The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-09-12
The Iron Claw

iciner' demanded nef rather. Amt
We behind in our rent? And amt the
company locked me ten month since
that onearmed man had mo machine
work taken away from met"
"But you'll have moron your ma
chine taken away from you, pop.
You'll be queered with the company,
for tamperin' with stock. and then the
bulls II get wise and send you up the
river tor smugglin'!"
Tive thought that out, me gsrll. I've
no love for Soin' against the law. At
mo time o. life. but l guess we've got
to take chances. We've got to, or 60
under for good and all! For I'm think
in your poor mother was right when
she said there was no crime 30 black
- the crime o. bein' poor!"
But they'd promised to raise your
pay, over to tho dye works!" she re-
minded him.
Instead O. which they took OF me
machine and gave it to that onearmed
snitch who claimed I'd been workin'
against the company by tryin' to in
vent q chemical color that'd soon be
seudin' their old logwood plant 4 the
scrap heap"
Silent as Peggy O'Mara renamed
on the subject Of her discovery, she
brooded long and darkly on this heav-
Ter cloud that hung over her home and
her fathers good name. It haunted
her thoughts as she worked. It filled
her blind young heart with spirit Of
revolt. It converted her into a di.
minutive yet lowering-browed Ishmasl
tie. She hated the owner Of the works.
she told herself a. she carried her fa.
TIERS dinner pail to the factory the
next day, and she hated the hard
voiced foreman OF the shaft room. She
turned to stare belligerently towards
Arson Applewaithe, the immaculate
son Of the factory owner himself, as
he ushered into the room Of whirring
shafts and Tying belts small group
of visitors.
Yet the Ishmael-like young face soft
ened little as she looked at one mem
Der Of that approaching group. For
one fair.haired girl OF about twenty,
dressed in black, whom young Apple
waithe piloted about amid the roaring
and Gathering machinery and repeat
eddy addressed a. Miss Golden" was
beautiful enough to bring . hayward
pang Of envy to the breast Of Peggy
O'Mara. Az she watched her eyes sud
denly widened In alarm. For Margery
Golden, in staring about the room, had
unconsciously moved closer to ono Of
the ponderous machines. There the
loose end Of her motor-cape was
snapped at by spinning cog wheel, as
q hound snaps at bone. Tho next
moment the whirling teeth had fas-
tened themselves in the fabric Of the
garment edge. carrying it back be-
tween the jaws Of the twin cogs that
quickly closed on the cloth and
seemed to reach out for more.
At the same moment that Margery
Golden turned about to determine the
meaning OF this sudden tug at her
clothing, the alfrt-eyed Peggy OMara
made an apparently maniacal spring
for that astounded young womans
throat.
With q quick jerk Of her thin young
fingers Peggy tore the cape free where
it was already straining against the
white column of its wearer's throat.
It was not until Margery Golden
saw the iron teeth Of the cog wheels
swallowing up the last Of her vanish.
ing cape that any inkling Of her dan
ger came home to her.
Margery Golden stepped back and
leaned against q guard rail. Then. aft
er looking studiously at the slattern
md slightly sbashed figure of her de-
liverer, she opened her pocketbook
and from It took out two or three neat.