Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1921-05-05
"Pop's" Nina
BY KATE EDWARDS
(el 1921. western Newspaper unionI

"Bends?" queried Pop Stiefel
scornfully. Huh If you felers
wasn't in such blame hurry to get
out of the caissonS so as to knock
off work YOU wouldn't be in danger of
them"
Though he was only tifty-fve, every
body knew old Stiefel the foreman
of the construction company as Pop
"You see, boys he would explain
to the newcomers, them bends is
caused this way Under tive, three
four pressures the blood gets full OF
air. Now you got to go back SLOW
or else when you gets back to one
pressure them air bubbles hasn't
busted vet and it's going to get into
your Heart and Kill you maybe
Which was as nearly scientific as was
necessary for their comprehension.
"Bnrs anxious to git back TO meet
that girl of his when the Smith bulu-
ing rurns out it's people, said one OF
the men.
Everybody knew Bits girl. BIZ
was the popular sobriquet for Mr..
william Allen whose uncle was junior
partner in the construction company
| that was sinking its caissons deep in
| 10 the edge Of the East river, adjoin-
| ing the Smith building. Allen was
| qualifying for an engineer by learn
| ing the practical details of the work.
Miss Elizabeth Strickland WAS EN-
| ployed in the Smith building, a little
| three-story structure soon TO be pulled
down because of age and general de-
crepitude 1t was rarely that the
men going to work did not see Miss
Elizabeth seated at her desk beside
window on the top story, and look
ing out to wave her hand TO Bill.
pop" Stiefel, the sentimentalist, was
once found almost in tears, though he
stoutly attributed his condition to the
onion which his landlady had placed
in his lunch basket that morning.
"Say, you fellers-when | see nice
girl like Miss Strickland and fine
young feler like that Teller Bill. II
sort of makes me think of my Nina
| he said.
Old Stiefels wife had died two
years before, and his only daughter
had been killed in railroad accident
year later He lived absolutely
| alone. for M frtv one does not often
make new friends.
What I'm afraid Of" he continued,
munching his luncheon. ''is that that
rotten old Smith buildings going TO
fall Yes. fellers. them foundations is
rotten-rotten, fellers I've been down
and I've seen them.
Miss Elizabeth always waved well
coming hand to Pop" Stiefel. He
would have died for her She had
whispered to him, before anybody else
was told, the secret of her engagement
to Allen, and had told him he was TO
consider himself privileged guest at
the little bungalow which was being
built for them out on Long Island She
reminded pop" more than ever Of
Nina. He went away, wipng the
tears out Of his eyes.
He had gone down in the caissOn.
Under several pressures of atmosphere
the men were pushing the great shield
forward, scooping out the soft cheese
like clay of the river bank and send.
ing up the debris. When the gangs
hour was ended old Stiefel remained
down alone. He wanted to inspect
those Smith building foundations
again.
Suddenly Stiefel became conscious
that something abnormal was happen
ing In fact the air pressure had
been slightly lowered and little silt
was drifting In.
Pop Stiefe knew what that meant.
The rotten foundations would simply
be swept away, The building, resting
on nothing, would collapse.
The sweat poured down his face.
He looked round him in agony. Then
he rushed back to the air lock and
entered the chamber with the next
pressure OF atmosphere. One man
was waiting there, and he was just
about to pass back into the upper air.
Rum" shouted Stiefel, plucking
him by the sleeve. run like all you
was worth, you Teller, and tell 'em
the Smith buildings going to fallw
The man caught the Mortified look
on the old mans face and turned and
obeyed Then StiefeI turned back in
TO the lowest chamber again and waded
through eight inches of swampy sand
Five minutes !" he muttered. Five
minutes and she falls But Wen save
her 90
He knew that a slight obstruction
often checks a vast momentum for a
short space of time And he with
his ponderOus body-what better pur-
pose could he serve? So he sat down
heavily in the mud which reached al
most to his armpits. As he did so
he became conscious that the quiv-
ering mass was temporarily halted,
Ike some wave meeting a breakwater.
The ripping surface undulated away
from him; then slowly It crept round
and upward. But he had saved a
minute And a minute meant the
margin between death and safety.
He looked at his watch. -Four
minutes he said. Five. Good. Now
let her come" And the mass rose
to his neck and gulped his watch and