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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1917)
WEB OF STEEL CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY and CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY, Jr. 1 1 Author and Clergyman CivU Engineer I Copyright by'FIemioj II. Rerell Co. THE FAMOUS ENGINEER LEARNS THAT HE MADE THE BIG MISTAKE OF HIS LIFE AND MANY LIVES MUST PAY THE PENALTY. Tho Mnrtlct Construction compnny 1b putting up a Krcnt interna tional bridgo planned by Bertram Meade, Sr., famous engineer. Ills Bon, Bertram Meade, Jr., a resident engineer at the bridge, loves Helen Illlngworth, daughtor of Colonel Illlngworth, hend of tho construction company, and they will marry ns Boon ns tho brl'dgo Is completed. Tho young engineer questioned hl father's Judgment on tho strength of certain Important girders, but was laughed ut IKs doubts nro veri fied when tho bridgo suddenly collapses, with heavy loos of life. men and bridge. Tho workmen at least had no suspicions or premonitions i of disaster. Wllchlngs, tho chief erecting fore man, knew nbont tho camber. It had not bothered him. As ho approached tho two exchanged greetings. "You're out early, Mr. Abbott," said Wllchlngs. "Yes, I'vo been down to cxnmlno C-10-It." Wllchlngs laughed. "That littlo spring Is nothing." no looked over tho track and through tho mazo of brnclng at tho member. "If wo had a pier nomcwhero wo could hold up tho earth with that strut. You didn't find out anything, did you?" "Not a thing except somo halr-llno CHAPTER VI. Tho Failure. In splto of himself und his confidence la the' bridge, Abbott felt a littlo un easy the next morning. At bottom ho had more rospect for Meade's tech nical knowledgo than bo bad displayed or even admitted to himself. Tho younger engineer's terrlllcd alarm, bis utter forgctfulncss of tho amenities be tween them, his frantic but futile ef forts to telephone, of which the op erator told Abbott In tho morning, his hurried departure to New York, were, to say tho IcaBt, somewhat disquieting, much more bo than ho was fain to ad mit to himself. . ... i. i. in.tniuswl n hnnl n ml .1 II , ri m , ilnwnward cracks In tho paint around tho rlvctB." pomcwhat dangerous c mb do vnward anu loon miwuiuo v. -- ------ ,. ,,, f ,,, m,.... hrl(1n will stand long after you and I and every man on It has quit work for good." Now Wllchlngs was a man of experi ence nnd ability, nnd If Abbott had needed any confirmation of his opinion this careless expression would bavo served. IIo did send 'him across tho river to cxnmlno tho lialf-completcd cantilever on tho other bank, upon which work had been suspended, nwnlt lng shipments of steel. Wllchlngs Inter reported that It was nil right, which was what ho expected, of course, and this also added to Abbott's confidence, Tho day was nn unusually hard one. A great quantity of structural steel that had been delayed nnd which hnd threatened to hold up tho work, arrived that day and tho chief of construction wns busier than ho had ever been. IIo was driving tho men with furious energy. Even under tho best conditions It would bo well-nigh lmposslblo to comploto tho bridgo on tlmo. Abbott had prldo In carrying out tho contract and tho financial question was n con Rldornblo ono. Dad It not been for that, porhaps, ho would havo paid moro attention to Meado's anneal. So ho hurried on tho work at top speed. Lato In tho afternoon, without Bay ing anything to Wllchlngs, who had re sumed his regular work, or to anybody In fact, Abbott went down to look at tho member ngnln. IIo climbed down n hundred feet or moro to mnko nn other examination at tho expense of nlnnblo time, tho first thing tho erect lng engineer did In tho morning wnn to go down to tho plor heau anu mane a thorough nnd curcful examination of tho buckled member. C-10-lt was, of ourso, a part of tho great lower chord f tho huge diamond-shaped truss, which, with Its parallel sixty feet nwny en tho other Bldo of tho bridgo and Its two opposltcs across tho river, support ed tho wholo structure. If anything woro wrong, seriously, Irreparably wrong, with tho mcmbor nnd It gavo way, tho wholo truss would go. Tho other truss would lncvltnbly follow ult, and tho cantllovor would Immedi ately collapse Abbott realized that, of course, ns ho climbed carefully flown to tho plor head and stood on the Bhoo. Abbott, as ho Btood by tho member and surveyed It throughout Its length, could easily sco that It had buckled, al though tho deviation wns Blight, nbout two Inches nt Its maximum in sixty feet Ho brought with him a lino and, with lnflnlto care nnd palus, ho drow It taut across tho alight concnvlty llko A bow-string. IIo had estimated tho wmbcr, or tho dlstnnco between tho eontcr of tho bow and tho string, nt ono nnd n hnlf Inches. As ho tnndo woro careful measurements, ho dlscov trcd that It was slightly over ono nnd thrco-qunrtcr Inches. In seven bun Ircd nnd twenty that was scnrcoly no ticeable and It did not seem very much to Abbott. As ho stood thero feeling himself nn Inslgnlflcnnt flguro amid this great Interwoven mass of rteol, ngnln tho senso of Us strength and stability camo to hlra ovorpoworlng ly, so much bo that ho laughed aloud In n rather grim fashion at tho un wonted nervousness which hnd been Induced in his mind by Meado's words and actions. I XlUt IIO WUB U CUUnUUHlluun mini, du he pursued his Investigations further. Ho climbed up on top of tho member, which whb easy enough by means of tho criss-crossed lnclng, nnd carefully Inspected tho lacings nt tho center of tho concnvlty, or sldowlso spring from tho right line. f. Ho noticed, by gottlng down on his face and surveying tho lacing bnrs closely, n number of lino halr-llno cracks In tho paint, Burfnco traceries apparently, running hero nnd thero from the rivet holes. Tlw rlvots them elves hnd rather n strained look. Somo of tho outer rivets seemed Bllghtly looso, whero before thoy must havo bcon tight, for tho members, llko all tlier parts of tho bridgo, had been carefully Inspected nt tho shop nnd tiny looseness of tho rivets would cer tainly havo been noticed there. Hut Abbott's obsession as to the strength pt tho bridgo hnd growu stronger. Lin ing it out, crnwllng over It, feeling Its He Mado Another Careful Examina tion. much valuable time, for ho hnd not rigidity, ho dccldod that these evident jMI88UU- s0 busy a day ns that ono slnco ptralns were to do oxpocicu. ui cuumu , i.rMi'o becan. Jvuy Ming was cx- Iho lacings UUftt hold tho webs together uctly ns lt imu- been. Thoso halr-llno would huve to tnko up a tcrrlllc stross. crnciS jm,i troubled him n little despite Srncy hud been designed for that pur- wilohlnir'a romarlc IIo studied them n uoso. Lnrgcly because ho did not find socomi time. They Wero Just us Uiey luurthluor very glaring, and because ho iliu. i,eeI, B0 fnr nH ho could toll, no wanted to bellovo what ho believed, tho inrgeT) n0 moro numorous. Tho luclngs cWef of construction loft tho pier nonu rnnR cxnctly tho snmo undor his ham and clombcrod up to tho lloor wun nHirj moro satisfaction In his heart than his u0 climbed back to tho floor of tho nomewhat surprising anticipation. i)rMco and spent tho next half hour In which had so unwillingly grown under Bpcctlng tho progress of tho work. Tho t&o stimulus of Meado's persistence, suspended span hnd alroudy been find led 1dm to expect pushed out far beyond tho end of tho Tho whlatlo wns Just blowing for tho cantilever. Tho work on the other commencement of work when ho got sldo of tho river hnd bcon stopped. As iwrk to tho brldco floor. IIo could not soon ns they got the suspended span hat reflect, ob tho men camo swarming halfway over thoy would trnnsfor tho Wnni? tho tracks to begin their day's workmen nnd finish tho opposlto cnntl- work; that tho responsibility for their lover. Abbott calculated that perhaps Mvcs lav with him. Well, Abbott was In auother week they could get It out . i.in. ,.n in liin wnv. ho had assumed If ho drovo tho men. IIo looked at hi .,..eii,nniou hnforA nnd was ncr- watch, grudgingly obsorvlng that it Jfectly willing to do bo again, boU for was almost flvo o'clock. The men woro nothing to Abbott. Tho bridgo was everything. That Is not to say ho wus heartless, but tlio bridgo nnd Its erec tion were supremo in his mind. The mntcrlal was arriving and every thing was going on with such a swing nnd vigor that ho would fain havo kept them nt work un hour or two longer. Tlio men themselves did not feel that wny. Somo of tho employees of the higher grades had got tlio obsession of the bridge, but to most of them It was tho thing they worked at, by which thoy got their dally bread nothing more. Thoso who worked by tho day were already laying aside their tools, and preparing for their departure. They always would get ready so that nt tho signal nil that was left to do was to stop. Tho riveters, who were paid by tho piece, kept ut It nlways to tlio very last minute. Abbott hnd been standing nenr tho outer end of the cantilever and ho turned nnd wnlkcd toward tho bank. Tho pneumatic riveters wero rat-tat- tatting on tho rivet heads with n per fectly dnmnablc Iteration of Insistent sound. A confused babel of voices, the clatter of hammers, ringing sounds of swinging steel grating against steel, clnnklng of trucks, grinding of wheels, tho deep breathing of locomotives, mingled In an nnhnrmonlous diapason of horrid sound. Abbott ns right nbovo tho pier hend now. Ho looked down nt it tnrougn tho struts nnd floor bcnmB and braces, fustenlng his gnzo on tho questioned member. Thero It stood satisfactorily, of course. Yet, something Impelled him to walk out on tho nearest floor beam to tho extremo edge of tlio truss and look down at It onco more, leaning far out to see It better, no could get a better view of It with nothing between It nnd him. It still stood bravely. It was nil right, of course. Ho wished that ho had never said a word about It to anyone. Ho did not Beo why ho could not regard It with tlio Indifference that It merited. As he stared down nt It over the edge of tho truss tlio whistle for quitting blow. Every sound of work ceased nfter tho briefest of Intervals, except hero nnd thero n few riveters driving homo a final rivet kept nt It for a few sco ond, but only for a few seconds. Then, for a moment a sllcnco like death It self Intervened. It seemed as If tho ever blowing wind hnd been momen tarily stilled. That Bhrlll whistle nnd tho consequent cessation of tho work nlwnys affected everybody tho Bnmo way. Thero was Inevitably and ln varlnbly n pause. Tho contrast be tween tho nolae and Its sudden stop page was bo treat that tho men In stinctively waited n few seconds nnd drow n breath before they began to light their pipes, close their tool boxes, pick up their coats and llnner pnlls, and resume their conversation as they strolled along tho roadway to tho shoro. It seemed to Abbott that It had never been so silent on tho bridgo before. Thero was almost always a breeze, sometimes a gale, blowing down or up tho gorgo through which tho river flowed, but that afternoon not a breath was stirring. Abbott found himself waiting In strained nnd unwonted suspense for tho next second or two, bis eyes fixed on tho member. The long warm rays of tho afternoon sun illuminated It clearly. In that second immediately below him, far down toward tlio pier head ho saw a Buddcn flash as of break ing steel. Low, but clear enough In tho lntcnso silence, he heard a popping sound llko tho snap of a great finger. Then tho bright gleam of freshly broken metal caught his excited glance. Tho lacing was giving wny. Mcado was right. Tho member would go with It Tho first pop or two was succeeded by littlo rattle as of revolver shots heard from a distance, as tho lnclngs gavo way In quick succession. Abbott wns a man with a powerful volco and ho raised It to Its limit Tho ldlo workmen, Just beginning to lnugh and Jest heard a great cry : "Off tlio bridgo, for God's sakol" Two or three, among them Wllch lngs, who hnpponed to bo within a few foot of tlio Inndward eud, without un derstanding why, but Impelled by tho agony, tho appeal, the horror In tho great shout of tho master builder, leaped for tho shoro. On tlio bridgo Itself Bomo stepped forward, somo stood still staring, others peered down ward. Tho great sixty-foot webs of steel wnvcred llko ribbons In tho wind. Tho bridgo shook as If In nn earth quake. Thero was a heavy, shuddering, swaying movement and then the 000- foot cantilever nrra plunged down ward, as a great ship falls Into tho trough of n mighty sen. Sharp-keyed sounds cracked out overhead ns tho truss parted at tlio npox, tho outward lapsed on the low shore, llko n houso of cards upon which tins been lntd tho weight of a mnsslve hand. Tho river section, carrying tlio greater load nt tho top nnd torn from Its baHC, plunged, llko an nvnlancho of steel, 200 feet down Into tho river, throwing far nhcad of It, us from n giant cntnpult, tho traveler on tlio outwnrd end" of tlio suspended span and a locomotive on tho floor beneath. Wllchlngs, and tho few men safe on tho shore, stood trembling, looking nt tho bnro pier head, at tho awful tan gled mass of wrcckago on the shoro between tho pier nnd tho bnnk ; lloor beam nnd stringer, girder and strut, bent, twisted, broken In ragged and horrible ruin, while tho wnter, deeper than tho chasm It had cut, rolled Its waves smoothly over tho agttntlons of tho grent plunge beyond the pier. They stared Blck nnd faint nt tho tangled, Interwoven mass of steel, ribboning In every direction for In the mnln tho rivets held so It wns not any defect of Joints, hut structural weakness In tho body of tho members that hnd brought It down and Inclosing ns In n net many bodies thnt n few seconds before had been living men. They hud seen body nfter body hurled through tho nlr from tho outward end and, ns they gazed fearfully lu horror hero and there dark flgures floated to tho surfaco of the wnter. They caught glimpses of white, dead faces ns the mighty current rolled them under nnd swept them on. And no sound enme from tho hundred nnd fifty who had gone down with the bridgo. Tho 200 foot fall would havo killed them with out tho smashing nnd bnttering and crashing of the great girders thnt had fallen upon them or driven them from the floor und hurled them, crushed and broken, Into tho river. Meade had been right. Abbott had ono swift flash of ncknowlcdgment, one swift moment packed with such re grets as might fill n lifetime an eter nity in a hell of remorse before ho, like tho rest, had gone down with tho bridge 1 CHAPTER VII. For the 8on. Tho message was received In ghast ly silence. No ono spoke for a moment, None moved. Colonel Illlngworth's fnco was fiery red. Bertram Meade was whiter than any other man In the room. Ho was thinking of his fatlier. Tho girl moved first. Her fatlier nnd the young engineer wero the two most deeply touched. They were both In ngony, both In need of her. Unhesi tatingly she stepped to tho side of tho younger. And the father saw and un derstood even In the midst of his suf fering. She had chosen. "Wo aro ruined," gasped tho colo nel, tugging at his collar. "We could stand the finnuclnl loss, but our reputa tion I Wo'U never get another con tract I might as well close tho works. And It Is your father's fault. It's up to him. The blood of thoso men Is upon his head. Well, sir, I'll let tho wholo world know how grossly Incompetent ho Is, how " "Sir," said young. Mende, standing very erect and whiter than over, "tho fault Is mine. I made the calculations. I checked and rechecked them. No body could know with absolute certain ty tho ability of tho lower chord mem bers to resist compression. But what ever tho fault, it Is mine. My father had absolutely nothing to do with It He Is" "Ho's got to bear tho responsibility," cried tho colonel passionately. "It has his name " "No, I tell you," thundered tlio younger mnn. "For I'll proclaim my own responsibility. Tlio fault is nil mine nnd I'll publish tho fact from ono end of tho world to tho other." "It's n load I wouldn't want to havo on my conscience," said Colonel Bllng- worth. "Tho ruin of n great establishment llko tho Martlet," added Doctor Sov crence. "Tho dishonor to American engineer ing," said Curtlss. "And tho awful loss of life," con tinued tho colonel. "I assumo them nil," protested tlio young man, forcing his Hps to speak, although tlio cumulatlvo burdens set forth so clearly nnd bo mercilessly bade fair to crush him. , "It was only a mistake," protested Helen Illlngworth, drawing closer to her lover's side, and with difficulty re sisting a temptation to 'clasp him in her arms. "A mlstakol" exclaimed her father bitterly. "You said yourself," urged tho wom an, turning to tlio chief engineer, "that you didn't know whether tho designs would work out, that nobody could know, but you wero convinced that they would." "Walt," Interrupted the father. "Meade, there Is ono consequenco you have got to bear that you haven't thought of." "What do you meau7" "Do you think I'd let my daughter marry n man who had ruined mo, an Incompetent engineer by his own con fession, n " "It Is Just," said Mcado. "I havo nothing further to do herc.'.gentlemen. I must go to my father." "Just or not," cried Holen Illlng worth, "I can't allow you to dispose of mo In that way, father. If ho Is ns blamablo as ho says ho Is, and ns you "The more need you have for me, then." "It Is noble of you. I shall lovo you 1 forever, but " Ho turned resolutely nwny and wnlked doggedly out of the room. Hel en Illlngworth mndo u step to follow him. "nclen," Interposed her father, catching her nlmost roughly by tho nrra In his anger and resentment, "If you go out of this door after thnt man, I'll never speak to you ugaln." "Fatlier, I lovo you. I'm sorry for you. I would do anything for you but this. You have your friends. That man yonder luis nothing, nothing but me. I must go to him." Sho turned nnd went out of tho room without n backward look or an other word, no one detnlnlng her. Now It happened that by hurrying down tho hill in the station wagon, Mende had Just caught n local train, which mndo connections with tho Heading express some twenty miles nwny, and Helen Illlngworth In her enr renched tho stn tlon platform Just In tlmo to seo It de part. Sho remembered that ten miles across tho country another railroad ran nnd If sho drove hnrd sho could possibly cntch n trnln which would lnnd her In Jersey City a few minutes before tho trnln her lover caught She told the chauffeur, who scented n ro mnnco nnd drovo ns he had never driven before. Tho girl caught the express and rodo to the Hudson terminal In the city. Tho newsboys on the street were al ready crying tho loss of tho bridge. Sho saw tho story dlsplnyed In lurid red headlines as sho sprang Into the taxi and bade tho chauffeur hurry her to the Uplift building downtown. The bill she handed him In advance mndo him recklessly break tlio speed limit. Bertram Meade, Sr., had not left the ofllco during tho whole long afternoon. He sat alone, quietly wnltlug for the end. As to the drowning life unrolls In rapid review, so pictures of tho past took form and shape In his mind. He recalled many failures. No success Is uninterrupted nnd unbroken. It Is through constant blundering that we nrrlve. Ho had lenrned to achieve by falling, as everybody else learns. But failures and mistakes, which were par donable In the beginning of his career, could not bo condoned now; those should havo taught him. Ho renllzcd too late that his later achievement had begot In him a kind of conviction of omniscience, n belief In his own Infalli bility, bad for n man. His prldo had gone before, hard upon approached the fall. He had been bo sure of himself that even when the possibility that ho might be mistaken had been pointed out nnd even argued, ho had laughed It to scorn. His son's arguments he hnd held lightly on account of his youth and comparative Inexperience ;to his sorrow ho realized it, too late. Again came that strange feeling of pride, the only thing which could In any. way alleviate his misery or lighten his despair. It was his own son who had pointed out tho possible defect. Youth moro often than not disregards tho counsel of age. In this ense nge had made light of tho warnings of youth. It was a strange reversal, ho thought, grimly recognizing n touch of sardonic and terrible humor in tho sit untlon. "Whom tho gods destroy they first make mad." Well, ho had been mnd enough. If ho had only listened to tho boy. And now thero was nothing he could do but wait Yes, as tlio long hours passed and the sun declined, and tho evening nppronched, thero sudden ly Unshed upon him that there was still something ho could do. Ho had ex pcrlenced some strange physical sen satlons during that afternoon, unease In his breast, somo sharp pains about his heart Ho forgot them for tho mo ment in the Idea that had come to him. When tho bridgo fell he would nvow tho wholo responsibility, tnko all tho blame. Fortunately for his plans, his son had reduced to writing his views on tho compression members, which had almost taken tho form of protest and this letter had been handed to his father. His first mind had been to tear it up after he had read It and had overborne the objections contained therein, but on second thought he hnd carefully filed It awny with the orlgl nal drawings. It wns, of course, In the younger Meado's own handwriting. He went to his private safe, opened the drawings and found tho letter at tached to tho sheet of drawings. Ho put back tho other drawings and closed tho safo without locking it, Then ho wont back to the desk and considered tho document no had been blind, mnd. Ho lnld the paper down on his desk and put his hand to his heart Of course ho would submit those pn pcrs to tho public at onco. Was there anything else he could do? Yes. CIo sat down at the desk and drew a sheet o'f paper before him and began to write. Slowly, tremblingly, ho perse vered, carefully weighing his words be foro ho traced thoin on papor. EI had not wrltton very long before the door of tho outer otllce opened nnd he heard the sound of soft footsteps entering tho room, no rocognlzed tho new comer. It wus old Shurtllff, a man who hnd been his prlvnto secretary anu conuuenciai ciorii ior many years, uo stopped writing nnd callod to him, Shurtllff was an old bacbolor. irrav. thin, tall, reticent. Ho hnd but one passion Mcude, Sr.; but one glory- Meade. The father had told hlin just what he Intended to do with It Shurtllff might havo been n great man If left to himself or forced to net for himself. But pursuing n grent pas sion so long as he had, ho had merged himself In tho more nggresslve person ality of his employer and friend. IIo hnd received a good engineering edu cntlon, but hnd got Into trouble over n fnllure, n rather bad mistake In his enrly enrcer, too big to bo rectified, to be forgiven, or condoned. Tho older Mende hnd taken him up, had been kind to him, had offered to try to put him on his feet again, but his big fall uro had Increased his natural timidity, so ho stayed on. He had become o part of the old man's life. Young Mcado had never been nblo to get very far Into tlio personality of Shurtllff, but he liked him and respect ed him. He realized the man's devo tion to his father, and he understood nnd admired him. Aside from that Jenlousy tho old mnn could not but like the young one. Uo wus too like his fatlier for Shurtllff to dislike him. The socrctnry wished him well; he wanted to see him n great engineer. Of course ho could never bo the engineer thnt Ills father was. That would not be in tho power of man. But still, even If ho never attained that height, he could yet rise very high. Shurtllff would not admit that there was anything on eurtb to equal Mende, Sr. Tho secretary was greatly surprised as ho stopped besldo his own desk to hear his name called from the Inner ofllce. Ho recognized his employer' "Mr. Meade, What Is the Matter?" voice, of course, yet there was rt strange noto in It which somehow gavo him a senso of uneasiness. Ho went Into tho room at once and stopped aghast "Good God, Mr. Meade I" he ex claimed. Ordinarily ho was' the quietest nnd most undemonstrative of men. Thero was something soft and subtle nbout his movements. An exclamation of that kind had hardly escaped him In tho thirty years of their association. He checked himself instantly, but Meade, Sr., understood. The day be fore Shurtllff had left him n hale, hearty, vigorous somewhat ruddy man. Now he found him old, white, trem bling, stricken. Meade looked at Shurt llff with a lack-luster eyo and with a face that was dead whllo It wns yet alive. "Mr. Meade," began tho secretary a second time, "what Is the matter?" "The International bridge," an swered tho other, and the secretary no ticed the strangeness of his voice moro nnd more. "It's nbout to collapse. Per haps It has failed already." Mcado passed his hand over his brow and then brought it down heavily on tho desk. "As we sit here, maybe, It Is falling," ho added somberly In a sort of dull, Impersonal way. Into the mind of the secretary camo a foolish old line: "London bridge is falling down, falling down I" He must be mad or Meade must be mad. "I can't believe it, sir. Why?" "There's a deflection In one of tha lower chord members of one and three quarters Inches. It's bound to col lapse. Tho boy wu3 right, Shurtllff," explained Meade. "I wna irrong. . am ruined." "Don't say that, sir. You have never failed In anything. Thero must bo somo mouns." "Shurtllff, you ought to know there is no power on earth could save that member. .It'a only a quostlon of tlmo when It will faiL" Tho secretary leaned back against the doorjamb, put hla hand orer Mn face, and auootc llko a lout. Tho old man eyed him. "Don't take It so hard," ho 3aUU "Wi not your fault, you inoir." "Mr. Meade," burst out tho other man, "you don't know what It means to me. A failure aiysuLT, I havo glo ried In you. ( you have been every thing to me, sir. t can't stand It" "I know," said Meade kindly. Eto rose and walked over to tho man, laid hie hand on his shoulder, took hla other hand in hla own. "it hurta morn, porhaps, to lose your cimttdenco in mo than It would to loeo the confidence oC the world." say ho Is, now Is tho time nbovo all half Inclining to tho wnter, tho lnwnrd others for tho woman who loves him to tho roputntlon of tho great engineer, half sinking straight down. stand by him." Yes, and as there Is no groat passion Shouts, onths, screams rose, heard "Miss imngwortn, you uon't Know without jealonsy, Shurtllff was filled what you aro saying," sniu aieauo, forcing himself Into n cold formality he did not feel. "I am disgraced, faintly nbovo tho mighty bell-llko ro qulom of grent girders, struts nnd ties smiting other members nnd ringing In tho onrs of tho helpless mon like doom. Then, with a fearful crash, with a mighty Bhlvor, tho landward half col- with womanly jealousy of Brrtrstn Monde b oca use his fatlier loved him and was proud of him. Shurtllff knew shamed. Thero Is nothing In life for all about the prlvato affairs of the two mo. My chosen profession my repu- onglneors, fathor nnd son. He knew tatlon everything la gouo." all. about the protest of tho younger How th qtxia eonpJro to make eompleto .hi vrckaqo of reputations and how younrj Meade la cast Into -outer dark ness Is told In th nflxt Install, ment (TO BB CONTINUED.