Washington and Fredericksburg and expected to 

 be absent some two weeks. Cousin James Sellers 

 was to be at the shops with Charles, who acted as 

 time taker, etc. Cousin James was taken sick and 

 Charles was there alone. I went out to the shops to 

 see how he was sjettina; along and as I went in Mogeme 

 signalled that he wanted me in his shop. He told 

 me that Jack — I do not remember his last name — was 

 getting his hollow fires reach' to weld up a set of 

 levers and that if I would s;o and look I would see 

 that the bevels for the top were not made with the 

 care father had directed. 



I went into the shop with a carpenter's rule in un- 

 hand and as I knew Jack was a very touchy fellow I 

 spoke to him pleasantly and laying my rule on the 

 end of the piece that was then restina; on the anvil 

 readv to be put in the fire I saw at once that if the 

 other piece was not better, that if not perfectly clean, 

 cinder would be wrapped in. I said. "Jack you are 

 goina; to take a heat and shape these as father 

 directed." 



He said, he knew his own business, they were all 

 right and that he was not going to take any orders 

 from a boy who knew no more about it than a cow. 



This got my back up and I said, "Jack, if you make 

 that weld without doing as father directed I will tell 

 him when he returns." 



Jack worked himself into a rage, blustered and 

 talked loud enough to be heard all over the shop and 

 roared out, "that I might tell and be d — d for all he 

 cared he was not going to be bossed by a boy." He 

 took off his apron, threw it down and went talking to 

 the other men, evidently tryina: to induce them to join 

 him in a strike against being bossed by a boy. 



I started to hunt for Charles and have him try his 

 hand at getting rid of the fellow and prevent his 

 making trouble with the other hands, but Henri beck- 

 oned me into his shop and said that fellow had told 

 me I didn't know any more about it than a cow and 

 that I should go back into the blacksmith shop, take 

 hold and show him if he was still there and the other 

 hands that I did know something. He said that the 

 smith who had the fire next to Jack was a good work- 

 man and could be relied on to help and that he did 

 not think he had much love for Jack. His helper was 

 a German called by the other men Dutchy. 



The idea of my attempting to make the weld, only 

 a school boy not yet 1 5 years old who had never welded 

 two pieces of metal together, was absurd and I told 

 Mogeme so. His reply was characteristic of the man: 

 "Does the leader of the music band make the music? 



Xo, his baton only keeps time. Does the little hammer 

 make the bis; weld? No. it is the baton; the two big 

 hammers they do the work." He then rapidly told 

 me what I ought to do, that he would attend to the 

 proper heat, that he and Dutchy would be strikers, 

 that I must have Jack's helper at the bellows and to 

 handle the drop piece as it was too heavy for me and 

 the second smith must handle the Ions; bar and that 

 he, Henri, would attend to the proper placing before 

 a blow was struck. 



After everything was arranged and fully understood 

 I ictween him and me, no one to know of this consulta- 

 tion and he not to be called until everything was in 

 readiness, when I was to direct what I wanted him to 

 do. The first man I spoke to was Jack's helper whom 

 I asked if he wanted to quit, and his answer was No. 

 Then I told him to get his fire in order and take a heat 

 on the drop bar and I would try and see if I couldn't 

 shape it as it should be. Then to the man at the 

 second fire I told to take the long lexer bar and shape 

 its end as I should direct ready to weld and to get his 

 fires reach' for a welding heat. At that time Liverpool 

 coal was used for hollow fires. 



1 then sent for Mogeme and when he came (as it had 

 been prearranged) I told him that I was going to make 

 the weld and show Jack, who was still there, that I 

 did know how to do what I had directed him to do, 

 and asked if he would strike for me with Dutchy as I 

 was not strong enough and that Jack's helper and the 

 second smith would have to handle the bars for me. 

 Of course Henri agreed to do his best. He also 

 attended to having the heats right and clean. It may 

 have been for the fun of the thing or for a real desire 

 to help me that he did these things. 



The second smith and helper brought the bars 

 properly together on the anvil and I with a pair of 

 tongs had hold of the drop piece, more to steady 

 myself than anything else for the maneuvering was 

 left to those who understood it and could better 

 manage. I got my first tap with my hand hammer 

 which was quickly followed by Henri and Dutchy, 

 but at first so lightly that I thought the job would be a 

 failure but they knew better, increasing the force of 

 their strokes, and in less time than it has taken me to 

 write this the weld was made and I took up the plan- 

 ishing swedge, unfortunately by a firm grasp of the 

 handle and the first stroke sent a shock up to my shoulder 

 that made me wince, which Henri must have seen 

 for he said, "Hold him loosely to find his own flat." 

 When the planishing was done I took up a handled 

 chisel to do some trimming when Jack pushed in and 



50 



