“If he saw her hide brass in her clothing as he claims, why didn’t he report her last night?” Jack demanded. “Sally is no thief. I’ve known her since she was a kid. I get mighty sore at her sometimes, she’s so cocky. But she never did a dishonest act in her life.”
“I’m glad to hear you defend her, Jack,” Mr. Gandiss said quietly. “Certainly no action will be taken without far more conclusive evidence. Now suppose you and Penny amuse yourselves for a few minutes. Mr. Parker and I have a few business matters to discuss.”
Thus dismissed, Penny and Jack wandered outside.
“Want to see the steel plant?” Jack asked indifferently. “They should be pouring about this time.”
At Penny’s eager assent, he led her to another building, up a steep flight of iron stairs to an inner balcony which overlooked the huge blast furnaces. In the noisy, hot room, conversation was practically impossible.
Gazing below, Penny saw a crew of men in front of one of the furnaces, cleaning the tapping hole with a long rod.
In a moment a signal was given and the molten steel was poured into a ladle capable of holding a hundred and fifty tons. An overhead crane, operated by a skilled worker, lifted the huge container to the pouring platform.
Next the molten mass was turned into rectangular ingots or molds.
“The steel will cool for about an hour before it is ready to be taken from the mold,” Jack shouted in Penny’s ear.
Moving on, they saw other ingots already cooled, and in a stripping shed observed cranes with huge tongs engage the lugs of the molds and lift them from the ingots.