"I hope you will not insist upon that, Mr. Keating. I do not want to lie up. I shall feel much better if I am busy, and if the wound is well bandaged no dirt can get in it." "Is it safe, doctor?" questioned the superintendent. "Well, yes, if nothing comes of it," was the equivocal reply. "Very well; patch him up. Have your own way, Rush. I suppose you would do that anyway. You are a very headstrong young man." "I have been told that before, sir, though I do not intend to be headstrong." "No, I understand. You just can't help it; that's all." While his wound was being dressed Steve joined in the conversation of the officials, though the dressing of the wound hurt him dreadfully. Once or twice he winced, his voice hesitated; then he went on apparently oblivious to what the surgeon was doing. None of this was lost on the general superintendent and his chief engineer, and though Steve Rush did not know it, he was making capital for himself at a very rapid rate. At last, the dressing of the wound having been finished, Steve rose, announcing himself as ready to accompany them. "I am sorry to have delayed you so, gentlemen," he said politely. "Pshaw!" grunted the superintendent. "It wasn't you, but the pig that was responsible for the delay. You are responsible for our being alive at the present moment. As to whether that is a matter for congratulation, there might be a difference of opinion." The men and the boy left the division superintendent's office laughing happily, and though Steve Rush was a humble apprentice in the mills, these men treated him as an equal, which they knew him to be. The trio proceeded directly to the furnaces. Though the hour was late they went immediately at the business that had brought them there. Their first work was to examine the furnace stoves, to decide where changes would have to be made if it were decided to adopt the new plan. To do this all three climbed to the top of one of the stoves. "Where was it your idea to make your connections, Rush?" asked the chief engineer. "This might not be a bad place at the top." "You know best, but I think I should begin up here with the pipe connection, carrying the pipe down to the bottom of the stove, with frequent intakes. There will be no danger of fire getting into the pipe, will there?" "No; that can be guarded against, unless there should be an explosion, against which we cannot protect ourselves." "It seems to me that an automatic valve might be invented that would shut off the feed pipe in case of an explosion." "That is an excellent idea. Suppose you try it?" "Oh, I am afraid I couldn't do that. I am not a mechanic." "Try it," replied the engineer.