very .close to the laboratory.)
Cautiously peering' out of the window, the Chemist
watched the long - , thin form of Gray, as the latter steadily
came .nearer—soon the Superintendent was .close to the
laboratory. Johnson, making - a desperate effort to coutrole
himself, went to his desk and began hurridly to turn over
some papers lying,on it, as he did so listening, with bated
breath, for the sound of Gray’s foot on the door step—but
no sound was heard. .After waiting several moments the
Chemist ventured to glance out the door- some distance off
on the road was the figure of the Superintendent moving
rapidly toward the furnaces. Much relieved by this sight
Johnson sat down aud began thoughtfully to turn the whole
afair over J n his mind. Suddenly an idea seemed to ■ strike
him, and rising - he went quickly into the sample room, ex
claiming as he went:
“I can analize tlxat stuff now! 1 wonder I hadn’t thought
of that before! “Here’s the sample,” and reaching up to a
shelf he. took down a small bottle, containing pulverized iron
ore. (Every sample was thus kept for some time after the
first analysis.)
With feverish haste he weighed a portion of the ore and,
placing it in a beaker, added the necessary acid aud put the
beaker, covered with a watch glass, on his oil stove. Thus
the determination was begun. Prom one operation to
another it was carefully carried along until with trembliug
hands the Chemist performed the deciding test.
“What?” cried lie. when in another moment he had
t
finished the calculation. “Forty-tlu - ee per cent iron!! Great
heavens its rejcctable! / Well—l’m done for then!” and, with
a gesture of dispair, he threw his pencil down on the table,
“Tonight 'll be time enough to pack my trunk, I guess!”
Heaving his apparatus standing in the confusion into
which the.analysis had thrown it, he walked listlessly .into
his office and sunk into a chair. Here he remained for some