"
You do not belief me-" Roman
shrugged his big shoulders. Vat do
you eat?"
''Oh, soup and brown bread and po-
Satoes mostly That's the trouble,
guess"
'Hundert t'ousandt defils! 70 little
mt you work. herel You are Ameri-
can. you must eat Wy you not lif
another place."
The Trenches sort O. think they're
friends They wouldn't understand
70? But here Roman shrugged
be for himself-Ve work now" They
returned to their task.
Even double turns have an end The
night shift came on at last At the
trough for cooling tools Mark washed
away the grimy sweat that streamed
down his face. Then he donned a dry
shirt and heavy overcoat. Despite
this covering his overheated body
Shivered when the raw, early April
wind struck him.
''vaiti" And Roman was beside
him. Il hat decitedt You come nf
by my house"
Il guess not" Mark answered wear
ally. Il guess you don't want me-"
Il haf decitedt." Roman repeated.
You hat been goot friendts to your
iriendts-you will be to us also. / hat
a big house. 1t iss still there; you
shall zleep unit not hear the mills Unit
my Matka. she ISIS goot cook Unit
meppy you make friends Wit my Piotr-
He hass no American friendts"
You might get tired OF me-"
20? Then will / tell YOU" said
Roman simply ''Alzo. you viii tell
us. ven you get tiredt OF us Unit you
viii not be chargedt too much You
will conner"
Mark hesitated, then laughed grim
ly. win comet"
tGootf" Roman laid a kindly hand
on Marks shoulder. Now will you
belief me unit not work till the coldt ISIS
veil You viii come tomorrow"
And. the matter arranged, they part
ed for the night
Romans house. big only by com
parison with three-room tenements,
was on quiet street on one of the
city's seven hills. Mark was tucked
away in q third-story room Not even
his fancy. less lively than in months
agone but still fertile, could conceive
the cheap bed and rocker, rag carpet
and implanted table as the trappings
OF luxury But it was clean and conn
portable, through its windows swept
the clean air for which his country
bred lungs were starving and the mills
were heard only as a subdued. not un-
musical rumble Also, unreasonable
BOOM there was in that house a bath
tub. his attendance upon it astonished
even Kazia. who esteemed bathing
Enore highly than did the rest of Ro-
Enan's household The Matka's cook
eng. supplemented by Kazia's arts, fell
little short OF Romans prospectus and
the fare had substance