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.)
