THE flEMLWEEKLY TRIRUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NPBPAoka
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The Ambition of Mark Truitt
Dy
HENRY RUSSELL MILLER
Author of
-the man inniinn up." "insnisn
TO POWKIt." Etc.
(Copyright. 1913. by The Bobb-Mcrrill Company)
SYNOPSIS.
Mn.r)t Truitt decides to leave his native
town of Hotlirl to nook hi fortune. His
nweetheart. Unity Martin, oncouraRes him
tn 111 project.
CHAPTER II Continued.
Ho wont ngaln to tho cupboard and
took down a battored tin candlestick.
,Ho lighted Its candlo nnd started
toward tho lnwnrd door. Half-way, ho
etopped abruptly and turned, his
mouth working strangely.
"If yo ever git rich," ho dragged tho
words, out slowly, oven painfully,
"como back hero an' build a stcol
plant Thoro'a a heap of flno coal nn
Iron In theso hills, an tho river an'
rallroad'll glvo yo good transportation.
This valley's meant fur It. I was Jo&t
a Uttlo too early an' a little too Igno
rant, I reckon. But yo'ro smarter an'
"better schooled than me, an' tho time's
comln'. I'd llko to eeo a Truitt build
It."
Never beforo had Simon Truitt
spoken of his dream and failure to his
won.
"Why, yes," Mark answerod, ou a
euddon pitying Impulse, "I'll think
about it."
"Yes. Keep thlnkln' about it. It's
It's a big idea."
Mark started. Tho phrase again!
feimon went to tho window and peered
out Into tho silvery night toward tho
south. Then he moved heavily toward
tho door. He turned ugnln; tho flick
ering light from tho candlo threw the
lined, patient face into sharp relief.
"Good night, Mark."
"Good night, father."
Tho door closed. For many minutes
Mark, left alono, absently Angered the
jpocketbook and thought of the mnn
who had glVcn it to him. Then he
blow out tho lamp and rose from the
tablo.
Ho, too, paused at tho window and
looked out into tho night, toward the
couth. Ho tried to sco the Bleeping
valley as his father had dreamed it,
alight with tho (Ires of many furnaces
palpitant with tho rumblo of man
engines. Ho thought ho saw it.
Tho picture faded. Ho saw only n
vagua shadowy mass In a moonlit
meadow, tho dismantled forgo, silent
witness that for those who march
upon tho battlefield that is called In
duBtry is no third choice. They must
conquer or bo conquered!
' CHAPTER III.
Tho Maotera.
Ho found himself, a lonely foreign
figure knowing not whlthor ho would
go, somehow in tho city's heart.
Chanco led him to tho principal thor
oughfarc. The city had begun to quit
Its toll, and the released tollers weic
pouring Into tho street, an endless tin
ordered horde, heedless of him us the)
wore of one. nnothor. Nover buforo had
bo eoonso ninny people.
Ho had a confused sonso of bciiiH
uuckod into a narrow, gloomy canyon
through which poured n flood of hu
inanity, a treacherous, dangerous tor
ront, with many cross-currents. Count
less faces, wnn in tho unnatural twl
light, streamed by him; a stranger
typo to him, fox-tcaturod, rostlcss of
oyo.
Full darknoss foil. Ho paused under
a dory Blgn, Tho Senocn. Through u
groat plate-glass window ho caw n
.gaudy rod-and-gold lntorior broken b
many columns that to tllo lnoxport
oyo somewhat resembled marble. Unl
formed pageB scurried to and fro. Well
lres8od men lounged tn easy chairs or
wilunterod leisurely nboift. Many lights
burned brilliantly. He looked within
longingly.
While ho dobatod whether or not to
(inter this expensive-looking hostelry,
porter Bwoopod upon him and
snatched from his hands tho ancient
carpetbag that held his slender ward
tobo. "ThlB way, tuh!"
' He followed tho portor to tho deok,
painfully conscious of tho llguro hu
cut, uncouth, out of place. A clerk
bf lofty mien placed an open roglstor
tVoforo him.
"Write your namo hero."
Mark wroto It.
"And your town."
Mark hesitated and then, with n
togged lowering of his head, firmly
irroto tire- namo of that city.
In tho dining room that night many
flilloa were cast at tho raw country
Ifouth. Ho did not regard himself as
B subject for mirth. As ho uttnekod
tho strange viundo tho waiter set be
tfura him, a Utth of his solf-conlldonco
returned, Tho vivid sonso of a cruol,'
wvorpowcrlng entity faded. Home
WtckncsB for Bethel, tho refuge, sub
iilded. ,
Ho began to take in details of tho
toovol econo around him.
His ears strained to catch tho re
pnarks that floated to him from the
neighboring tables, It was a stranga
jtongua be heard, lightly dismissing
itopics that would have busied the gos
Ips of Bethel for a moon. Thoro was
m. young man who wore diamonds and
falked in a loud and Imprcsatvo
ashlon.
". , , Elizabeth, I seo, broko tho
(record again." (Elizabeth, it devel
oped, was not a raco horse, but one of
tho Qulnby Steel company's blast fur
nncofl.) "Yes, sir! Moro'n forty thour
sand tonB. Honloy says I think so
myself wo'ro going to have the big
gest steel year yet No-o, I don't
Just oxactly know him, but I know
peoplo that do. And Tom Henlcy'R
going to bo tho biggest steel man in
tho business gets his fifty thousand
a year already. . . . MacGregor and
Qulnby? Oh, they're tho richest. They
lot tho others mako tho Bteel while
they make tho monoy. Seo? Hal ha!
. . . Tom Henley's tho brains of tho
Qulnby crowd. And ho's tho d d-
ost speculator. . . . Worth his half
million, they say, and ain't over thirty
live. . . ."
And this was tho city from another
anglo. Torn Henley, evidently, had tho
monster well in hand.
Tho namo had a familiar ring. Mark
drew from his pocket a letter Richard
Courtney had given him that morning.
Upon It was inscribed, "To Thomas
Honloy, Esqulro."
"Ho may bo willing to help you
find work," Courtney had said, "if he
remembers me."
Mark regarded tho lettor thought
fully. Ho wondered what was In It.
After a moment's hesitation he opened
it wun unsealed and read It.
"My Dear Henley," the letter ran,
"I am sending you ono who Is the
work of my hands. Ho Is a young
man of parte, 'good friends,' as wo
say up hero In Bethol, 'with work.'
Also ho 'has a hobo for money.' They
nro qualities for which you, perhaps,
can help him And a market. ... I
say ho Is my handiwork; but he Is
an unfinished product. What, I won
der, will the now llfo that succeeds
mo nB his mentor mako of him? Per
haps I should let him strlko out for
himself and learn at onco tho ugly
cruolty of tho struggle that now seems
to him so glorious, But we oldsters
hnvo tho habit of lielplnc youth to the
sugnr-pluma of which wo havo learned
tho after-taste. . . . And this In
troduction is the last thing ,1 can do
(or a young man who means much to
mo."
After many mlnutcB' study Mark
came to his decision. Ho would pre
sent himself and tho lettor to Thomas"
Honloy. Ho would do It that vory
night He roKo from his dinner.
"Whore," ho Inquired of tho super
cilious clerk, "doos Thomas Henley
llvo7 I must sco him tonight."
Tho directions brought Mark at
length into tho heart of n small com
munity from which tho city still kept
at a humble distance Not oo the fog,
which was no respecter oven of gilded
colonlos. From a tall Iron fence sloped
i wldo sweoplng lawn dotted at exact
Intervals with trees and shrubbery.
And In Its center loomed a great
shadowy mass, puncturod by many
windows shooting broad luminous bars
Into the fog. It was tho castle of the
tamor.
Ho proceeded with a boldness proper
to adventurers in Eldorado, past the
waiting carriages that lined tho grav
clod driveway, to tho wldo veranda.
Thoro ho halted. From within camo
'ho strains of music and a gay clamor
of voices. Ho could not know that
on this night tho tnmor gave a feast.
a fdrmal dedication of tho new castlo
to tho ontortnlnmont of his kind. But
he felt tho hour to bo ill-suited to his
purpose.
Yet It was effected.
Curiosity to look within carried him
to a window. To IiIb wondorlng gazo
unfolded a vista of Irish point and
damnsk satin, carved innliogany and
marblo llgures, gilt-framed pictures
md Btlkon rugs.
And amid this lavish display of beau
ties paradod a bovy of creatures seem
ing to his oxcltod fancy to havo
stopped out of "Arabian Nights."
. "Unity," ho said, "will llko that.'"
Whilo lio stood there a troop of men,
garbed In a monotony of black and
whlto, marched Into tho room. At tho
samo tlino voices camo from another
wing of tho veranda.
And then he, son of tho blacksmith
of Bethel, became a spectator nt tho
birth of a project that for a brlot
but brilliant period wns to move the
world to hosnnnns!
"Henley," said the first voice, deep,
yet softly flowing as honey, "I havo
como to the tlmo of llfo when a man
of sonso puts away tho lusts of the
flesh"
"Ib your digestion out of order?" In
terrupted tho second, sharper, leaB
musical and with a sardonic quality
that dellghtod the llstoner. "I noticed
you didn't eat much tonight."
"Aht It Ib more than stomnch. It
Is soul!" tho mollow volco flowed on.
"My labora and investments havo been
blessed with good fortune. So I am
now ablo to turn my onerglcs to tho
higher duties, to doing largo things for
humanity. And lately my thoughts
havo dwelt much on philanthropy and
pnloontology."
Tho speaker, llko BrutUB, paused for
a reply.
"Mmml Two 'p's," It came. "Quito
alliterative. Go on."
"Honloy, you nro tho first to whom I
havo npokon of my purpose It is
fixed. In what noblor work, what
more fertllo philanthropy, can a man
J of wealth ongago than 'In tho develop
ment of tho science of paleontology?
Think, Honloy to add to humanity's
knowledge of tho extinct llfo that
camo beforo our ownl It In u labor
to fire tho imagination. And that Is
my purpose I shall build and ondow
in this city tho most complete pale
ontologlcal Institute in tho world, and
boforo I lay asldo tho project, a branch
institution in each of tho largest cities
of tho nation." Tho volco trembled
with emotion.
Thcro was n sound ao of two hands
sharply meeting. "Good! I seo! Let
tho Scotchman look to his laurels!
MacGregor may build his libraries, but
Qulnby eliall havo his palcontologlcal
Institutes!"
Mark wondered at tho patlonco of
tho answer. "Ah! You are pleased to
Jest. But tho project le now to you.
And," sighingly, "tho young think only
of wealth and power."
"My dear Mr. Qulnby," tho other
purred, "no man In his senses could
Jest nt paleontology. What tho
devil!"
The speakers had turned the corner
of tho veranda and como upon tho
eavesdropper. Thus for tho first tlmo
Mark Truitt looked upon tho two men
In whoso legions he was to conquer.
Who has not in fancy's gallery a
portrait of Jeremiah 'Qulnby, taken
from the printe of tho day when his
star Bwept so brilliant through tho
sky? Tho lofty brow seems to sholtor
a very ferment of noblo projects. The
gravo oyes and mouth speak to us of
a great soul anguished by tho sight of
suffering humanity's needs, which ho
le bravely, self-offaclngly seeking to
rellovo.
Photography has boon less kind to
Thomas Honloy. No philanthropy has
claimed him as Its apOBtlo. And then
he was a less promising subject for
tho art. His body was squat and
heavy; his faco was bony and ugly and
arrogant, often Btlll further marred by
a cold, cynical sneer. A lessor man,
thus presented, would havo been repul
sive. Yot from Henley radiated a tre
mendous vitality that made him mag
netic or compelling as ho chose tho
dynamic quality that could galvanize a
man or a regiment to the mad effort
ho demanded. After tho first glance
Mark looked no mora upon Qulnby;
ho understood why the philanthropist
had so meekly swallowed tho lneo
lenco. "This," ho thought, "Is a man."
Henley charged upon him, gripping
his arm.
"What tho devil," ho repeated, "aro
you doing hero?"
"Looking Into tho window."
"What aro you doing that for?"
"Becauso," Mark answered simply,
"I nover saw anything. llko It boforo."
"Probably," tho phllanthroplBt-to-be
suggested nervously, backing awny,
"ho Is some sneak thief. Perhaps
you'd bettor hold him while I got
help."
"Oh, don't bo frightened," Henley
replied protectively. "I won't lot him
bite you."
Tho sardonic note was again upper
most. Mark, looking down at Honloy
ho had the advantage of his captor
by half a head grinned Involuntarily,
and was himself led Into Impudence.
"No, 1 won't blto you, Mr. Qulnby."
Qulnby took another stop backward,
his norvousness becoming mora mani
fest. "Ho knows my name! He may
be some crank who "
"My dear sir!" This time there was
a touch of Impatience in tho words.
"Gentlemen of your Importance must
through windows, I eupposo you want
a nlco, fat job you're not fit to fill?
Thoy all want that"
Suddenly Mark felt anger, hot an
ger, at this arrogant young man, not
so many years his senior, who baited
philanthropists with as faint scrupling
as ho rough-handled tho seeker of
work. Henley saw him stlffon.
"No, I don't," Mark cried hotly. "I
only wnnt a chanco to work. A chanco
to show what I'm good for."
"If that's all' you want what aro
you g6od for?;'
"I'm n blackBinlth, but I can do anything."
"Humph! Wo can use follows who
can do nnythlng to swing pick nnd
shovel. Do you know whero wo'ro
building our new plant?"
"I can And out."
"Go to tho labor boss and tell him
to glvo you a Job with the construction
gang. If you're good for anything, you
can work up tho way I no, not the
wny I did, but tho way you'll havo to
If you want to got along whero I'm
running things."
"All tight," Mark said shortly and
turned on his heel.
"It's a good gang," ho said shortly.
"And It's your business to mako 'em
work." Ho passed on.
"We'll get it now," Mark muttered.
"That Irish bully'll never know how
to get work out of men. I'd llko to
tell tho boss so."
Johann's fnco began to work. "Ay
skoll kill Mister Houlahan," camo hlo
slow growl, "mebbo so."
"Mcbbo so not." Marcel shrugged
his shoulders. "Ono mus' leove. An,'
ono nrus' work. Eh?"
"Steady, Johann!" counseled Mark.
"Don't lot him rqttlo you."
"You 'ear, Jo'ann?" Marcel added
earnestly. "I 'avo respec' for w'at my
fr'en, M'slett Mark Truitt, say."
They "got It," Indeed, that after
noon. Tho Irishman, under the otlng
of his boss reproof, raged and cursed
endlessly In tho effort to get more
work out of his men. Tho gang, Irri
table and sullen, worked erratically,
with feverish spurts' that brought In
ovltablo reaction; tho men became de
moralized, lntorfered with one another.
Mark, some whim of tho boss mak
ing him a special target for tho fusil-
HUM
ft JP
mm BpPf
"If That's All You Want, What Are
You Good For?"
oxpect their numes to become house
hold words. If you'll feel easier, step
insldo whUo 1 attend to this Peeping
Tom."
Tho philanthropist Btlll Insensible- -It
seemed to the thinly veiled Ineo
lenco, accepted tho suggestion.
"Now then," Henley demanded sharp
ly, "what do you want hero? You
don't look llko a sneak thief."
"I brought a letter to you."
"Who from?"
"Dr. Klchnrd Courtney."
"WJio's ho?"
"Ho's our preacher In Bethol."
"Bethel? Elucldato Bethol."
Mark defined the village geographically.
"Humph! Lot mo see tho letter."
Mark gave the mlastvo to him, and
Honley, opening It, began the porusal.
"How mnny letters llko this do you
supposo I get every day?"
"A good many, I expect."
"Dozens I" Henley snapped. "Doz
ona! Enough, It I gave 'em all Jobs,
to cover tho Qulnby mills threo deep
with lncompotents In a yoar."
Ho completed tho perusal of the let
tor. "Well," he sneered, "you who peep
CHAPTER IV.
The Service of the Strong.
To tho nation had como a raro pas
sion for building. It was tearing down
Its old barns, to build anow, bigger
and stronger. Thcro were cities to bo
raised in tho deserts; nnd they must
bo made otanch and lasting. The pio
neer and his harvest niUBt be carried,
not by crawling conestoga and mule
train, but by tho power of steam. Men
would go down to tho sea no longer In
ships of wood, but in Aoating palaces
that mocked the storm. Those who
mado war wero to bo sheltered behind
Impenetrable ramparts and, again,
equipped with engines and missiles bo
fore which stoutest defenses crumbled.
Tollers on land and sea must And In
their hands now weapons, hard and
keen and sure, to bring nature, her
forces and treasures, into bondago and
service.
Therefore, steel!
And, therefore, the army of steel
workers.
A strong west wind had sprung up
during tho night and the sun shone
clear on tho lino of that day's recruits.
Ono by ono thoy passed beforo a keen
eyed youth only tho young officered
this army who, after ono glance, ac
cepted or rojectcd. The enlisted
wero turned over to tho timekeeper,
who gave them numbered cards and
assigned them to various waiting
squads.
A big Swede, a wiry Uttlo French
Canadian and a slow-moving Polo were
passed.
Ho nodded curtly to the next appli
cant. "All right! Get your card."
And thia recruit was ho who had
accepted Thomas Honloy's challenge.
Tho latter had already forgotten tho
Incident, but Mark was still hot with
the determination to prove his mettle
to the tamer.
He gnvo hlB name to tho timo-clerk
and received his card, also tho com
mand, "Go with Houlahan's gang."
Thus, ho reflected, ho had taken the
Arst stop In his campaign of conquest
ho wnB' a prlvato In Houlahan's
squad.
"Git a move on!" thundered a volco
In hie ear. "D'ye think yez arro a
prathy shtuck in th' grround,? Marrch!"
it was me voice oi iiouiiuian. roam
marched.
Corporal Houlahan had no romantic
concoptlon of hlB duties, and his tyr
anny was of a sort to glvo his under
lings tho realistic point of view.
"Horo, yo Oly " N
"Ay bano Johann."
"Ye'ro Moiko, 'f 01 say ut," bellowed
Houlahan., He enlarged upon Johann's
dishonorable pedigree. "Dig in!"
Tho Swcdo, tho best worker in the
gang, began to shovel In a nervous
haste that added nothing to hlB effi
ciency. Mark saw tho red creep into
tho fair skin.
"Shtir It up, yo Frinch loafor!" the
corporal addressed the next In lino
"Wo'ro runnln' no barber shop here.
Fr two clnts Ol'd bate some worruk
Into yez."
It was a tired and sadly fretted gang
tho noon whistle relioved. Mark
strctchod himself out on the ground,
closing his eyes on the dinner palls
his comrades produced; In his eager
ness to bo enlisted he had not thought
of his midday meal, and ho was very
hungry.
Ho felt n hand on his shoulder nnd
opened his eyes. Tho Frenchman and
the Swedo Hat besldo him.
"M'sleu ees 'ongree, eh?" Tho
Freuchmnn carefully vbroko a loaf of
brown bread all his meal In tho
middle and proffered Mark one-half.
"Un" t'lrety?" Tho Swedrf hold out
n bottle Ailed with cold coffee. '
Mark looked covetously at tho gifts,
but he shook his head.
"M'sleu 'ate dnt dam 'Oula'an?" the
Frenchman Inquired.
"I do," Mark responded with fervor.
"Dat mak' fr'en'a out of us, eh? Eat,
m'sleu."
Hunger overcame scruples. Mark ate
tho bread and drank the coffee.
"Much obliged. I was hungry. You're
all right " He paused Inquiringly.
"Mnrcol Masqueller," the French
man complotcd tho sontenco.
"Johann Johannsen," rolled from tho
region of tho Swede's stomach.
Mark Identified himself.
"Dat vor' good name. Dr-r-r!" The
exclamation was for tho conporal, who,
with the labor boss, approached. Tho
latter glanced over tho excavation.
"How many loads havo you taken
out?"
"Thlrty-nlno, sor."
"Only thlrty-nlno?" tho boss rejoined
sharply. "It ought to bo Afty."
"Tho dotn'd loafers won't worruk,"
Houlahan dofended himself angrily.
Tho boesNsast his swift appraising
I glance over the resting groups
"Would You Mind Saying That Agaln7"
lado of profanity, waa hard put to
keep his temper in leash; ho was hard
er put to restrain tho mutinous Swede,
who itched with a desiro for assassi
nation. Toward the end of tho day
even tho philosophic Marcel grew Ill
natured and snarling. Somehow Mark
felt their hospitality of tho noon hour
had put upon him a responsibility for
them, though thoy wero his seniors
by at least ton years.
"Ono must live, you know," ho re
minded Marcel. "And ono must work."
"Ono mus not bo treat' llko a dog,
m'sleu." Marcel ripped out a long
French oath. "Jo'ann. you 'avo my
consen' to keel dat 'Oula'an."
Suddenly the Swedo dropped his
shovel. "Ay bano by endt Ja!"
Johann was too slow In his mental
processes to bo shamed into patience.
"Pick up that shovol nnd get to
work," Mark commanded sharply.
Tho Swedo blinked stupidly for a
moment, then slowly obeyed.
"You our boss, heln?" Marcel
sneered.
"No, Marcol, slnco noon your
friend," Mark responded.
Marcel, too, stared and then, with a
gesture of contrition, bent himself dog
gedly to his task.
Mark thought ho heard a chuckle.
Ho looked up to meet the eyes of tho
tamer. As to tho chuckle, ho may
havo been mistaken; in tho keen im
personal glunco waa no sign of recog
nition. Henley, with tho labor boss,
departed on his tour of inspection.
Mark gave himself anow to his work,
with a sudden inner expansion. Not
Honley, but the submlsslvenesa of his
malcontent "friends," was the cause
of that expansion.
Mark learned that thcro uro a right
method and n wrong of doing even
tho Blmplo task of plying, a shovel;
that there Is a fashion of handling
even so common an animal as tho day
laborer which brings out his highest
efficiency. Ho found, moreover, that
ho had tho gift granted as often to
the false and tho foolish as to tho truo
and tho wise of popularity. Men
liked him; thoy laughed at his Jokes;
on a day's acquaintance thoy confided
to him their troubles squnlid trage
dies thoy wero, alas! only too often.
Marcel nlwnys called him "m'sleu," a
distinction ho accorded not oven to
Blair, tho labor boss.
Ono chill, foggy evening, ns the
whistle blew, ho looked about him and
realized that the excavation for tho
now mill was completed.
"Why, wo'ro through!" ho muttored.
Johann stared stupidly.
"Mebhy dat Meeetalr Blair 'e geov
u anudder job, you fink so, eh?" ven
tured Marcel hopefully.
"No. We're the rottenest gang on
tho work. It's Houlahan's fault. And
I haven't had my chance. D n
him!"
"D n!" The impending calamity
was becoming clear to Johann.
"M'sleu 'as los' 'ees chance. Dat
ver' bad. Jo'ann an' me, we 'avo los'
a Job," Marcel righed.
But the fear was not JustlAod. At
tho tool-shed thoy wero ordered to
report next morning a half hour ear
lier than usual. And:
"Truitt," said tho tlmo clerk, "tho
boss wants to seo you."
Mark made his wny to tho rudo
shanty that waB Blair's officev
"Truitt," tho latter demanded,
"what's tho matter with Houlahan's
gang?"
"Too much bullying," Mark an
swored directly.
"I thought bo. Itoport tomorrow
morning."
"Yes, Blr. Of course."
"I'm going to put your gang on the
now coko oven beds. IVb a rush Jobj
I glvo you threo wookB for it"
"Glvo mo?"
"Yes. I'm putting you In charge of!
tho gang."
For an Instant Mark etarcd foolish
ly. Then he grinned. "Would you
mind Baying that again?"
Blair compiled. "Look horo," ho
added boyishly, "I'm taking a chanco'
on you, becauso you look and talk.
Ir-ielllgent. Aro you?"
Mnrk admitted it.
"Then prove It. I want to mako o
record on this Job and bo you've gob
to. Houlahan," Blair added, "didn't
and ho loses bis Job. Seo?"
Mark Baw.
In tho' morning Houlahan roportod,
happily unaware of a now order of
things. !
"Houlahan," Blair announced casu
ally, "Truitt will tnko your gang to-)
day." i
Houlahan glared malovolently at)
Mark. '
"And whero'll 01 go?"
"You can take Trultt'a old place or
quit," said Blair curtly.
"My God!"
Thoro was no resistance. Aa if!
dazed, tho Irishman shouldered hlsj
pick and Bhovel and with tho gang fol
iowed Mark to the, new Job. '
You havo seen a sensitive horso boJ.
coma docile and eager when a master
takes the reins. So it was with Houla-
han'B, now Trultt's, gang. They wero.i
elnco they had survived tho weeks ofj
bullying, no mean typo; and they roi
sponded gratefully to tho changed;
leadership. Where they had been sul-.
Ion and resentful, thoy now becamoi
willing and promptly obedient. As the
day advanced, tho pace, Instead ofj
slackening as under Houlahan's com
mand, grew faster; the last hour's;
record was the best of nil. j
Often Mark went homo to his lodgi
lng by way of tho mills. Then he be
gan to spend hla evenings studying)
them, sometimes in company with)
Blnlr, who when tho day's work waa
dono sunk his rank in a frank liking
for his new lieutenant
At first Mark saw only a vnst spec-1
tacular chaos; a Brobdingnaglan for-j
ment of unordered nnd unrelated en-i
glnery and consuming fires. No guid
ing hand appeared, no purpose wasl
felt. Some awful mischance that mu6tj
bring the whole fabric crashing tol
earth seemed always to impend. Iti
was unbollevablo that this creation
had been brought forth from the mind
and by tho hand of man. '
Gradually to his accustomed eyei
tho chaos resolved Itself into a system)
rather, a marvelous system of sys
tems that worked with d single pur-;
pose, each unit fitting precisely intoj
the ordered whole.
"God!" he exclaimed ono night, over-i
como by tho splendor of It all. Ho and
Blair were standing on the bridga
over the blooming mill, watching thol
half-nuked troop that with hook anal
tongs worked a two-ton Ingot over tha
rolls. J
"What is it? What's happened?'1
Blair looked around for an accident toj
explain tho ejaculation. I
"Nothing. I was just thinking howj
how. big it Is." Mark laughed at the
feebleness of his words. "What would!
you glvo to bo down thero?" I
There Is such a thing as luck.
man himself an artist who had not)
yet become exploiter who had JustJ
come unnoticed on the bridge, heard
and with a half smile, saw the eagen
face. I
Blair shrugged his Bhoulders. "Yesj
it's big. But lt'a hard work. Gooq
pay, though."
"I suppose eo," Mark answered caro-i
Bsly. "I wasn't thinking of that."
spoko. "Good ovenlngj
1
L'llj
lcsaly.
The man
Blair."
"Oh! Good evening, Mr. Henley .'
Blair struck a respectful attitude. "Aj
bad night, sir."
Honley looked at Mark. "I don'tl
just place you. Whero havo I see:
you beforo?"
Mark flushed at tho recollection.
"I took a letter I had for you andl
you caught me "
"So you're Peoping Tom, eh? Did)
you got a job?"
"Y 3, sir. With a pick-and-shovel!
gang. I'm boss now." j
Henley seemed not ' unduly im
pressed.
"Ho's the man that dug tho new
oven bedB," Blair Interposed gener
ously. "Ho did it in two weeks and,'
three days."
"Two weeks and two days," Maria
corrected eagerly.
"So long?" Henley continued lndlf-i
forent.
"I had a spoiled gang. It took at
week for me to shape 'em up."
"Humph! That's what we pay
bosses for. Wo gavo you credit for
that Job. Blair."
"I took him out of the gang and put)
him on tho Job. But ho did the work
He knowo how to get work out ofl
men."
And that was high praise the veryi
highest, Henley thought He turned
again to Mark.
"Aro you satisfied with your Job?"
"No," cried Mark. "I don't want to.
bo just a Hunky-drlvor. I want t
learn how to mako steel."
"It'o easier to learn how to makei
steel than to bo a Hunky-drfvor," Hen
ley said dryly. "Howovor, I think wo
can find you another Job."
(TO HE CONTINUED.)
Roundsman Emulates Naturalist
Thero Is a policeman In tho Middle
sex Falls who carries a book, a palr'oC
opora glasses and a bundlo of note pa-j
per with him on his rounds.
"I've been hero a number of years,"
ho said to a visitor, "and I got
ashamed when everybody asked mo
about birds and flowers nnd I could
not tell them about anything Ono
day I saw Mr. Packard, tho naturalist.
nt work, and l'vo been Imitating Ulnij
since then." Boston Traveler.
tTYlP-3
tl
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