THE BLOWING-WAND

Some interesting material emerges here as the story of Jaro Pontek, an immigrant's son with a Bohemian glassmaker's heritage, is told. The time is mid-18th century and the scene first Wisconsin where Jaro is champing at the bit to get away from the farm and become a glassmaker as his great-grandfather was. But the problems seem almost insurmountable as Jaro surveys the situation- of a hierarchical trade that lets in few outsiders and of the necessity to find the man who owns the twin to the glass candlestick that had come down to Jaro from his forbears. When he does trace it, an adverse streak of luck gets Jaro into glassmaking at last. He is accused of stealing the candlestick and when his description fits that of Valentin, a runaway apprentice from Mr. Bemper's glass factory in a distant Ohio town, Jaro is given the opportunity to go there and fill Valentin's position. In Ohio Jaro plays an important role in the economic changes that thraten to ruin emper's business. He succeeds with an old family formula for ruby glass, thus enabling Bemper to find more work for his men who would be replaced by mass production techniques. And Valentin's treachery is revealed in time to win Jaro his true heritage and the love of Katy.