Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-01-12

her blind young heart with spirit OF
revolt 1t converted her into a d.
minutive yet lowering browed Ishmael-
tie. She hated the owner of the works,
she told herself as she carried her IA
theirs 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 flying belts a small group
of visitors.
Yet the Ishmael-like young face soft
ened little as she looked at one men,
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 as Miss Golden" was
beautiful enough to bring a Maynard
pang of envy to the breast of Peggy
O'Mara. AS she watched her eyes sud-
denly widened in alarm. For Margery
Golden, in staring about the room. had
unconsciously moved closer to one OF
the ponderous machines. There the
loose end of her motor-cape was
snapped at by a spinning cog wheel, as
hound snaps at a bone. The 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 alert-eyed Peggy O'Mara
made an apparently maniacal spring
for that astounded young woman's
throat. For Peggy had long since
learned the meaning Of guard rails and
the menace of high-powered ma
chinery.
With a quick jerk of her thin young
fingers Peggy tore the cape free where
1t was already straining against the
white column of it's wearer's throat
And with a movement equally quick
she dragged the woman in black away
from the whirling wheels, even before
young Arson Applewaithe, with a be
lated shout of warning. sprang for the
control lever of the machine itself.
1t was not until Margery Colder
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. And even ther
she could not quite understand the
horror on young Applewaithe's face.
by Jove. that was lucky!" gaspet
that young man as he threw the shat
belt off the pulley and brought the
machine to a stop.
And then Margery realized what 4
all meant. An unkempt factory cir
had saved her from death,
Margery Golden stepped back anC
leaned against a guard rail. Then. aft
er looking studiously at the slatterr
and slightly abashed figure of her de
liverer, she opened her pocketbool
and from it took out two or three neat
ly folded bank notes. These she hell
smilingly out to the girl with tn,
brOken-toed shoes.
But a quick fash spread over thu
usually colorless cheeks of Miss Pegg,
O'Mara as she backed determined!
| away from the bills.
Don't you care to take them?'
asked the somewhat astonished younl
| woman in black.
mo ma'am!" was the girls almos
sullen retort. 81 amt earned 'em!"
But rather think you have" per
sisted the other, still smiling.
You see, you saved my life. Ant
surely you won't embarrass me b,
arguing that it's not worth tina
| much"
Il don't want your money" an
nounced the sullen-eyed girl. putting
her hands behind her. But alread,
young Applewaithe was discreetly dc
ing his best to pilot his visitors ava,
from the scene.
Money does them no good. 20,
know" explained that afluent younI
man. And think you'll be intereste,
in seeing our macerating vats!"
Peggy O'Mara stared after the dc
parting group. So intently did sh
stare after them that she was obliv
Gus of the movements of the one-arme
man who had been STOPPING low owe
his machine, in a pretense of filling 1t
oil cups. He crept out to where
small gold locket had dropped fror
Margery Golden's neck during the er
counter. He caught it up from the OF
stained floor. looked at it for one shor
moment. and then slipped 1t triumph
antly into his pocket. After that b
stood behind his machine, well out @
sight, watching the fair-haired girl Il
black as she stepped out through tn
factory door. His eyes, as he watche
her, were both calculating and SIM.
ter. But the pallid-faced girl standin
SO close beside him had no means @
knowing that this preoccupied an
stoop-shouldered workman who ha
lost his right hand was Jules Legal
long known to his enemies as tn
Iron Claw.
That mysterious one-armed maj
however. was destined to become be
ter acquainted with Peggy OMAR
than she imagined. For that nigh
when the uneasy-minded girl knew he
father to be once more shut up in hi
| cellar workrOOm she was furfhe