The Washington times., 1937-12-27

as ne yelleQ DdnIerlQSly Ill dJ
The truck backed up to tn,
great silo of concrete which hell
the pea gravel. Young Tom swunl
off. He jerked down the scoop
like gate. The gravel thundered
a wet rolling stream of yellow
stone, into the truck.
Boss! Hey! Tom Sullivan" 4
yell of hoarse entreaty ripped
through the crashing roar OF rae
ing gravel,
Tom turned. The trucker cranec
his head out. They stared,
Then Tom anger painting hi
law line req, broke into a run. HI
ran to the odd pair Shambllng to
ward him beneath the wooden
scaffolding.
Give me that kidd" Ton
shouted.
The stout little crane engineer
Knapp, was tugging at a squlrm
ing little boy. Bobby's eight-year
o.. legs were kicking wildly at the
craneman's shinS. Knapp let out
another wrathful yell of entreaty
LIVELY BOY
Racing up. Tom clamped on
Bobbys wiggling shoulder, III
take him back to Beth-to Miss
Ryan's school. myself, this time!'
Knapp grunted, Found him in
the cranes cab, pulling the levers
again!" Then he stopped to gin
Eerly rub his shins.
Tom strobe under the Scaffold'
ing with squirming Bobby under
his arm.
Suddenly the truckdriver's bel
low ripped through the tumult OF
machinery. Tom turned with a
startled glance. The flood of cold,
wet gravel was mounding steep
cone in the truck!
With a lunging pull of his free
arm Tom jerked the scoop-gate
up. He called. Knapp, weigh this
truck in"
And with Bobby under his arm
he strobe toward the little school,
house on the hill across the road
from his gravel pit.
Tom noticed none of the racket.
The young mans face was cloaked
in gloom-gloom as thick as a road
wrapped in concrete.
Last night he had quarreled with
lovely. small Beth Ryan over her
boy pupils playing in his gravel
yard, and Beth had returned his
ring.
There was forlorn misery in
Toms eyes as he climbed the steps
of the schoolhouse.
Tom banged his knuckleS vio-
lently on the schoolhouse door.
Beth Ryan, who answered, had on
a scarlet wool dress. Her waving
black haiE made her profile coin
clear, sweet.
At the sight of Bobby, the
girls eyes became big, with dis
tress but her chin went up. She
grabbed the little boy and thrust
him behind her and faced Tom
Tom yelling fiercely. Three times
yesterday"
Beth interrupted in quiet but
tremulouS voice, This interest in
the pit iS-only a passing phase
really he'll be over it in a month
or So"
"A month or so! If there were
q little competent efficiency in
here, this truancy-"
HURT HORROR
Scarlet flags blazed in Beth's
cheeks. Then staring in hurt hor'
ror at Tom she backed through the
door and slammed it.
Toms fingers plowed through
his blonde hair, and he yelled at
the closed door, I'm paying Knapp
a dollar.sixty an hour to run the
crane-not to play nursemaid!' y
Thoughts of Beth rum n g
through his mind, Tom strobe into
the gravel pit office.
The Whirling clang of the yard
surged around him. The tumult
came from clanking belts and
founts of water gushing frcm the
grinding crusher.
And from the gravel, washed
and crushed, that the belts were
spewing into the white, Silo-like
bins.
Then suddenly on a gravel hill
he saw a flash of blue. Tom
clutched the sill and leaned fal
out. He muttered an oath at the
view of round legs, running.
Tom Snatched up the phone.
District School %! Miss Ryan!
The young mars voice was
croak of rage. -Four of your boy
are going like bats out of hel
down to my crane beside the river
led by your darling Bobby, wh'
now is so at home he's playing
host!
It's dangerous, I tell you! Ant
I've given orders to the men tt
let the kids break their fool neck
if they insist on it!"
The receiver at Beth's ent
came down with a bang.
Tom hated fighting with littl
Beth. Made him ache all ovel
Well, he'd have to warn Knap,
the kids were in the yard agair
Tom leaped to his feet as h
glimpsed flash of scarlet dres
crossing the road from the schoo
house 20 the river path. Beth's
Tom was out the door and dow
the WOODEN steps in his panic
stricken rush.
SCARLET FLASH
In the Sun-d0tted gravel hill!
again he saw flash of scarle
Beth was running down by tn
river to the crane to get her littl