Steve strode from the office with head up. A dull flush showed under the soot on his face. He had met with his first real rebuff. He did not mind that so much as he did the fact that he had suffered through the untruthfulness of others. Rush knew that neither he nor his companion were in any way to blame for what bad happened. Neither of them knew that it was dangerous to sprinkle a cinder pit. Foley and Kalinski did know it and they had deliberately turned away when they saw Jarvis getting ready to wet down number eight. "I'll not give up!" muttered Steve as he walked swiftly from the yards. As he passed the gate the gateman called to him to leave his number. "I have no number," answered the lad. "I don't work here any more." "You won't get your money if you don't hand in your time." "I don't want any money that I haven't earned. I tell you I am not working here." "I guess the boy must have been fired," grinned the gatekeeper, who knew that Steve had been working in the mills up to that time. In the meantime Steve Rush was hurrying toward the hospital to see how Bob Jarvis was getting along. CHAPTER VIII IGNATZ ON THE WAR PATH Steve found his companion sitting up in a chair, with head and hands bandaged. Bob had been quite severely burned, and he had suffered from the shock of the explosion. The surgeon said it was a miracle that he had not been killed instantly. "Hello, Steve," greeted Bob. "I can't grin without hurting myself, but I'm grinning on the inside of me." "Oh, Bob, I'm so glad you are safe! I thought you had been killed when I found you were missing. What happened to you? Tell me all about it. I haven't heard the truth about it yet." "There isn't much to tell, except that I was a bird. I flew without wings, and that is more than any one else can do. Did you see me go?" "No, I did not, but some other persons did." "Eh, what do you mean?" "Foley and Kalinski." Jarvis looked thoughtful. "Say, that's what that fellow meant when he warned me. Why didn't he say what he was warning me about? Look here, he knew I was going to get into trouble, didn't he?" "I have more than a suspicion that he did," nodded Rush. "Wait till I get out of this harness," growled Bob. "What happened to you?" "Nothing much. I was nearly buried under the cinders, but Brodsky ran for some men, who dug me out. If it hadn't been for Ignatz I believe I should have perished in number seven pit." "He's a good fellow!" muttered Bob, nodding his head faintly. "He doesn't know much, and he wouldn't take a blue ribbon at a beauty show, but he's got the real stuff in him. I hear one man is going to die." "Yes; so I understand. Too bad, poor fellow." "And _I_ did it!" "Don't blame yourself. You were not to blame for what happened. You were led directly into the mistake of putting too much water on the cinders. When is the doctor going to let you go home?"