Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-05-20
A BROKEN IDOL.

ticr of another The other, taci-
turn Scotsman, grunted out curt
reply in the negative, and, opening
the furnace door with his pole, flood
ed the place with light
1t was Friday night The clock In
the front shop pointed tc the quar-
ter before five. In another ten min
| utes or so the men engaged at the
engineering works of John III. Ran
som & Co., would be paid off for the
week. The money was already neat
| ly done up in little paper bags with
the name OF the firm on them, and
stacked in little rows in the office.
Sandy MacTavish, having temporar-
| lily finished with the furnace, caught
his mate" in the act of getting into
his coat. He looked at him in silent
| fury and burst into Scotch eXpletive.
| "Ay, dinna work minut over
lang A loon like you has michtie
important beesness outside the shop.
1t wants ten minutes to the 'oor. II
those bits O. piping are not
staked..-'
| The boy fled from him in dismay.
The bits of piping measured six feet
in length and more, and he was due
| to play the cornet in church band
at six o'clock. He refused to touch
the piping, and Sandy swore at him
more Justify than before. Another
man walking through the casting
shed laughed as he listened to 1t all.
| 1t was Sandy's way of licking the
boys into shape.
Ronald Leslie, foreman filter at
Ransom's came and stood beside the
furnace, too.
whats the row, Sandy?" he
said.
Ronald, my lad" said the old
man, its the old story; the young
lads are not worth their salt. It's
come in late If you can, go away
early, sleep in the cupboard or on the
roof whenever you think the old
mans back is turned. Is that the
way to keep your job, I'd like to
know"
Your job" said Donald, with a
shrug. whats your job worth
when you've kept it? Thirty-eight
shillings a week won't keep man
out of the workhouse when he's old.
Your Job. The job that takes all
your waking time, that gives you no
leisure to think, that"
THAT Wilma let you sit down and
spend your days fiddlin' wi toy
that has nae mair sense in 1t than my
pole"
Leslie did not speak. Instead, he
stared into the heart of the furnace.
1t may have been that he saw the
realization of his dream there,
The ideas good" he said. "and
If could patent it"
And IL you could get ony firm to
take it up and work it for you. Ye
Gamma do it, Ronald Leslie. And
why? The things ben tried before,
man. You've got brains in your head.
Gamma you see that you're THROWN
away time and money, and brakin' a
woman's heart?"
Its not only thirty-eight shillings
week you're throwin' away, Ron
aid, mind you that"
Sandy went to claim his money,
end Ronald Leslie went out into the
darkness of the night and swung
himself on to an electric car which
would take him to his home in Wal
ton, where most of Ransom's men
lived.
Usually the time occupied by his
journey was given over to his inven-
ton, but tonight new thought
chased the other, Breaking a wom-
ans hearth" What absurd nonsense!
| Jrg q
himself. There would be no need to
stint the housekeeping when his idea
was taken up and every ship in Liv-
erpool carried Leslie's steering gear.
The car drew up with jerk. Ron
aid walked up the street to his home
"a little house, one of a row of 9TH
er little houses, each the replica OF
the other. Ronald Leslie let himself In
with his latch-key, and CROPPED in the
gloom of the narrow. unlighted hall
The Leslies' house had kitchen and
front parlor. Both were usually
lighted up before the return Of the
head of the family. Ronald stumbled
toward the kitchen in the dark. That
also was unlighted except for one
solitary candle on the dresser. A
woman who hushed a fretful child in
her arms did not look up as her hus.
band came in. This, too, was un'
usual. Maggie Leslie always met heI
lad on the threshold of his home.
whats the matter?" said Ron
aid. "Why isn't the gas lighted?"
I'VE haven't paid the rate" said
Maggie in dull voice. They've cut
1t or"
To do her Justice, she tried hard
to keep reproach out of her voice
Ronald was a good husband, and she
was as proud of his invention-the
great invention that was going to de-
such wonders-as he was himself
But when you've two children who
want shelter and food and fire, ant
when you see money being spent OF
lifeless. inanimate piece of steel ant