bit of round metal not
unlike a beet in shape and, pressing it inside the soft glass, made the
depression for the nose. All this was done in much less time than it
takes to tell it. A small boy, or carrier, now bobbed up at just the
proper moment and taking the pitcher on his wooden fork carried it off
to a small furnace where it was reheated at the opening or "glory
hole." This little furnace, Mr. Wyman said, was used only for the
purpose of softening glass objects which became chilled in the modeling
and began to be hard and less pliable. As soon as the boy brought the
pitcher back another lad, as if calculating by magic the precise moment
at which to appear, approached with a small mass of molten glass at the
end of his gathering-iron. This he stuck firmly against the pitcher at
the correct spot to form the base of the handle; the modeler snipped
off with his shears as much of the soft glass as he thought necessary,
turned it up, and in the twinkling of an eye fastened the upper end of
the handle in place. Then he surveyed his handiwork an instant to make
sure that it was symmetrical, straightened it just a shade with his
battledore of charred wood, and passed it over to the carrier, who bore
it off to be baked.

"Why do they use so much charred wood for the shaping?" inquired Jean.

"Metal things are liable to mark the glass, leaving upon it a print,
scratch, or other imperfection; charred wood, when worn down, is
absolutely smooth and cannot mar the material."

"Oh, yes, I see. And where have they taken the pitcher now?"

"We will follow it," replied the foreman.

Escorting them across the room he showed them a low oven or kiln. The
door of it was open, and inside they could see all sorts of glassware
which had just been finished.

"Here is where your pitcher will remain for the next three days," said
he. "We build a fire, put the completed glass in the oven, and leave it
there until the fire goes out and the oven gradually cools; we call the
process annealing. It prevents the glass from breaking when exposed to
friction or to the atmosphere. Glass is very brittle, and extremely
sensitive to heat and cold. If it were not annealed it would not be
strong, and would snap to pieces the moment it came in contact with the
outer air. Now it is very difficult to anneal glass, the trouble being
that all hollow ware is one temperature on the inside and another on
the outside. Hence, when heated, the inside takes longe