RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF TEEL By CYRUS TOWNSENO BEADY Father and Son 4 Here Is a Powerful Story of Failure and Sacrifice amid Love and Courage and Success Copyright by Fleming H. Rcvell Co. WEB OF CHARACTER TEST CONFIDENCE and good-na-ture are easy for folks who are already prosperous and successful. The true strength of a man's character Is revealed, however, In adversity. Tear the foundation from beneath one who has always enjoyed advan tages of wealth and position, and see If he has the backbone to conquer evil days to rise abovo circumstances and win. In "Web of Steel" we have the story of a man whose foundation is dc stroyed. His fight to rebuild it makes the novel. It is not mere ly entertaining fiction; it is a piece of Inspiring literature. We feel sure all of our readers will enjoy this Cyrus Towscnd Brady serial. THE EDITOR. CHAPTER I. I Love of Woman. If meetings only lived up to their ' antlclputloiiH, llfu would be u huccch- slou of startling climaxes. It had been Bomo inontliH since Monde hud Heeti Helen Illlngwortb. He bud dreamed of meeting her every day and bad pic tured tbu meeting differently and more rapturously after every letter. Am u matter of fact the whole thing wuh casual and ordinary to tbu last degree. It always In. Doctor Severance, a retired physl clan, who was vice president and financial man, and Curtlss, tbu chief engineer of the bridge company, were hard upon MIhh llllngworth'H heels as Bho stepped down from the car to tbu station platform. He saw her, as It were, surrounded hy prosaic men. 1'liu woman be loved got tbu same welcome and tbu same handshnko as her father and tbu other two men. It was not until big Abbott, who bad been belated by some sudden demand of work, came Bwccplng down the platform to engage the attention of the men that tbu anx ious Meadu bad a moment with tbu girl herself. Now Helen Illlngwortb bad also heen seeing visions, so that she had been as disappointed as he. The only real sat isfaction that either of them could taku In tbu situation lay In the fact that tbu other was there. It was midsummer and the girl was dressed In some light, filmy fabric which well became her ra diant beauty. Meadu could look at a bit of structural steel work and tell you .all about It. All that be could have told you about the dress she wore was that It was exquisitely appropri ate, but It never occurred to blm that with n grent price to a great artist Helen Illlngwortb bad obtained that look of delightful simplicity. Tbu gown was not wasted on Meade, aho decided, as she caught bis raptur ous glance. She bad never looked love lier. Shu was not a fragile, ethereal woman; quite tbu reverse. That was ono of ten thousand things Meade liked ubout her. She could do all those ath letic and practical things that modern young women can do and she could do them well. Mendo was Intensely practical and efficient. Ho could do all of those tilings himself and many more and he liked .to do them, and that Is one rea son why he bad been attracted to her; yet not for that alone did be love her. On that soft summer afternoon she looked ns subtly delicate as every man would at one time or another have tbu woman bo loves appear, and as far re moved from things strenuous as If In another world 1 Ho was wearing tbu rough clothes, flannel shirt, khaki trou sers, heavy shoes and laggings which wero his habitual use at work. Con trasted with her lllmy and delicately colored fabric his well-worn olive drnb habiliments stood forth hideously. That Is, ho thought so, and tho con trast somehow seemed typical of tho difference between them ns ho consid ered her. Thero woa tho careless Insouclanco of conscious power In tho bearing of tho engineer which differentiated blm from most of tho men with whom she had been thrown In contuct during her life. The International Brldgu was tho biggest thing of tho kind tho Martlet cotupuny or any other American struc tural plant had ever undertaken. It bad been a constant topic of conversa tion wherever her father was. Sho bad heard all about It, and although, strictly speaking, tbu bridge was tbu work of Meade, Sr yet sbu always Identified It with Meade, Jr. Thero w as a feeling In her mind that It was her bridge and that, through blm, sho com manded It. Shu was a supremely as sured and entirely confident young lady, yet with tho man by her sldo sbo experienced a passing sense of uueasl boss, such us one might conceive tho butterfly would feel In tho presence of ta steam hammer. They wero as awkward and con strained when left to themselves ns If ono had not been all over tbu world on inun'n Jobs for u decade and tho other bad not queeued It amoug tho nicest girls of tbu land for half as many years. And with thoughts burn ing, passionate, and words embarrass ingly torrential ut hand to give them utterance, they only spoke common places I "How is the bridge getting along?" asked the girl, repeating her father's words of a few minutes before, ns these two fell behind tbu others march ing down tbu long platform, while the maid standing by tbu private car with j tbu porter looked curiously after tho moving group and wondered If that ' gray-green, long-legged young man was tho reason for tbu New York gown 1 "It's doing splendidly," wns tbu an swer, and even with his heart full of tho girl by bis side whom ho longed to clasp In his arms but did not even dare touch the hem of her garment, Homo little enthusiasm came Into his voice. "It Is the greatest bridge thut was ever erected," he said. "How you love It," said the girl. Did Meadu love the bridge? Ah, there could be no doubt as to that. He bad studied Its growth hour by hour. Ah tbu great steel web rose, his He Lingered About heart expanded with It. He took prldo In It even moru when they began to push tbu suspended span across the river on tho outer end of the completed cantilever, toward Its fellow rising on tbu other side. He lingered ubout It when tbu rest of tbu workaday world which was concerned with It had with drawn to rest. Frequently late In tho night ho bad arisen and had left the sheet-Iron shack he occupied near the work (for the topography of tbu land and tbu course of tho river had deter mined the location of the brldgo far from any town), and In the moonlight ho bad gazed bewitched by the great web of steel, all Its mighty tracery deli cately slivered, faintly outlined, luce like, lofty, lifted high Into the henvens. Ho fell Into a little reverie for n brief moment from which sbu recalled him. "Well?" sho nsked. "Yes, naturally," ho found himself saying In u conventional tone of voice, "it means a great deul to me. My father" "Ob, your father," sbu began Indif ferently, although sbu know uud liked tho great engineer. "It Is his crowning work and " "Your beginning." "It Is not In me, or In any engineer, to begin where my father left off," bo said. "Hut this will count a great deal, because through father's kindness I had some band " "I believe you did It all," Interrupt ed the girl. Ho broke Into sudden laughter, and his merriment had that boyish ring sbo liked. Ho seemed to think that was u sufficient answer to that state ment, for ho went on quickly. "How long shall you stay?" And In spite of himself he could not keep bis anxiety out of his voice. "I think father's going on to tho city sometime tomorrow probably In tbu morning." Meade's face fell. "So soon us that?" "I will try to persuade him to stay longer. I've seen lots of bridges built but never one like the International, and I should enjoy standing by uud watching you work." "I don't do tho work. Abbott does that, and the men, of course." "Your work Is tho work that makes possible and profitable the labor of tbu others," sbu answered. "You plan, you lead, tbu rest only follow, By the way, father told mo to ask you and Mr. Abbott to dlno with us tonight In tho car." Meado's mood changed Into posltlvo gloom. "I can't," bo said dejectedly. "I haven't any clothes, neither has Ab bott. We left our dresB suits behind us when wo cumo Into tho wilderness to work." "Oh," sbo laughed. "What difference- does that make? Como Just as you nro. Tp7 ff lm u. It will be a relief. I llko you thut way. I get so tired of black and white," she went on quickly to prevent him from taking advantage of her Incautious ad mission. "Hang tho clothes," said tho man, radiant once moru In that admission, "since you will allow It, I will come with what I can rake up. Hut you'll have to tell me which fork to use. I bavu almost forgotten out here In the wilderness." "It Isn't six months since you wero at our bouse." "Six months I It's a thousand years," be went on, "and I'm going to taku you out on tho brldgo after dinner. It's great at any time. It's the most rung- nillecnt sight on earth even now, but In the moonlight there it Is now," he pointed as the little group walked past the station which had Idd the view and the great structure suddenly was revealed to them. Tho four men abend had stopped and stood silent. There was something nwe-lnsplrlng and tremendous nbout the great, black, outreachlng, far extending arms of steel. The first sight of It always gave the beholder u little shock. It was so huge, so massive, so grandly majestic, and withal so airy, seen against the impressive background of deep gorge and palisaded wall and far-off mountains. So ether-borne was It In Its perfect proportion that even dull and stupid people and none of these were that felt its overpowering presence. Meade and tho girl stopped too. After one glance nt tho bridge, she looked nt blm. And that wns typ ical. For the first time he was not at the moment aware of, or immediately responsive to, her glance. And that, too, was typical. She noted this with u pang of Jealousy. "You love the bridge," Bho said softly. He straightened up and threw his head buck and looked ut her. "I thought so," ho said simply "un til today, but now" he stopped again. "But now?" sho asked. "I have Just learned what love rcnlly is and the lesson lias not been taught mo by a bridge," he answered directly. Yet Bertram Meade, the younger, did truly lovo the bridge' which he hud seen grow from the placing of the first shoe the great steel buse on top of tho pier which carries the whole struc ture to the completion of the soaring cantilever reaching out to meet its companion on the other side the great International, which was to be the tlo that bound, with web of steel, two great countries which luy breast to breast; already In touch savo for the mighty river that flowed between them. By no means would Mende, the younger, bavu been charged with the great responsibilities of the bridge had It not been for bis exhaustive prepara tion and wide experience. To a thor ough technical training at Harvard, In tho Lawrence Scientific school, had been added a substantial record of achievement. A llnuj brldgo which be bad erected In faraway Burma, trium phantly achieving the design despite all sorts of dllllcultles, had attructed the attention of old Colonel Illlng wortb, the president of the Martlet Bridge company. Ho had kept the young man under his eye for a long time. When he com missioned his father, Bertram Meade, Sr., to prepare the plans for the great International, the most-sougbt-for and famous of bridges, bo bad noted with satisfaction that the older man, who stood llrst among bridge engineers on tho continent, bad associated with him self his son. Meade, Jr., had recently returned from South America, where lie had again shown his mettle. Tbu two worked together In the preparation of tho designs for what was to bo tho crown and triumph of the older man's life, the most stupendous of nil the cantilever bridges In the world. Tho great engineer bad a high Idea of his only son's ability. He was will-1 lug to proclaim it, to maintain it, and ' defend it against all comers except himself. When the two wills clashed, ho recognized but ono way, bis own. Tbu relations between the two were lovely but not Ideal. There was lead ership not partnership, direction rather than co-operation. Tho knnwledgo and experience of tho boy for so bo loved to call blm where of course nothing compared to those of bis father. When, In discussing moot points, the younger man hnd been unconvinced by tho cal culations of tho elder, ho bud been laughed to scorn In u good-natured way. His carefully set forth objec tions, even In serious matters, had been overborno generally, and by trium phant calculations of his own the fa ther bad re-enforced himself In bis con clusions; uud the moro strongly be cause of tbu opposition. Young Meado's position wns rather anomalous. Ho bad no direct super vision of the construction. He wns there us resident engineer representing his father. He hnd welcomed tho posi tion because It gave blm an opportu nity to sou from the very beginning tho erection of what was to bo the great est cantilever brldgo tho feet of tho world bad ever trod upon, tho wheels of tho world bad ever rolled across. J Ho had followed w lth care, constantly reporting the prog ress to Ills father, every step taken under the superintendence of Abbott, a man of great practical ability as an erector, but of much less capuclty ns a scientific designer or olllco engineer. Meadu had watched Its dully growth with the closest attention. Like every other man In similar case, the work had got Into his blood. It bad become u part of his llfu. He loved the bridge ; yet more be loved Helen Illlngwortb. CHAPTER II. The Witness for the Defense. One of the pleasant evidences of tho possession of riches Is in tho luxury of a prlvnte cur. Although Colonel Iltlngworth was pcrsonully a inun of simple tastes as became an old cam paigner, thero was no appointment that wit could devise or thut money could buy which was lncklng to make bis private cur either more comfortnblo or moro luxurious in its uapery, glass, china and sliver, the dining table need ed not to apologize to uny other any where. The colonel was most punc tilious in dressing his part and Meudu and Abbott were both scrubbed to within un Inch of their lives, but, climbing nbout the bridge, their bands wero scratched, roughened, stulned nnu torn. Aside from that, Meade wus cer tninly most presentable, and old Ab bott, In spite of bis indifference to sucli mutters, looked the uble aud pow erful man ho was. The conversation at dinner wns at first light and frivolous. "I'm lost," began Abbott, "overpow ered with all this silver and glass und chluu." "Yes," laughed Meade, "we should have brought along our granite ware and flumps, then wo would be free from the dreadful fear thut wo ure go ing to drop something or breuk some thing." "You can break anything you like," said tho colonel with heavy plensun try, "so long ns the bridge stands." "And that Is going to be forever, Isn't It, Mr. Mendo?" asked Helen quickly. "I don't think anything built by man will survive quite that long," he an swered ns much to her father and the others ns to her, "but this gives every promise of lasting Its time." "You know," observed Curtlss, "there was somo question in my mind ubout these big compression members. When I first studied your father's drawings, I wondered If he had made the lacing strong enough to hold the webs." "That matter was very thoroughly gone Into," said Meado quickly. "It was the very point which I myself h ad questioned, but father Is absolutely confident that wo provided latticing enough to tnko up all the stresses. I looked Into that matter myself," he went on with much emphnsls. "I guess It's nil right," said Curtlss lightly. "I examined the webs nnd lac ings carefully this afternoon. They seem to be as right us possible." "Those trusses," said Abbott empbnt Icnlly, "will stund forever. You need not worry ubout thut." "Are you going to finish this Job on time?" asked Severance, tbu vice presi dent. "You know the financial end of It Is mine, and much depends upou tho date of completion." "That depends upon you people nt the shop, doctor. If you get the stuff It Had Been a Part of His Life. hero to mo I'll get It in placo in short order," answered Abbott. "Wo aren't worrying nbout anything with you and Meado on tho Job, Ab bott," said tho colonel genially. "Yes, you nro, father," said tho girl. "Ever slnco tho International has been started you bavo scarcely been ablo to glvo a thought even to me. I'm tired of it. I hopo tho old thing will soon bo finished, so that wo can nil go back to normal life again." "I hopo so, too," assented tho colonel, "nnd I guess you uro right. Tho fuct is tho brldgo Is an obsession with us n1f Yt la It fil.vf.fiaf Ifiti ttif. Xf.itf1nf .won i I 1 IUII. 11 la UIU "ht-- J" mu l" lll bus over buudled. Indeed, It la tho biggest thing in the world. It's the longest cantilever, the greatest span, the heaviest trusses, the " "I've heard all about It," Interrupted the girl, waving him Into silence, "ever since you began It. Sometimes I think It's beginning to obsess me, too." "You don't look like It," whispered Meade, tinder cover of the general luugb that greeted her remark. "What do I look like?" she whis pered back quickly, In return. Hut Mende bud no opportunity to tell tier. "It Is not exuetly a subject for din ner conversation," snld the colonel with sudden gravity, "but all of us here, oven you, my dear, must realize how much that bridge means to us. I won't go so far us to say that Its failure would ruin us, but It would be bard for us to survive." "Have you ever known anything that my father designed to full?" usked Meado somewhat hotly. "No, and that is why wo took his plans in spite of " "In spite of what, sir?" "In spite of Curtlss here and some others." "Mr. Curtlss," said Meade, turning to the chief engineer, "If It will add anything to your peace of mind, I will assume my full share of responsibility for the matter. You know the books by Scbmldt-Cbemnltz, the great Ger man bridge engineer?" Curtlss nodded. "At first I that Is, we thought that there might possibly be weakness in those compression members, but I checked them with the methods he ad vocates and then submitted the figures to my father, and then ho went through tho whole calculation and applied co elllclents be felt to be safe." "I'm willing to tuko your father's Judgment In tho mutter rutlier than Schmidt-Chemnitz', or anybody's," suld Curtlss, "so successful bus been his ca reer." "Now that I have seen the members In placo I have no doubt that they will stand," said the colonel. "Sure they will," added Abbott with supreme und contuglous confidence, nn assurance which helped even Mende to believe. "Of course wo all know," snld Doc tor Severance, who hud been long enough In touch with engineering to learn much nbout It, "that there Is al ways more or less of experimenting In the design of n new thing llko tills." "Yes," said the colonel, "but we don't want our experiment to fall In this Instance." "They won't," said the young man boldly. He hnd long slnco pcrsunded himself thut he hnd been all wrong and bis father all right, so that he entered j upon bis defense nnd tho defense of the bridge with enthusiasm. He was ready to break a lance with anybody on Its behalf." "Well," begun the colonel, "we have every confidence In your fntber und In you. I don't mind telling you, Meude, It need not go any further, that when this bridge is completed wo shall bo prepared to make you pcrsonully a very advantageous offer for future re lations with the Martlet company If you care to accept It. On the strength of your probnble ncceptnnce we nre ul ready planning to venture Into certain foreign fields which we have hitherto not felt it to our interest to cuter." "That Is most kind of you, Colonel Illlngwortb," said the young mun grate fully, "and It appeals to me very strongly. I have been associated with father latterly. He wants to retlro with the completion of this bridge, nnd before I open uny olllco of my own I should llko the advantage of further experience. Such a connection ns you propose seems to mo to bo Ideal, from my point of view. No man could havo any better backing thun the Mnrtlet Bridge compuny." "Well, we sbnll look to you to bo worthy of It," suld tho colonel kindly. His glance vnguely comprehended his daughter as he spoke. Colonel Illlngwortb was n very rich man. Tho Martlet Brldgo company was ncorest his heurt, but ho hnd many other in terests. His only daughter would event ually be tho mistress of a grent for tune. Mende was not poor. Of course, his means wero limited compnred to Colonel Hllngworth's great fortune, but what ho hnd earned, saved, and Invest ed wus sufficient yes, even for two. And ho would Inherit much more. Old Mendo had not been the greatest engi neer of his generation for nothing. In dependent and self-respecting, young Meado could not bo considered a for tune hunter by anybody. Ho wns tho kind of runn to whom a decent father likes to Intrust his daughter. Old Colonel Illlngwortb found himself gaz ing wonderlngly nt tho two. After dinner tho men sat out on tho observation platform with their cigars nnd coffee. For thoso that liked It there was something In tall glosses In which Ice tinkled when tho glnsses wero agitated, but Meado declined all three. "With your permission, sir," he said, "I urn going to take Miss Illlngwortb out on tho bridge. Tho moon Is rising j and " "I have beard so much nbout it," said the girl, standing by the door. "I want to see It when the workmen nrc all off and It Is all quiet, In tho moonlight." "Very well. You hnd better chnngo your dress, Helen, before you go," said the colonel, turning to Abbott and en gaging blm In conversation on techni cal mutters. "I'll wait for you nt the front door of the car," said the engineer, his heart beating like a pneumatic riveter and sounding utmost as loud in his ears. "I won't be long," she whispered ns sho left blm. Helen did not want to wnste tlmo uny more than Mende did. So, Instead of taking her father's advice, all sho did was to cover her beautiful shoul ders with a light wrap and hasten to the car door In the shortest possible time. Kvery moment they were apart, since the sum-total In which they could be together wus so small, was a mo ment lost. "Now," she said, coming out of tho door of the car und descending tho steps towurd him, eagerly expectunt, "I want a prize for my swiftness." "A prize t" returned tho man, "why, you've been gone years, and you haven't even changed your gown. You They Saw Her Round, Retf, Full Face. can't go out on a brldgo in that gown nnd those slippers, tramping over dirty trucks, piles of steel, rough wooden plunks, pulnt nnd " "Can't I?" she snld; "you Just see." "I bate to sec you spoil your dress," he said uncertainly us she stopped. Itenlly what gown on earth was worth hulf un hour of her society? At least that is the way lie felt about It. and evidently she felt tbu same way. "It Is settled, then," she suld, slip plug her arm through bis as they walked down the long wooden pint form near the siding. At the end of the plutform, as they turned about tba temporary station nnd storehouse, be fore them rose tho bridge. The moon was rising over the high hills thut sprang up from the steep clifflike bank of the other side of the vast river. They saw her round, red, full faco through un interlacing tracery of steel The lower part of the brldgo wns still in deep shndow. Indeed, the moon had Just cleared the bills of the opposlto bunk of the great gorgo cut by tho broad river flowing swiftly In Its dark ness far below. At the farther eud of tho suspended nrm extending far over the water tho top of the traveler glis tened. The cantilever on tho opposlto shore, Incomplete and sunk under a high rlso of sund, was still In shadow and not yet discernible. Unwittingly tho woman drew a little nenr tho man. Ho became moro con scious than befora of tho light touch of her hand upon his arm. It wus very still where they stood. The shacks of tho workmen had been erected bo low tho brldgo about a quarter of a mllo to tho right along tho banks of tho little affluent of the mnln stream. They could hear faint but Indistin guishable noises that yet Indicated hu manity coming from thnt direction. The fires In tho machine house and In tho engines wero bunked. Luzy curls of smoke roso to be blown away In tho limitless areas of tho upper air. In tho darkness all tho unsightly evidences of construction work wero hidden. "Ob," snld tho woman, drawing a' long breath, "I don't wonder thnt you lovo It. Isn't it beautiful, flung up In tho nlr thnt way? Ono would think It wasn't steel but silver nnd gold and" "Tlmo was," snld tho man, "when I loved a thing llko thnt abovo every thing except my father, but now " Young Meade comes out of his dream with a terrific bump the real story begins with tho next Installment. Tell your friends to read "Web of Steel," the best serial of the year. (TO BB CONTINUED.)