The Elbert County tribune., 1916-08-04

puiioyb hnu iatnee, ana from tnere TO
the brighter lighted and higher rooted
metal room OF the foundry itself
There, beside glowing furnaces half
naked men toiled over incaudesceut
annealing boxes and cauldrons of mol
ten metal. There gigantic track
cranes swung bowls of liquid Gre from
crucibles 20 mold beds.
And there the harried Lesar, be-
wildered by the sudden bright light.
ran like n pelted hound down the
sandy paths between forge and coke
oven and cauldron crane. There. see
ing his way blocked by a group of
round-eyed Lithuanians. he swung.
catlike, up into the iron network OF
the cable bridges. with his pursuer
still close at his heels. And there,
midway across that smoke-stained
roof, that echoed with tho tumult of
thunderous hammers and directly over
king cauldron of molten steel. the
two men came together.
There Legar, with his metal claw
hooked securely into the iron network
above his head, swung about and
faced his enemy. And there, on that
griny bridge high above the equally
grimy workmen who left their forges
and Iathes and cauldrons to witness
the struggle, the two enemies, who
had SO long and bitterly opposed each
other. found themselves face to face
for their final struggle.
Yet the man In tho yellow mask
seemed the cooler headed of the two.
for as Legar struck snarling at his
face he ducked low on his narrow
perch and at the same moment
whipped his revolver from the side
pocket OF his coat. Yet Legar. with
movement equally prompt, Kicked
viciously at the fingers clustered about
the gun-butt before the weapon itself
could be brought into use. Tho next
moment that weapon fell with hiss
and splash into the lake of molten
metal beneath them.
Then the struggle became one OF
tendon against tendon, of straininE
muscle against muscle. of empty
handed mortal strength pitted against
mortal strength. There. like animals
OF the wild, high in some Amazonian
eyrie. the two strangely entangled
figures fought and struggled and
clawed and struck.
In the matter of mere physical
strength Legar seemed to have tho
advantage. And what under ordinary
circumstances might have proved
disability could now be turned to his
advantage. For the iron claw at the
end of his right arm, hooked securely
L.. "a IL nta al hob ttaI l. lVxr
held him there without effort and
without strain. His opponent. on the
other hand, found It no easy task to
make sure of his perch above that
ever-intimidating cauldron of molten
metal. His arm shook with the ten
sion imposed on his overtaxed mus
cles. His fingers became numb with
pain, threatening to lose their pre-
hensile power, and even as he fought
he weakened to realization that he
must change his hold.
1t was as he maneuvered to bring
about this shift of position that the
ever-watchful Legar, alert for the most
trivial advantage. saw his chance
Swinging his body suddenly free from
its footing on the narrow ledge OF
metal where he stood. he pendulumed
towards his momentarily unstable op-
ponent, throwing his feet forward and
upward. as he did 80, with all the force
of football player kicking double
punt.
The force of this unlooked-for i'm
pact was too much for the man in the
mask. He tottered back. caught fran
tically at a soot-covered steel bar be-
side him. dropped the full length Of its
diagonal course before he could make
sure of his clutch. and came into vio-
lent collision with the heavy iron
block OF a crane ladle. There, half
stunned by the blow, he fell sprawling
across a polished steel cable which
dropped floorward between the block
and its empty metal pot. He tried to
clutch that cable as he fell, but his
speed proved too great and his over
taxed fingers we're too weak. As he
fell along its polished surface. how
ever, 1t offered sufficient resistance to
carry his limp body beyond the peril
OF that open lake OF molten metal.
which, his frantic brain kept telling
him. meant death. And as he dropped
weakly from the cable loop to a pile
OF molding sand lying between q cast
ing box and an empty spill trough.
score of watching men gave utterance
to a shout of relief and a score of
waiting hands were there to help him
to his feet.
So intent were those astounded IRON
workers on watching. that perilous fall.
however. that they paid scant atten-
tion to the second figure climbing spi-
derlike higher along the blackened
ironwork OF the blackened roof. They
caught no glimpse of him as he scram-
bled, sooty and painting, through the
ventilating fiue that opened on tho