Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1916-08-25

her knees; her eyes were brilliant In
the gathering dusk. Her memories
seemed to affect her with a kind of
horror. yet to hold her fascinated and
to demand expression.
Il was an imaginative KID" she
continued. ITS trait of our people,
like--well, like their distrust Of au.
thortty and their fear of law. Father
worked in the Bessemer plant. like any
hunkie, and the women used to bring
the mems lunches to them. Mother
wasn't strong, and that duty fell to me.
1T was one Of the biggest mills In
Pennsylvania, and Its tonnage was
always heavy because the superin.
tendent was q slave driver. He was
one Of those men who are born without
q soul or feelings, and he had no In
terest In anything except rails and
zone day I took my stand just out
side the Bessemer plant. 1t was big
shell Of steel Orders and corrugated
iron. and the side where we were was
open. Father saw me and waved bis
hand--he always waved at me-then
I saw the superintendent coming
through big, square-faced man
whom everybody feared. Wherever
he went the hunkies danced; he could
put life into dead mans limbs, that
man. II was because Of their great
fear of him and his furious urging that
something happened"
Lilas had begun her recital slowly,
without apparent object, but once into
It she seemed unable to stop; and now,
although her words came haltingly, II
was plain that she had worked herself
into a sort Of hysteria in which she
gave little heed to her hearer. II was
charac teristic of her that she could
90 excite herself by the power OF Wis.
ualization as to be completely trans
ported.
Something went wrong overhead;
anyhow, the converter dumped too
soon. Men were working directly IN.
derneath, father among the rest. I
saw him 20 down under q stream Of
liquid steel"
Lorelei's Mortified exclamation went
unnoticed; Lilas' voice was shrill.
Yes. He was blotted out, right be-
fore my eyes, In an instant. In the
time It takes to snap your finger, be-
and the others-were gone, changed
into smoke, into absolute nothingness
There was no insurance, and nobody
took the blame. Another Jew family,
a few more widowed and fatherless
foreigners, among that army, meant
nothing. I've never forgotten that dag,
nor the figure of that shouting, swear
ing man who came through the Bes-
semer mill crying for more speed,
more speed, more speed.
Il suppose I was too little to make
any foolish vows Of vengeance, for !
was only a ragged mite Of q child
among horde of slaves, but when I
grew older often dreamed OF having
that man in my power. snd-making
him. suffer. Who would-who could
have imagined that I'd ever be living
on money wrung from the laborrof men
like my father, and be In position to
meet that man on an equal footlngf I
never did--not In my widest moments,
and yet--here an--and the day Of
reckoning gets closer all the time"
She ended with an abruptness that
evidenced her agitation. Rising, she
jerked q beaded chain that depended
from the center lamp. and the room
was flooded with. mellow light; then
she drew out the table drawer at her
guests elbow, and with shaking hands
selected a small box from the cOnfu-
sion within. Lorelel recoiled at the
sight OF a revolver hidden among tho
disorder.
"Gooduesal ! bona 1t isn't loaded !"
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