Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 5, 1921 — page 100: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

386 ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. been satisfied by his revenge on Billy, and the young foreigner was the victim of his rage. The boy was working with the usual intentness of a beginner when a rivet struck the trough and hit him on the ankle. He jumped and looked at Sullivan, who did not glance up but went on throwing the rivets with lightning speed. The next half- dozen landed squarely in the trough, and the boy had again bent over his work when a second one struck him. He screamed and dropped his tongs, and then three or four came in quick succession, striking him on the legs, scorching the new overalls, and bruising the flesh. “Dance, you lazy bones!’ Sullivan velled. “I’H teach you to work fast.” But the words were not spoken before Billy was upon him. “You brute!” he said. ‘Get out of here, and don’t you ever show your face again.” He seized him by the back of the neck, before Sullivan had time to ‘straighten up, and pushed him struggling and cursing across the shop. ‘“ Big Tim ’ll pay you for ‘this!” Sullivan screamed as Billy closed the gate upon him. He hurried back to the boy, who was crying and pointing to his ankles. Billy took him to the office, dressed ‘the bruises, and then went back to the shop to settle with Big Tim. “T'll have to have it out with him,” he thought. ‘If 1 lose my job, I'll lose it, but I’ll not stand for such brutality to an employec.”’ He could not find Big Tim at first, and the thought came to him that he might have gone afiter the discharged rivet heater to bring him back. In a few minutes, how- ever, he saw him at Sullivan’s furnace, bending his huge back and handling the tongs with a dexterity which surpassed Sullivan’s. Billy’s knees trembled. He knew that all the men were watching. He felt him- self no match for the giant, but he went over and stood by him. “ Sorry,” he said, ‘ but it had to be.” Tim raised his head, and for a minute Billy felt the blaze of his great, black eyes. Then without a word Tim turned back tc the furnace. The men looked surprised and disap- pointed. Billy breathed a sigh of relief. “That was strange,” he thought. ‘ His eyes weren't angry although they blazed so. He takes the nerve out of me.”’ The long night wore on. Not a breath of air stirred in the shop, and by four o’clock many of the men hadeplayed out and gone home. Besides, there had been several minor accidents, with little injury ‘but much blood. Billy was tired and dis- couraged. Walking over the iron had caused the skin on his feet to crack, and every step was painful. His head ached and,wherever he looked the saw the air dancing with black specks. He watched Big Tim with wondering eyes. He was working like mad, keeping Sullivan’s furnace going and driving the men with tireless energy. He seemed to be everywhere, and the men obeyed him in weary silence. “I can’t be like that,” Billy thought bit- terly. ‘“He’s not human. He’s a great, brutal spirit come out of the iron and steel. He'll get work done if it kills us all, but he’ll never die.” Just then the terrible screams of men in danger rang out. Billy looked around. The workmen were running in all direc- tions. Big Tim alone remained where he was standing. The muscles of his face were working grotesquely, and he was glaring at Billy with an expression which filled the latter with iterror. Again the screams rang out, drowning all other noises. Billy saw Big Tim look- ing up and pointing, and his eves fol- lowed. There, directly over him, was a huge girder teeting in the hooks. Billy watched it, fascinated by its gyrations. He want- ed to run, too, but his legs refused to move. ‘‘ Jump!” screamed the steadier. ‘“ Jump!” screamed a dozen voices. The girder hung poised for a moment, and then started to fall just as Big Tim hurled himself at Billy and knocked from him his remaining senses. He came to a fewominticdolatalcaneo