The Iron Boys in the Steel Mills Part 32

"Well," laughed Steve, "it's all over now, you can get back to work."

"What? Up there again?"

"Of course."

"No, siree! Not for Robert Jarvis. He knows when he has had enough. He can get into enough trouble right down here on the ground floor. He doesn't have to perch on the edge of a crater looking for trouble. Did anything happen down here?"

"What did happen?" questioned Steve, turning to the head melter.

"Flare-back and----"

"What caused it?"

"I don't rightly know--"

"I know that your man on the rear end of the dolly nearly put an end to me by that last blow he struck with the mall. Whatever possessed him to do it!"

"He must have misunderstood you. That was a close call. Did the juice burn you?"

"It scorched my cheek a little as it went by," laughed Rush.

"What's that? Did you get singed again?" demanded Jarvis.

"Yes; a little. But we must expect those things in the steel mills."

"h.e.l.lo, what's the matter over there?" cried Bob, running to the edge of the platform and looking down at the burning cars of the hot metal train.

Pig-Iron explained that a flare-back had flooded the place with molten metal, setting everything inflammable on fire.

The front of the furnace had been blown out and the platform was littered with debris, brick, sheet-iron, metal that was still glowing and which would continue to glow for hours before it became cold and gray. The place looked a wreck, though conditions were not nearly as bad as appeared to the inexperienced eye. There was little that could be done to clear away until the metal had cooled.

In the meantime, the head melter had sent one of his men to make a report of the occurrence to the superintendent of that division.

"We will move over to number three. That is nearly ready to tap,"

announced Peel.

"If you don't mind I should like to ask a question or so before we start in," said Steve.

"Sure thing. What is it?"

"Did you see who was handling the mall when the dolly was. .h.i.t that hard blow that did the business?"

"No. Why?"

"I should like to know."

"We will find out mighty quick. Say, you fellows over there, who was plugging the dolly?"

"Don't know," answered a voice.

"It was the relief man, Kalinski," answered another.

CHAPTER XIX

RUSH MAKES A SUGGESTION

"Kalinski!" exclaimed both boys.

"Come here!" commanded Peel.

The Pole came forward sulkily.

"Did you hit that dolly the whack that drove it through the dam?"

Kalinski nodded.

"Why did you do that?"

"He told me to," pointing to Steve.

"You are mistaken. I did nothing of the sort," answered Rush, his face flus.h.i.+ng under his effort at self-control.

"You did!"

"Be careful," warned Rush.

"You know what Brodsky would say were he here?" spoke up Jarvis, thrusting his chin close to the face of the Pole. "He would say 'liar!'

and I reckon he wouldn't be far from the truth at that."

"Look here, what about this thing? What are you getting at, Jarvis?"

demanded Pig-Iron.

"This is the fellow who got us into trouble the other time and he is trying to get Steve in again. If he was the man driving home the dolly, whatever he did was done on purpose. Did he put Steve's life in danger?"

"Nearly killed him. So you're the duffer, are you?" growled the melter.

"Git out of this!"

Pig-Iron's voice grew to a roar. He made one leap toward the surly-faced Pole, planting a ponderous fist squarely between Kalinski's eyes.

"Git up!"

Kalinski did not rise, for the reason that he could not. Pig-Iron jerked the fellow to his feet, then knocked him clear across the platform.

"Don't hurt him. He has been punished enough," cried Steve.