Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-08-29

81 Was an Imaginative Kid" She Con-
tinued.
wasn't strong, and that duty fell to me,
TT was one Of the biggest mills in
Pennsylvania and IT'S tonnage was
always heavy because the superin~
tendent was a slave driver He was
one Of those men who are born without
s soul OF feelings. and he had 10 in
terest in anything except rails and
plates
zone day I took my stand Just out
side the Bessemer plant. It was a big
she'll Of steel Orders and corrugated
iron. and the side where we were was
open. Father saw me and waved his
hand he always waved at me-tfen
saw the superintendent coming
through big sauare-faced man
whom everybody feared Wherever
he went the hunkies danced; he could
put life into q dead mans limbs, that
man 1t was because Of their great
fear of him and his furious urging that
something happened
I-fas had begun her recital slowly,
without apparent object. but once into
II She seemed unable to stop and now,
although her words came haltagly, it
was plain that she mad worked herself
into sort Of hysteria in which she
gave little heed 80 her hearer- It was
chara cterfstic Of her that she could
SO excite herself by the power Of Wis
uaIization as TO be completely trans
ported.
Something went wrong overhead;
anyhow. the converter dumped too
soon. Men were working directly I'm
derueatb. father among the rest.
saw him 90 down uader a stream Of
liquid steel"
Iorelei's horriaed exclamation went
urnoticed; Lfl8s voice was sbril-
Yes He was blotted out. right be
fore my eyes in an instant In the
time Fl takes to snap your finger, he
and the others-were gone. changed
into smoke, into absolute uothingness-
There was no insurance, and nobody
took the blame Another Jew family,
few more widowed and fatherless
foreigners. among that army, meant
nothing I've never forgotten that day,
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 I
was only a ragged mite Of q child
among horde of Slaves. but when
grew older I often dreamed Of having
that man in my power. and-makine
him suffer. VINO would who could
have imagined that FL ever be living
on money wrung from the labor Of men
like my father. and BE in position to
meet that man on an equal footing? I
never did-not in ms widest moments.
and vet-here / au-and the day Of
reckoning gets closer all tbe time.
She ended with m abruntness that
evidenced her agitation Rising, she
/ jerked a beaded chain that depended
from the center lamp. and the room
was flooded with mellow light. then
she drew out Jhe table dra wer at her
guests elbow. and with shaking hands
selected a small box from the confu-
sion within T.ore}eI recoiIed at tine
sight Of a revolver hidden among the
disorder
Goodness. j hope ii. isn't loaded
/ the latter exclaimed. Your story gives
ms the creeps and that thing-seems
/ 10 ft in
TITS loaded, all right ] keep It for
protection 7 don't know WY I told
+ you ali this she half spolOgized TO
Lorelei. 1T has upset me as 1t al
ways does
How did you ever grow mp and
educate yourselft"
III hardly know, I hlied ont when
+ -~-+ err,yga e%E 4sr4rv ~