E-text prepared by Sigal Alon, La Monte H. P. Yarroll, Anne Storer, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 25823-h.htm or 25823-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/8/2/25823/25823-h/25823-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/5/8/2/25823/25823-h.zip) THE STORY OF LEATHER by SARA WARE BASSETT Author of "The Story of Lumber" "The Story of Wool" "The Story of Glass" "The Story of Sugar" "The Story of Silk" "The Story of Porcelain" Illustrated by C. P. Gray [Illustration: THE REVOLVING DRUMS] [Illustration] The Penn Publishing Company Philadelphia 1927 Copyright 1915 by The Penn Publishing Company The Story of Leather _To_ _Mr. A. C. Lawrence_ _whose friendship has followed me all_ _my life and but for whose kindly aid_ _this book could never have been written._ _S. W. B._ Contents I. THE THUNDERBOLT 9 II. PETER WINS ANOTHER NAME 28 III. A NEW FRIEND 51 IV. PETER'S MAIDEN SPEECH 70 V. A CATASTROPHE 97 VI. TWO PETERS AND WHICH WON 112 VII. THE CLIMB UP THE LADDER 133 VIII. A NARROW ESCAPE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES 151 IX. PETER AIDS IN A SURPRISE AND RECEIVES ONE 172 X. THE CLIMB BECOMES DIFFICULT 186 XI. TOLMAN EXPERIENCES A SHOCK 209 XII. MR. CODDINGTON TELLS A STORY 225 Illustrations PAGE THE REVOLVING DRUMS _Frontispiece_ A MATCH WAS UNDER WAY 47 "MAY I SPEAK, SIR?" 90 IN THE FINISHING DEPARTMENT 137 THE THREE MEN STEPPED FORWARD 164 HE SENT THE MAN SPINNING INTO THE CROWD 219 [Illustration] THE STORY OF LEATHER CHAPTER I THE THUNDERBOLT