The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-03-17

get so tired of black and white" she
went on quickly to prevent him from
taking adv antage of her incautious adj
mission.
"Hang the Clothes" said the man,
radiant once more in that admission,
"since you will allow it, l will come
with what l can rake up. But you'll
have to tell me which fork to use. /
have almost forgotten out here In the
wilderness"
ssIt isn't six months since you were
at our house"
"Six months! It's thousand years"
he went on, land I'm going to take you
out on the bridge after dinner. It's
great at any time. It's the most mag
nificent sight on earth even now, but
in the moonlight-there it is now" he
pointed as the little group walked past
the station which had hid the view
! and the great structure suddenly was
revealed to them.
The four men ahead had stopped
| and stood silent There was something
awe-inspiring and tremendous about
| the great, black, Outreaching, far
extending arms of steel. The first sight
of it always gave the beholder little
shock. 1t was so huge, so massive, so
grandly majestic, and withal so airy,
seen against the impressive background
of deep gorge and palisaded wall and
far-off mountains. So ether-bOrne was
it In it's perfect proportion that even
dull and stupid peOple-and none of
these were that-felt it's Overpowering
presence. Meade and the girl stopped
too. After one glance at the bridge,
| she looked at him. And that was typ
| ical. For the first time he was not at
the moment aware of, or Immediately
responsive to, her glance. And that
too, was typical. She noted this with
a pang OF. jealousy.
"You love the bridge" she said
softly.
He Strengthened up and threw his
head back and looked at her.
81 thought So" he said simply-"un'
til today, but now"-he stopped again
"But now?" she asked.
81 have just learned what love really
is and the lesson has not been taught
me by bridge" he answered directly
Yet Bertram Meade, the younger, did
truly love the bridge which he had
seen grow from the placing of the first
shoe-the great steel base on top Of
the pier which carries the whole struc.
ture-to the completion of the soaring
cantilever reaching out to meet Its
companion ON the other side-the great
International, which was to be the tie
that bound, with web Of steel, two
great countries which lay breast tt
breast; already In touch save for the
mighty river that flowed between them
BY no means would Meade, the
younger, have been charged with the
| great responsibilities Of the bridge haC
| 1t not been for his exhaustive prepare
ton and wide experience. To thor
ough technical training at Harvard, II
the Lawrence Scientific school, hat
been added a substantial record OF
achievement. A fine bridge which hi
had erected in faraway Burma, trium
phantly achieving the design despite
all sorts Of difficulties, had attracted
the attention of old Colonel Hing
worth, the president Of the Martle
Bridge company.
He had kept the young man under
his eye for long time. When he com
missioned his father, Bertram Meade
ST., to prepare the plans for the great
International, the most-sought-for ant
famous Of bridges, he had noted will
satisfaction that the older man, wht
stood first among bridge engineers OF
the continent, had associated with him
self his son. Meade, Jr., had recent,
returned from South America, wher'
he had again shown his mettle. Thu
two worked together in the preparation
of the designs for what was to be thu
crown and triumph of the older man
life, the most stupendous of all tn
cantilever bridges in the world.
The great engineer had high ide'
Of his only sons ability. He was will
ing to proclaim it, to maintain 1t, AM
defend it against all Corners excep
himself. When the two wills clashed
he recognized but one way, his own
The relations between the two wer
lovely but not ideal. There was lead
ership not partnership, direction rathe
than cooperation. The knowledge an
experience of the boy-for so he love-
to call him-where of course nothing
compared to those of his father. When
in discussing moot points, the younge
man had been unconvinced by the cal
culations of the elder, he had bee
laughed to scorn in a good-nature'
! way. His carefully set forth objee
lions, even in serious matters, had bee
J overborne generally, and by trium
) plant calculations Of his own the ia
Their had REINFORCED himself in his cor
illusions; and the more strongly be
cause of the opposition.
Young Meade's position was rathe
anomalous. He had no direct super
!. vision of the construction. He wa
there as resident engineer representa-
his father. He had welcomed the pos