Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-20

What was happeniug-what had
already happened-was a plenty. AS !
have said, the great Cornish water
lifters were driven through a train
of gearing. When 1 reached the scene,
the steam engine was still running
smoothly, but the pumps had stopped.
The reason didn't have to be looked
for with a microscope. The geaF-train
was a wreck, with n of the wheels
smashed into bits. and half of the
cogs stripped from its mesh-mate, if
that's what you'd call it.
Mechanically I stopped the engine
and went to view the remains. TIE
deep-wells were done for--there was
no question about that; they'd never
run again until a new set of gears
should be installed. That much deter
mined, I began to look for the cause
of the calamity. Naturally, I supposed
that a. cracked cog in one of the
wheels had given way, and with this
Tor a. starter, the general smash would
follow as a matter Of course. But
a careful and even painful scrutiny OF
the w~reckage failed to reveal the COG
with tho ancient fracture. Each break
was new n fresh inc clean: there
wasn't a sign Of an old flaw in n
one of them.
l think ! must have knelt there un-
DER n gear train for a half-hour or
more. handling the fragments of iron
m lifting them together. 1t was like
a chlld's broken-block puzzle, and aft
er a time was able to lay all the larg-
er bits out upon the floor in thcir
proper relation to one another. 1t was
IN the sround-up debris remaining
tnat l found something which sudden
~ made me see red. Battered into
snapelessness but still clearly recog-
n1zaole were the crushed disjecta
membra. Of our twelve-inch monkey.
wrench!
tried not to go of the handle in =
III OF MAJ rage. With a sort of forced
caln considered every beam and r
Jectlng timber where I might incau.
tlousiy ave left the wrench, and from,
Snlcn II might have Jared of TO fall
had used the wrench in reassen,hI;n
the machinery. but now that 7 came
10 recall all the circunstan 7 dis,
tlnctly remembered having pu. If 70
ge'ner With the other tools. on tho III,
t,e work bench back Of the engine. I'll,
conclusion was, therefore
larry inevitable. While I yas firinr
furnaces. sonaebody-and Doubles
somebody who had been watchine ~,
the opportupity-had taken ad,s 49,
OF the moment when my bac k 10
turned and had thrown the wreno,
into the gears. "'
IT was the final straw. There wa,
~ one person on the Cinnabsr re-
ervauon who could have any mott.
Tor Wrecking my machinery ar,
whlle was banking the fires and set
ing tning in order for the night,
charted my course. as the paytv.tor
say. The dawn OF another day. 7 toi
myself. would schedule the uiti,na.
unit. Unless he should prove ~ -
4 good bit quicker with his g,n III,
was with my fists, BuIlerton wa
u TO get the matchmaking he .esrn
ed to be aching for: and bevnna ~,
heu gun the cinnabar. il Shout
nave TO tie him on his horse and 10
tne beast halfway to Atropia.
IT was with this most ,ncb-r..
1es,en seething and boiling in -
ora!n that finally went over -
let myself in, ana .;i,, 80
stea!thily up the lott Ladder ~
nlankets, and the next thing = ~
II was broad daylight. tn. a,,n ~
ginning In at the little -uindnn W
me head OF my bunk. and from ~
kltcnen at the rear a juicy ana M.
appetlslng odor Of frying ham ~ ~
waiting itself up through the .-.s,'
IN a unchinked walls OF INV