The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-06-08
Under the River
By HAROLD CARTER

Under the ooze and slime Of the
taver bed, far beneath the hulls OF the
great ships that lay at anchor In the
middle Of the stream, O'Donovan and
Healy fought out their quarrel.
O'Donovan had taken Hates photo
Rraph from his overalls ostentatiously
and kissed 1t, looking the while insult
ingly toward his former friend and
conquered rival in the fight for the
girls favor. Then he had laid by his
overallss again and squared his naked
shoulders to the spade. This was the
Instant when Healy sprang on him
from behind as q panther springs.
They had no knives, and they could
only cling to one another and batter
each others faces with their fists.
They fought alone within the narrow
alright zone, out Of the sight and
hearing Of the rest Of the gang.
In front Of them the great shield
atted snugly into the tunnel which 1T
had made, and all around oozed the
cray slime, kept from overwhelming
them only by the force of the COM
pressed air, q wall that wavered under
tho pressure, sometimes seeming to
advance and then to recede again, and
altering into small waves that coiled
round their feet as they stumbled
backward and forward in that wild
battle.
At length the fight was over. Healy
tfapped over the car tracks, and a mo-
ment later O'Donovan had flung him
face downward into the muddy pool.
He stood over him with his lists
elinched, his face distorted and the
muscles leaping at every movement
under the bronzed skin. But Healy
ny there moaning family. He had
been worsted.
Suddenly faint shouts were heard
from the midst OF the tunnel and the
mufaed ringing Of the alarm bell.
O'Donovan looked round Id panic.
the walls were advancing, walls Of
Shiny gray.green ooze-viscd. clammy
and foul walls Of river mud that wav'
cred and broke and trembled as the
1eeble power Of the compressed all
retained them, and then swept for
ward in shuddering tidal wave.
with one yell Of horror O'Donovar
leaped forward toward the safety o.
the tunnel He ran on and Oh blindly
no longer q reasoning thing. but an
animal driven by desperate instinct
! Then Tar in the distance the faint light
az = bulb burst on his eyes and distant
/ cries became audible. And then, re
called to himself suddenly, he stopped
He turned each way resolutely. Beads
u sweat rolled down his cheeks and
J 10 clasped his hands In anguish. He
breathed q prayer. ].
Then he went back. Swiftly as he
( had fed he ran, ankle-desp through
the soft mud that sucked at his feet
striding and leaping over the granite
piles and excavations in desperate
haste to reach the comrade whom hi
Z had abandoned. And now the hiss o
the mud tide resounded in dreadful
xurgles through the hollow tunnel.
He was not an instant too soor
The walls were closing together
squirting before them long lava-lik
streams Of slime waist-deep aroun
him. And Healy was standing har
against the shield, clinging to it wit
both hands, held as In q wise by th
slime.
O'Donovan caught his enemy b
the arms and heaved. His broad bac
strained and cracked beneath the e
fort. And slowly, very slowly, the mu
yielded its victim. Inch by Inc
O'Donovan dragged him, leaving
wide furrow that instantly closed