to a distant ----,
And thought the cold ground not so ----,
As was that fearful spot.
But soon there passed a friendly ----, (14.)
Who placed me in his empty ----
And took me to his cot.

M. W.

The solutions are as follows: 1. Clash, lash, ash. 2. Plight, light. 3.
Trout, rout, out. 4. Strain, train, rain. 5. Place, lace, ace. 6. Scamp,
camp. 7. Fright, right. 8. Broom, room. 9. Scream, cream, ream. 10.
Tweak, weak. 11. Skill, kill, ill. 12. Chair, hair, air. 13. Chill,
hill, ill. 14. Swain, wain.

* * * * *

Pittsburg, Pa.

DEAR READERS OF "ST. NICHOLAS:" I live in a city of iron and steel
manufactories. I will do my best to tell you how an ax is made.

The works are a beautiful sight at night, with their huge, glowing
furnaces and the forms of the brawny workmen, passing between us and
the light. In one furnace they are heating pieces of cast-iron,
about twelve inches long, four inches wide, and one-half inch thick.

A workman takes a pair of long pincers, draws from the furnace one
of the red-hot pieces of iron, and passes it to another workman.
This workman is standing before two large wheels, which revolve
slowly, and which have several notches in them. The piece of hot
iron is placed between these wheels, with one end in a notch, and
the iron is bent double, bringing the two ends together, making it
look somewhat like a clothes-pin, except that the clothes-pin should
have a hole at the head, like in the piece of iron, for a handle.
The ends of the bent iron are next hammered together, after which
the coming ax is again heated. It is then taken to the steam
hammers. The first hammer joins the parts of the iron firmly
together, while the second, having on its face the mold of an ax,
gives the iron the same shape. The sides are then made straight and
even by a circular saw.

But an ax in this shape could never be used to much effect, for
cast-iron cannot be ground down to a fine enough edge. Steel can be
ground, however, and so a piece of steel must be added to our iron
ax. Two workmen take hold of the blade with pincers, and while one
holds a sharp tool on the broad edge, the other strikes with a
sledge. Into this split thus made, a piece of steel is slipped, and
a steam hammer joins them firmly.

After this, the ax is tempered, sharpen