Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1919-03-07
DE
Fanton Diver
R~SD
BY GEORGE w. LEWIS
SSSSs>~SSs,s :. ss6S'>s'
(Copyright)


Big Parkinson stepped off the raft
and disappeared downward. The
gray-green water Tapped above his
head, few blister-like bubbles
danced and exploded in the tiny swirl
that marked his exit. That was all.
The sepulchered Helena was about to
receive a second visitor from the land
of the living. The slender conduit
that linked the diver with life paid
out rapidly, then suddenly stopped,
and we knew that Parkinson was
aboard the wreck
"Seventy-one feet" drawled Gar
rick.
"A little pale, wasn't he?" queried
Wenry, keeping a watchfuI eye on the
line.
Garriclz looked over to the speaker
as though he had expected the Ques-
ton.
"What d'you s'pose is wrong?" he
said. The faintest trace of anxiety
was in his great, slow voice.
Its Connors-I mean the mysteri-
Gus way Connors' air-tube parted" re-
turned Wenry 81 don't believe in
spooks, specially Submarine ones; but
there amt no more cause for the At
lantic cable coming in two at this
minute than there was for poor Con-
nOrs' hosea brand new one, too,
mind you-separatin' as it did. It's
queer
Garrick, listening, spat refectively
at the last remaining bubble. Watch
ing from my seat in the dingey,
knew that the two men, whatever de-
malls they might make, were at last
impressed with the gruesOmeness of
their chosen rOfessiOn-dallying with
dead things under the sea. Mayhap
it was because Connors had been
their tutor, their companion. Indeed,
the old diver had been pretty nearly
everything to them but he had been
even more to his employers. In his
understandable death the world had
lost q maSter-diver, and the company
had lost money. But because John
COnnors had been a faithful servant,
the company had paid hard money
that the divers harnesS-Weighted re-
mains might be the first brought up.
Harkinsons signal "up" was Of that
nervous, hurry-up sort that tells OF
sudden distress. He had been down
but three minutes. At a similar depth
he usually remained thirty or more,
for he was a Hercules, and for him
water-pressure had no terrOrs.
knew that Wenry, at least-though
for no good reason-fully expected to
see the big diver come up limp and
dead. | read his white face like print
But when big Harkinson's helmet
DObbed out of water a moment later,
both his big red hands were clutching
at the raft as frantically as if some
pursuing monster were about to drag
him down to death.
When his helmet was off. his face
showed notified and chalky. The
spluttered-Out, meaningless fragments
of speech, and his eyes were fixed in
terrified stare. Garrick forced half
a pint of whisky down his throat be-
fore anything like c0herency could be
restored.
He's down there-boys-C !"
The diver clapped his hands over his
eyes as if to shut CIT some hdeOuS
recurring vision. ''Oh. Lord." he
walled, ''think-think of the harness
COnnors. dead siXty-sixty hours
walking and beckoning-"
Harkinson's great strength snapped
like a reed under the strain, and he
dropped forward upon his face, I'M
conscious.
When Garrick consented TO go down
to the Helena. / knew that it was be-
cause he needed mOney-neededl it
badly. Garrick, unavOiGably, had
long been idle; besides, he was en-
gagged, and the girl was pretty and
worthy and the big, slow-spoken diver
',Hew that he must prepare suitable
home for her. He was of a good. hon
est sort, was Garrick, and courageous.
too But l had watched his face as
Parkinson. his nerves shattered, re-
lated from sick bed his uncanny eX-
perience aboard the sunken Helena;
and thus I had come to know that,
badly as Garrick needed money, he
needed courage more, if he would sue
coed where Hrkinson had failed
The thing was ON his nerves, right
enough; but saw the grip of his
BIG Jaw. and knew that he was in
deed going down, even though he
might not come up.
There was d lot Of wreckage piled
up about the cabin-door," Harkinson
had told us, and l had to squat as
low as / could to pass under it. As
| raised up, inside the cahn-Con-
nor>-dead sixty hours-got up off
bench fixed to the opposite wall of
the cabin, and came to meet me. Sew
enty-one feet under the sea with
ghost, Connors-yes, it was him. all
right-suddenly stopped and threw up
his hands as though recognition of
mo startled him He wore mis- Same