The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1913-01-10
A Singular Call
II Came From One Who Had
Seemed Ungrateiul
By r. TOWNSEND SMITH

was starting for the office of the
Henderson Wrecking company, by
whom l was employed as a diver,
when a boy stepped up to me and
handed me telegram:
Alec is caught in the Chaplain reservoir.
Come quickly and get him out.
MABEL
/ ran for the station to take a train
for Chaplain and found one made up
to start in twenty minutes. But it
seemed an hour before | was rolling
ont of the station on a fifty minute
trip. While am making it | will tell
how came to receive the telegram.
| received common school educa-
ton. One day In the school yard |
saw one of the boys take doll from
a little girl, and. holding it by its legs,
he smashed its china head against the
hard. sandy ground. | walked up to
the boy and without saying a word
slapped his face. OF course there was
a fight, Mt which | got the credit OF
having thrashed my antagonist. But
this was rather because the boy |
fought was in the habit of doing mean
things for no cause whatever rather
than for any advantage 1 gained over
him.
The little girl whom / had befriend-
ed surprised me after the fight by max
ing face at me. Children are but I'M
grown men and women. and | suppose
my resenting her i'll treatment was like
Interfering in family feuds. for every
body knows that protection against
tyranny In the case of those who are
fond of each other is liable to result
disastrously 10 the protector Refrain
lug from showing any feeling at the
girls ingratitude. | walked off with
my hands in my pockets. whistllng
tune TO make 1t appear that it was a
matter of no consequence.
During the rest of my school days
had the modification to experience the
III will of both this boy and girl both
of whom seemed 10 have taken Il dis
like ~ me. II was a period when we
We're passing out of childhood into
youth. aud for the several years re
manning before we finished school
something about the girl knew not
what was growing upon me Her
treatment of ne panied me indeed.
would have given my best tennis rack
ct for a smile from her. When our
lasr term ut school was finished found
myself in love with her. True. was
but sixteen years old and she fifteen.
but NV experience in the matter has
proved that the younger the person
the more violent the iove.
Ii was very distressing for me to see
a girl whom | had hefriended and
whom I loved not only showing repul-
sion for me. but lavishing her admira-
ton upon the boy whose malicious
treatment of her had punished. But
In matters of the heart one never
knows what a woman will do. and
man IS not much more TO be depended
upon. BE this as 1t may, | saw my
love grow to womanhood lavishing her
affection on the person who had out of
pure deviltry smashed her doll. ! think
that as child her turning against me
was natural AS a woman 1t may have
been encouraged by my rival.
Fate threw the three of us together
not only as children, but after we had
become men and women. The girl |
secretly worshiped married my rival.
and | attended their wedding. though
rather as her guest than his, for my
intimacy was always rather with her
family than his. There was GOODNESS
between me and him that never wore
off Whether his betrothed and after
ward his wife suspected my ~eelings
for her did not know. But ] did
know that after her marriage she treat
ed me in much more friendly man
ner than before.
About the time we finished school
and were ready to go to work a ship
was sunk in the harbor on which we
lived, and divers We're sent down to
put the chains under whereby to raise
her. There can he nothing more in
teresting to a boy than man dressed
In diving suit going under water.
while those above pump air down to
him. We boys were constantly on
hand watching the process, aud the
consequence of It all was that several
of us determined to adopt diving as
trade.
This brings me to my telegram. 1t
was from Mabel Granger the wife OF
Alec Granger, the two In whose child
fish companionship ! had interfered
many years before to my discontinue.
Alec and had been divers ever since
we left school, and now he, having
been caught in dangerous position.
his wife had called on me to save him.
During my journey to Chapman could
ATT drive from my mind that scene In
the school. Mabel standing with her
headless doll Rugged to her bosom,
making a face at me as moved away,
while Alec was brushing the dirt off
his clothes with his hands.
Furthermore. there was every reason
to believe that what | was called upon
to do | would do mt the risk Of my
life If It were an easy matter to res
cue Alec Granger ! would not have
been summoned saw in Mabers tele-
gram a cry for help In her distress.
/ can give no idea of my feelings at
such a call Let any one reading my
story put himself In my place and try
to conceive now he would feel. can
only say that among the confusion
within me there was one predominant
sentiment 1 was eager to give com