Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1916-07-06

reckon if people lose things in this
mousse and expect to get 'em back, they
DETER get up as soon as I do"
What was it he lost?" asked Edith.
He knowsr her father returned.
Seems to me like forgot to bring 1t
nome with me. l looked it over
thought probably 1t was something
pretty important, belongin' to a busy
man like him." He affected to search
his pockets. "What did / do with it,
now? Oh yes! Seems to me like re-
member leavin' it down at the Office
in the waste basket
"Good place for it." Bibbs MUIR
INJURED, still red.
Sheridan gave him a grin. Perhaps
pretty soon you'll be gettin' up early
enough to find things before I dor
1t was a threat, and Bibbs repeated
the substance of it, later in the eve
ming, to Mary Vertrees-they had come
to know each other that we'll.
"My times here at last" he said, as
they sat together in the melancholy gas
light of the room which had been de-
nuded of it's piano. But the gas light,
though from a single jet, shed no
melancholy upon Bibbs, nor could any
room seem bare that knew the glow
ing presence of Mary. He spoke
| lightly, not sadly.
Eyes, it's come. I've shirked and
put it off, but can't shirk and put off
any longer. It's really my part to go
to him-at least it would save my face.
He means what he says, and the times
come to serve my sentence. Hard labor
for life l think"
Mary shook her head. II don't think
so. He's too kind
"You think my fathers kind" And
Bibbs stared at her.
Eyes. I'm sure Of it. I've felt that
he has a great, brave heart. It's only
that he has to be kind in his own way
because he can't understand any
other way"
"Ah yes," said Bibbs. eff that's
what you mean by kind'r'
She looked at him gravely, earnest
concern in her friendly eyes. 'It's go
ing to be pretty hard for you, isn't it,"
"Oh-self-pityw he returned, smiling.
''This has been just the last flicker Of
revolt. Nobody minds work if he
likes the kind of work. There'd be no
lOafers in the world if each man found
the thing that he could do best; but the
only work I happen to want to do is
useless-so l have to give it up. To
morrow I'll be a day laborer."
"What is it like-exactly"
"It wasn't muscularly exhausting-
not at all. They couldn't give me
heavier job because I wasn't good
enough"
But what will you do? I want to
know"
when l left" said Bibbs, 81 was
ON what they call over there clip
ping machine and that's what I'll be
sent back to. It's very simple and
very easy. l feed long strips of zinc
into a pair of steel jaws, and the jaws
bite the zinc into little circles. And
yet 1 was very bad hand at it,"
He had kept his voice cheerful as he
spoke, but he had grown a shade
paler, and there was latent anguish
deep in his eyes. He may have known
it and wished her not to see it, for he
turned away
"You do that all day longw she ex-
claimed. "No WONDER She broke
off, and then, after a keen glance at his
face, she said: 81 should think you
would have been bad hand at it!'
He laughed ruefully. 81 think it's
the noise, though I'm ashamed to say
it. You see, it's very powerful ma
chine, and there's a sort of rhythmical
crashing-a crash every time the jaws
bite off a circle"
"How often is that?"
"The thing should make about sixty
eight disks minute-a little more
than one a second"
"And you're close to it,"
ooh, the workman has to sit in its
lap" he said, turning to her more
gayly. "The others don't mind. You
see, it's something wrong with me. I
have an idiotic way of finching from
the COMPOUNDED thing-I finch and
duck a little every time the crash
comes, and I couldn't get over it. I
was treat to the other workmen in
that room; they'll be glad to see me