ood sort.

"---- you both!" said the rough fellow. "I wish you'd let me alone. Here
I've lost my morning's work already." Then to Little, "Mind thyself, old
lad. Happen thou's in more danger than I am."

"What d'ye mean by that?" said Little, very sharply.

But Simmons saw he had gone too far, and now maintained a sullen
silence.

Henry turned to Tucker. "I don't know who you are, but I call you
witness that I have done all I can for this idiot. Now, if he comes to
harm, his blood be upon his own head."

Then Henry went off in dudgeon, and, meeting Bayne in the yard, had a
long discussion with him on the subject.

The tempter took advantage of Little's angry departure, and steadily
resumed his temptation.

But he was interrupted in his turn.

The defect in this grindstone was not so serious but that the stone
might perhaps have been ground out with fair treatment: but, by fixing
a small pulley-wheel, Simmons had caused it to rotate at furious speed.
This tried it too hard, and it flew in two pieces, just as the grinder
was pressing down a heavy saw on it with all his force.

One piece, weighing about five hundredweight, tore the horsing chains
out of the floor, and went clean through the window (smashing the
wood-work), out into the yard, and was descending on Little's head; but
he heard the crash and saw it coming; he ran yelling out of the way,
and dragged Bayne with him. The other fragment went straight up to the
ceiling, and broke a heavy joist as if it had been a cane; then fell
down again plump, and would have destroyed the grinder on the spot, had
he been there; but the tremendous shock had sent him flying clean over
the squatter board, and he fell on his stomach on the wheel-band of the
next grindstone, and so close to the drum, that, before any one could
recover the shock and seize him, the band drew him on to the drum, and
the drum, which was drawing away from the window, pounded him against
the wall with cruel thuds.

One ran and screamed to stop the power, another to cut the big
wheel-bands. All this took several seconds; and here seconds were torn
flesh and broken bones. Just as Little darted into the room, pale with
his own narrow escape, and awe-stricken at the cries of horror within,
the other grinders succeeded in dragging out, from between the wall and
the drum, a bag of broken bones and blood and grease, which a minute
before was Ned Simmons, and was talking over a deed of violence to be