What is a standard prose short story?
how many words is in a standard prose short story?

1,000 to 7,500 words

Explanation:  

A short story is a work of prose fiction that can be read in one sitting—usually between 20 minutes to an hour. There is no maximum length, but the average short story is 1,000 to 7,500 words, with some outliers reaching 10,000 or 15,000 words.

the illustration   that would give a reader a clear understanding of the text is a picture of men constructing the frame of a building.the frame is made of iron bars. the text describes the job of blacksmiths'. these were very organised and they had different names: "the driver" and "the heater". the text describes the way in which these men worked ; they worked iron pieces as if they were playing a sport. in fact, the text wants to show the men's skills. the text also puts some emphasis on the use of '' rivets'' in construction. this kind of nails were not always used in the construction of manhattan.

some examples:

"and with an underhand toss he hurled the smoking rivet straight at the catcher, who caught it in mid-air in his catching can." men's skills

"when the driver was ready for a new " the emphasis on the rivet ( special nail used in construction).

" it against a beam to remove any cinders, and jammed it into the waiting hole. " the emphasis on the rivet.