CHAPTER XXIV

CONCLUSION

Instead of swimming straight for the abutment in the middle of the river, Rush headed directly up stream, keeping just a little way out from the shore. His object, at the time, was not apparent. It was a little later, when, after having swum up the river some fifteen rods, he made an abrupt turn and struck out for the centre.

All this time he was swimming without making a single splash, his hands and feet being constantly under water.

Rush was pretty sure that some rascality was going on, or he would not have gone to so great pains.

Reaching a point directly in line with the abutment the boy turned again, this time heading down stream, floating along with the tide, making just enough movement with his hands to keep him on his course.

The abutment was outlining itself in the shadows more plainly every minute, now, and Steve was straining his eyes in an effort to make out what was going on.

All at once the rasping sound ceased and he saw a man straighten up and look about him. Something bright glistened in the hands of the man under the abutment trestle. Steve settled down in the water as low as he could. Then the man resumed his task.

"I believe he is sawing the abutment supports down with a metal saw!" gasped the Iron Boy. "The scoundrel! He's fixing the place so it will go down when all the men get out there to-morrow."

A great wave of indignation swept over Steve Rush. He was so angry that, for the moment, he nearly forgot his prudence. His first inclination was to shout at the man over there sawing away so industriously. But the boy quickly realized the foolishness of doing any such thing. His purpose was to capture the man. There would be time enough to cry out after he had done that.

"Who could do such a thing?" Steve muttered, beginning to rise a little higher in the water as he took wide strokes, driving himself along at as great a speed as was possible.

Steve permitted himself to drift around the side of the abutment, so that he might climb up to it as far away from the man as possible. Otherwise the scoundrel might get the advantage of him. Steve's cunning was worthy of an Indian.

At last the boy's fingers grasped the edge of the abutment. He pulled himself up slowly, allowing the water to drip from him little by little as he rose from the river. Right beside him was a flat-bottomed punt moored to an iron pillar. It was in this that the man had gotten out.

Steve rose and listened; then, hearing no sound, he made his way over the cement and pieces of piping that littered the surface of the abutment.

He was bothered by hearing no sound. He wondered if the man had discovered his presence.

"I must be cautious," thought the boy. "I shall get myself into a fix, and perhaps have the whole structure down on me if I don't look sharp."

A sound to the right of him caused Steve to straighten up suddenly. He saw the figure of a man approaching him.

"Stand still. I've got you!" cried the boy.

At the same instant he sprang forward. He was not afraid to tackle the man. What he feared was that the fellow would get away from him before the boy got a chance to down him.

Steve's leap carried him within three feet of his prey. The Iron Boy was preparing to strike out hard, when something was swung in a half circle about the head of the other man. The object was the metal saw that the fellow had been using for his nefarious purpose. It caught Steve a blow on the side of the head, lifting the boy from his feet sideways and dropping him to the abutment. As he fell, Rush, who was not knocked senseless, fastened about the ankles of his enemy with both arms.

The result of this move was that the man went over too. He toppled over backwards with Steve holding to him tightly. In an instant the two were fighting desperately. Blows were struck on both sides; breaths came short and sharp.

All at once the support slipped from beneath them and the two fighters rolled over into the river, where the battle was continued with renewed vigor. But Rush had been weakened somewhat by the blow from the metal saw and was not at his best.

"You villain!" he shouted. "I've got you now. I've----"

A blow on the side of the jaw caused the Iron Boy's head to droop to one side. One more swift blow, and he dropped limply from the arms of his adversary. With a growl of triumph the man started to swim away. Steve drifted a few yards struggling manfully to regain his senses, which he did in a measure a few seconds later, though his body seemed to be numb from head to feet. The lad managed to get his hands over the edge of the small boat as he drifted alongside of it. Off on the river he could hear the fellow splashing toward shore.

"Help!" shouted Steve. "Catch him!"

He hoped some one might hear his voice and capture the escaping man. As it chanced some one was on shore, and that some one was Bob Jarvis, who, learning at the house that Steve had gone down to the works, followed on. He was standing there when Steve called, and he was on the bank peering down when the man came splashing ashore and started to run away.

Bob grabbed the fellow by the collar.

"Hold on, old man, what's doing around here! What----"

The stranger launched a blow at Jarvis, whereupon Bob knocked the man flat on his back.

"Police!" shouted the boy. Three Iron and Steel Police came running to the scene. "Take this man into custody! He's been up to some deviltry. Hello, I should say so. It's that fiend, Kalinski. I'll make a charge against him after I find what he has been up to."

Shaking Kalinski, Jarvis demanded to know if he had seen Rush, but the Pole would not answer a word. Bob got a boat and hurried out to the abutment after seeing Kalinski safely in the hands of the police. As Jarvis neared the abutment, calling out the name of his companion, he heard Steve's faint answer.

"I knew it, I _knew_ it!" fairly shouted Bob. "That scoundrel has been doing Steve up! Oh, I ought to have wrung his neck while I had the chance!"

Rush was quickly taken ashore; and, accompanied by Bob, went to the police station and made the charge against Kalinski. The engineer was routed out, and an examination was quickly made of the foundation. It was found that Kalinski had partially sawed in two, half of the uprights that held the framework, so that, with additional weight upon it, the structure would have collapsed. The men were called out at once. There was no sleep for the Iron Boys that night. By daylight the work had been shored up and made safe for the time being.

The boys were highly complimented for their vigilance, though by some miscarriage of justice, Kalinski got off scott-free and quickly disappeared from the mills.

As for the contract, Steve Rush and Bob Jarvis pushed it along with renewed vigor. By this time the men had come to like their young overseers and all worked at high pressure. The result was that the contract was finished some days before the time named by the officials, and Steve, proud and happy, had the pleasure of seeing the plan that was the product of his own brain put into successful operation.

Bob and Steve still continued to board at the Brodskys. On the strength of Steve's recommendation, Ignatz received a promotion and an increase in wages. The bestowal of this mark of favor upon her son caused Mrs. Brodsky fairly to worship the Iron Boys, and Ignatz became their devoted shadow.

A few days after finishing their contract the boys were detailed to the open-hearth furnaces, where they were promoted to melter's assistants. This sounded much better than it really was, for the boys were to face another trying experience there. In fact, they were destined to face many trying experiences in other parts of the mills ere they had completed their education amid the roar of the ponderous machinery, the thunder of the giant cranes and the deafening reports of exploding metal.

But all this will be told in a following volume entitled, "THE IRON BOYS ON THE STEEL RAIL JOB; Or, Juggling With Life and Death in the Rolling Mills."

THE END.

* * * * *

Transcriber Note

Obvious spelling and punctuation errors have been corrected.

The following words spelled differently throughout the book have been left unchanged: 1. flare-back and flareback 2. gate-keeper and gatekeeper

Page 194 - as printed in the book, unchanged:

This is the fellow who got us into trouble the other time and he is trying to get Steve in again.

Possible that printer or author intended:

This is the fellow who got us into trouble the other time and he is trying to get Steve in trouble again.

* * * * *

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End of Project Gutenberg's The Iron Boys in the Steel Mills, by James R. Mears