Gunnison news-champion., 1923-09-07
The Divers
Sacrifice
By HUBERT RAY

sisualled, and may be dying hurry
on With your suit. mani
I, was all In the days work TO
Linn He got quickly into his divers
suit. adjusted the harness and the
oxygen mask. and was lowered Into
the depths. The two men relieved
each other In working on the wreck
OF the kAriowitE
Nevertheless. there was time for an
infiniry Of thoughts TO hAsh through
Inns head And they reyolved- as
they always did. around Annette his
bride Of six months. Lesson and he
had been rivals for Annette. She
had been engaged to Lesson. but
quarrel had superven.d. and Linn had
stepped In and won her on the re-
bound
Thu; was SIX months ago, and Linn
had learned the tragedy Of love
less marriage. Hardly word had
passed between them-but Annette
had gon. about her daily duties grow
Ing thinner and qui.;er. And Linn had
wondered.
Until that morning a week before,
shen they had had It out together.
Yes. love him" Annette had said.
y shall always love him. But | will
be true to you as long as ! live. and
shall never see him again"
Linn had turned away. stupefed by
the tragedy. He loved Annette with
all the devotion Of man Of his type.
Slow. methodical. tenacious. how
- Ami -. elder
hope to win the heart that she had
given 10 Lesson.
Between the two men. there had
been no change In attitude. Each
knew. and each continued TO respect
the other. Yet Linn often wondered
whether Leeson had the same insane
desire to kill that he had.
Well-he put those thoughts aside,
and. with the weights on his feet.
wa, lowered down through the dim
depths TO the shadowy hulk OF the
wrecked Karlowitz- Now he was on
the ocean ooze. and working about
the wreck. looking for Lesson.
He found him in the hulk. lying
upon his side. He stopped and pushed
him. Lesson did not stir. Hastily
Linn examined Lessons oxygen mask.
There was nothing the matter with
II. The cord was not twisted.
Then In the gloom he perceived q
shadowy monster like an enormous
crab squattinx over the PROSTATE man.
And . hinge teutacie shot out.
In an instant Linn knew. Lesson
had been seized by an octopus. one Of
the giant squids that infested those
waters. II was OF unbelievable size.
and the eight arms rose and fell In
wavy outlines. hppling In the water.
Linn. overcome with horror. hesita-
ted only an instant. Then he set
his feet against the rotting timbers and
strove with all his force to detach
Lesson.
He might Nc well have tried to tear
apart q boulder Of granite. The
octopus had its victim fast. Linn saw
the little. vicious eyes on either side
Of the parrot beak. ready to tear the
nesh from the unconscious man.
Horror overcame him: and then of
q sudden Linn saw the only hope for
Lesson. There was no other way. and
II required all the determination Of
which he was capable In order to take
that path-for Annette's sake.
As one OF the tentacies Of the
octopus was raised from its victim
Linn stepped In between and placed
bis thigh beneath the monstrous pro-
tYusion. And he felt the Octopus's
suckers close upon 1t.
-~l-nA linn
placed his other leg beneath II. Two
suckers now grasped him-six held
Leesn. Two suckers could be torn
a'say-even three. he thought. AZ the
third gripped his waist.
He had unstrapped the weights from
Lessons feet and chosen his position
BY the time the fourth sucker held
him by the shoulder. When the NTH
was raised Linn interposed his right
arm Only three suckers held Lee
SOP now.
The aixth descended round Inns
harness. The seventh hound his right
arm to his body. The eighth lowered
| In the sir. But Inns right hand
was fres-free enough TO enable him
| to quill the signalling cord and to give
Lesson Just the little push that was
required TO free him fIom the timbers
| Of the Karlowitz-
Linn saw Lessons body float slow
y upward. He breathed vast sigh
Of relief Lesson would live. There
| was oxygen enough within the air
mask TO maintain his life till he was
0t the surface.
The eighth sucker gripped his right
arm. And, bound In the strangiIns
cola Linn. behind his mask. laughed
into that beaked embodiment Of evil
that confronted him.
IL was for you, Annettew he
thought-and that was the last thought
That came to him.
4