The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-10-16
Continued From Yesterday

Sand and gravel flies back to the
town, where mountains of bagged ce-
ment are stacked. for there must be
housing for 10000 men before the
cold weather reaches. Here another
army IS toiling at breakneck speed
about this gigantic task.
And all OF this is but preliminary to
the real work OF the great project
WONDERFUL DESCRIPTION
Then there follows a wonderful de-
scrlption of the workings of the great
tidal basins, Allan's Improvement on
the designs of Schlich and Lippman.
the famous German engineers. to
whom We owe the Harvesting of the
incalculable power of the tides
Through his ingenious arrangement
of reservoirs thousands of tons of
water were dumped on gigantic tnr-
bines every hour of The "a and the lift
and fan OF the tides gave him all this
power for simply the cost of original
voorhees, than s5.0ee.o0o.
The scene. indeed, recalled the tower
of Babel-a project so vast that its
very conception seemed impious.
And this was only one of FIVE such
scenes In Bermuda, Fayat at Fin
tsterre and on a great plain beyond
London similar nightly panoramas of
daring We're being unrolled And
Allan, the genius who had provoked
these upheavals, was the FESTIVE
spirit of each. He was tireless and
unresting Rives and Mrs. Allan
heard from him in one camp or an
other. and before they had finished
his short dispatches-so 1t seemed TO
them-another from some other tun-
mel city was laid in their hands or
he himself dropped of construction
train from Toms river. clear eyed,
smooth shaven and fresh and ener-
getic as ever.
Rives had built a beautiful little
house for the chief engineer and his
wife on the sea side OF the tunnel
city. and Allan encouraged Mrs. Allan
to spend much Of her time there
even when he was in this country
Rives was the one warm personal
friend he had made in his lonely life.
and knowing how much pleasure Mrs
Allan found In his society. he was
glad to have her as nearly contented
as possible while he darted back and
forth across half the northern hemis-
phere. They had one child-a little
girl, Edith-and she grew to be al
most stranger to her father.
Even when Allan was In New York
he saw bat little of his wife and child
HIS business affairs usually took him
a great deal to the house of the great
Lloyd. where he held long conferences
with the old fnancier or his daughter,
who had the details Of the tunnel at
her finger ends.
Thus Mrs. Allan, a lonely and neg
1ected woman, was thrown constantly
with Rives. an impressionable and
high strung man, who already held
for her at least a deep admiration.
Mac is in New York; got wire
from him late this afternoon" re-
marked Rives one evening as they
were taking a horseback ride along
one of the wide level roads that led
nOrthward from Tunnel City.
Yes. he called me up" said the
woman, with a family weary note in
her voice. HE said that he would be
busy about the real estate deal for
the next day or so and would have to
go to France within few days. He
called up from the Lioyds." she added
without conscious meaning.
Rives was silent for few moments
as the horses pounded along the
gravel road. side by side.
did he say anything about run
ming down here or" he stopped off
I.
tone nonchalant, but she understood
and bit her lip.
II know what you are thinking
about. Jack" she said soberly, and
her voice trembled slightly. And I
wish you wouldn't--pity me-"
Rives swore at himself in an under
tone and tried to stammer out some
thing light and reassuring.
You're too old a friend" she cut
you to go and talk to Mac. and that
would be worse than anything else.
He is doing the best he can and
know 1 ought to be happy"
Aren't your" asked Rives.
mo, I'm not, and you know 1t per-
fectly we'll, my friend. I am as
proud OF Mac as a woman could be
of a man, but / want to be married
TO a man. not to a-a-an institu-
ton"
Rives looked at the lightly poised
and soft eyes that shone like amber
in the moonlight And he laughed
uncertainty to check the something
that rushed TO his Lips
"Oh. WE'LL he said lightly and
kindly, at won't be so bad in a little
while. Mac is trying to do eight
mems work and everything is just
starting now, but When-
I know" she interrupted grimly.
"Fverything his been just starting
for months and months. went over
All this with him a few weeks ago
and he told me just what you are
trying to tell me: Il only know that
I have been under the same roof with
my husband for "a consecutive hours
IN six months
But, little girl, don't you see"
"Oh, yesl I know I am unreason-
able. I have cut out about bale OF
newspaper clippings about Mac and
pictures Of me, and I ought TO be as
vain and pleased as-as-as a woman.
am proud of him. / even admit that
IT gratifies the woman IN me to be
poiuted out In the department stores
and at the theater as the wife of Mac
Allan; but that isn't all that normal
woman wants the man she loves to
give her,
Rives wisely held his tongue and
there was another little silence. At
last he asked:
.Did you ever--have you ever let
Mac know exactly how you feel about
about this?"
The woman did not reply at once.
II went down to his office about a
month ago" she said at last In a low
voice. II couldn't help IL, Jack.
was SO lonely and miserable. He sent
out word that he was very busy.
She paused, and Rives made no
comment. He was looking straight
over his horses head up the moonlit
road, and his face was in the shade
of his broad trimmed hat She lookea