The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-02-24
|TAE RIylET.cATcAER
BY cRlr1ENDEN MARRIOTT.
lCOpyright.)

Fred Faxon stood on the girder that
formed, the street side of the empty
Quadrangle. that in due time would be-
come the sixteenth floor of the Chin.
neystaek building
Over his shoulder Mas balanced an
empty keg, He leaned forward slight
,ly. with his eyes fixed on a man who
was tanning the snanes in porta-
bic furnace some distance to the right
'on the floor below.
Suddenly the man dropped the han
die of the bellows. caught up a pair Of
J. tongs, and snatched "a heavy white
.iOt rivet from the heart of the fire.
lie leaned back to gather strength;
Then, with scarcely a glance, tossed
the rivet upward.
Fred bent slightly, shifted his key
nm inch or two to the left, and the
rivet fell squarely into the key, struck
against it's sloping inner side, and fell
dead to bottom. The moment he felt
1t strike Fred turned and ran like Il
squirrel. leaning slightly to balance
the thrust of the wind, along the six
inch girder to where two men were
riveting a floor beam into place.
One Of them, the bucker-up, picked
the riyet from the key and thrust it
upward, still sparkling hot, through
the holes which had been bored for it
months before and hundreds OF miles
away. Then, with his dolly-bar, he
bore up against it, holding it firmly in
place while the pneumatic-gun man
smashed another head upon it with q
Yolley OF staccato thuds.
Meanwhile, Fred had run back to
DIS post and stood ready to catch an
pther rivet. ~
I The wind tore at him, but he heed
i'd it no more thar he did the roar Of
pe traffic which rose to his ears from
20 stony street, 200 feet below.
He had been catching white-hot
Its hurled a. him from varying dis
lces for more than three years. and,
ing young and apt. had learned his
s,ork SO well that it had become me-
chanical. He caught the rivets and
\ ran along the dizzy spiderweb of grid
ers and floor beams as easily and in
differently as ball player catches a
ball and runs the bases.
On this particular day he had other
things to think about His ambition
was to be a summarize WELD the
pneumatic hammer that mashed the
second heads on the rivets and bound
the floor beams and the Orders into a
solid whole.
Gun-men got better pay than rivet-
lcatchers, and Annie West had prom
ised to marry him the minute he got
his promotion; SO he wanted both
badly.
In the ordinary course Of events,
however, he could not hope for such
a 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 last.
! The high wages paid for rebuilding
San Francisco after the great earth
Quake and fire had drained the East OF
,astructural iron-workers and made
room for scores Of younger men who
had learned the alphabet OF the diff
cult trade. and the growth OF the
whole country had prevented the de-
mand from slackening s
That very morning. Casey foreman
Iof construction, on the Chimneystack
building, had called together the half
do1en rivet.catchers In his force and
had told them that Mr.. Fulton, trav-
telling superintendent Of the great Full
ton Construction company, would be
Vat the building the next day, and
would select the most capable young
'sster he could find to go West with him
Ito help in the gun-work on new
building in Chicago.
"'Tis the great opening it is for
one Of you boys" declared Casey. The
great opening entirely! Sure. Chicago
lis where the company lives when it's
lat, home, and it's a fine chance you'll
have to make good with the bosses.
Its mighty little there is to choose
between you, as far as work goes.
and I'll make no recommendations and
let MR. Fulton pick for himself Think
1T over today, boys; and let me know
tonight whether it's go or stay here
in New York you'd rather"
Ten minutes later. as Fred climbed
the ladders to his post, he felt touch
upon his shoulder, and turned to face
big Bill McSween.
Say" growled Bill. Say. Faxon.
i want that job. See! And smashes
the face Of anyone that gets it away
from me. See! I'm sorry you got
engagements that keeps you In New
York and gotter decline. See!"
Fred rose instantly to the situation.
Physically he, was no match for Bill,
who was two years older. 20 pounds
heavier, two inches taller, and was an
amateur pugilist besides. Clearly the
case was one for diplomacy.
..Ilow in the world did you know.
Irill.' he demanded smilingly.
Bill grunted.
"Oh. reckoned your health wouldn' t
|1et you leave here" he answered with
llabored significance And don't you
make no mistake. Fred Faxon. When
II 90, l take Anpie. West with me.
lSee!"
Fred laughed. Ia
Sure, il you can get her to 20" he
answered. She won't do it. She'll
stay here and marry me"
..rf. IN