Evening star., 1922-06-18
TINE personally conducted tour
round Frenton's Steel Works
paused. as usual, on reaching
- the Shou, pieca- pf the .entAr-


paused, as usual; on reaching
the show piece of the enter
tainment. The mighty hammer. op-
Grated with such consummate ease by
the movement of single lever. never
failed to get a round of applause
from the fascinated onlookers. This
time it would crash downward. de-
livering a blow which shook the
ground: next time it would repeat
the performance. only, to stop just
as the spectators wefe bracing them.
selves for the. shock-stop with such
mathematical exactitude that the
glass of a watch beneath it would be
cracked. but the works would not be
damaged.
Old Trenton had made the works.
He was a millionaire now. many
times over. but he could still recall
the day when sixpence extra day
had meant the difference between
chronic penury and aff1uence. He paid
his men well, almost lavishly. All
he asked was that they should work
in a similar spirit. And he did more.
To him every man he employed was
a personal friend. Again. all he asked
was that they should regard him
likewise.
BOYS" he had said to them on one
occasion, when spirit of unrest had
been abroad in the neighboring
works. IF you've got any grievance.
there's only one thing I ask. Come
and get it off your chests to me.
Don't get muttering and grousing
about it on corners If I can remedy
it. I will If | can't. I'll tell you why.
ANYWAY. talk will clear the air.
In such manner had John Trenton
run his works: in such manner had
he become a millionaire and found
happiness as we'll. And then had
come, the great grief of his life. His
wife died when Marjorie. the only
child, was born. On the girl he Law
ished- all the great wealth OF love OF
which his rugged nature was cap
able He idolized her, and she. be-
cause her nature was sweet. remained
charming. unaffected girl. Then
She'd met the man.
** x
IT would perhaps be more correct to
say THAI the man had met her.
L ne hOnO.dp f1tI OCi
received an intimation from an aunt
OF his that if he would find 1t con-
venient to abstain for while from
his normal method of living and come
and stay with her in the country she
would introduce him to charming
girl staying at a neighboring house
She specified who the charming girl
was. aad suggested that though from
his birth Herbert had been 4 fool he
couldn't be such a fool as to let this
slip, She was an outSpoken lady, was
this aunt.
The Honorable Herbert made few
INQUIRIES and left London next day
for protracted stay with his rela-
tive. 1t took him a week-he pos
sessed a very charming manner, did
Herbert-before he was formally en-
Gagged to Marjorie. The armament OF
nineteen has but little resisting
power when exposed to the batteries
of good-looking, delightful man OF
The world who is really bringing all
his guns to bear. And because the
man was consummate actor when
he chose to be, he had but little more
difficulty in getting through the de-
fenses of her father.
Marjorie seemed wonderfully happy
that was the chief thing to John
Trenton. And he was getting Old
Carrying out his usual routine at the
works was daily becoming more and
more of strain. Why not? He had
no son-everything would go to his
girl and her husband at his death.
His life work would be in their hands.
If he'd had his way. perhaps, he'd
have chosen some one with little
more knowledge of the trade. The
honorable Herbert didn't know the
difference between mild and tool
steel, but, after all, a happy marriage
cid not depend on such technical
qualifications.
AND so his prospective son-in-law
became prospective partner.
Ostensibly, he was supposed to be
picking up the tricks of the trade.
performance which afforded him no
pleasure whatever. He loathed work
In any form, and regarded it as
form of partial insanity. But he was
far 100 astute a person to run any
risks. He was playing for immeas-
urably larger stakes than he could
afford to Jose. and. in addition. he
was quite genuinely fond of Mar
jorie in his own peculiar way. He
intended to marry her. and then,
when the old man was dead-and he
was visibly failing-the Honorable
Herbert had his own ideas on the
subject of Frenton's Steel Works.
The only trouble was that Fren-
toms Steel Works had their own ideas
on the subject of the Honorable Her
bert. though that gentleman was su-
premely ignorant of the fact. For
the men did not like the Honorable
Herbert. In fact they disliked him
considerably. and since there was no
secret regarding his future-a future
which concerned them Intimately
this error in the calculations was
serious.
They were rough -andready
crowd, with roug9l-and-ready ideas of
Justice and fairplay. In addition, they
idolized Marjorie Trenton and her
father to a man. 1t had taken them
about a month to size up the new
partner. and that was six months ago.
Since then, slowly and inexorably-
their brains did not work very
uuickly-the determination that they
would not have the Honorable Her.
bert as John Frenton's successor had
crystallized and hardened. For a