The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-02-04
HR MIND me- Os
NEVER MIND THE LADY
81: e BY David Garth ] :: s: :: :: =: =:


stormy shadows.
It was closer, that hand, closer
closer. reckoning him out Of the
Dark Places, showing the way. He
reached out for It and held on.
His fingers were gripping the edge
Of the dam. and as he hung there,
his body was fiayed against its
surface as though caught between
the Immovable Object and the IT.
resistible Force.
Let go. let go. something whis-
pered. Let go. and Nature will take
care Of her own.
But WilletL wasn't holding des-
perately to the edge of a groaning
shaking dam that was ready to
break up. He was holding to the
white hand of girl. and he came
out of the Shadows to fight again.
get a toehold and shove.
He pulled himself slowly. labor
iously out. struggling to get free of
that sucking. sw:rling water. He
got up halfway and then as a hand
gripped his shoulder and pulled him
the rest of the way, he lost conscious
ness.
LIE came to lying on the ground
l. with the rain pelting into his
face and the thick Shiny silt of the
river oozing up under his clothes.
Bucky Corrigan was leaning over
him. Bucky. with his face white and
his hand shaking as he held up
Willett's head and stuck flask at
him.
"It almost got you. fella," he said
hoarsely. when you were knocked
loose l thought you were finished"
Corrigan's square fighting Irish
mug was twisted with the agony of
his memory. A man had lost his
grip in that black water. sure death,
and yet a man had fought his way
back again.
The Chaikis were huddled all
around him, staring. their black hair
in drenched mops over their brown
faces. Willett took a deep breath.
He waved the flask aside; too much
liquor inside of him already.
He started to get up.
"Take it easy" ordered Corrigan.
"You can't strain yourself. fella-"
Willett flung off his restraining
hands. He stood up and eyed the
raralyzed construction gang all
around him. Work had ceased! And
the river was still threatening t.
break through at any minute. What
the hell were they standing around
for?
"Come on, Bucky. let's go!"
"Hey!" yelled Corrigan. you can't
go back there. That things ready to
break up. By God. If you try it. I'll
slug yous Terry, so help me, / will"
He drew back his great brawny
fist and his face was wild. Terry
Willett. wasn't going back to flirt
with death again, job or no job.
"Come on. you Irish lump" he
shouted. Chase these guys along.
Let's go!"
And he grabbed up sandbag and
went back on the dam. stumbling a
little on his precarious path, but
back in the battle again. and the
trembling Chaikas looked after him
with eyes popping out of their
heads. The man wasn't human, por
Dios!
And hope grew stronger with the
passing hours. They staggered
through with that creaking, patched
structure to do what Corrig n
wouldn't have thought possible
bulwark 1t against the adverse de-
cision Of the river.
But then Corrigan hadn't foreseen
the possibility of Terry Willett stick.
ing with it right on the brink of
eternity, holding on the job by the
skin of his teeth. with the law of
averages and the odds of Nature
against him.
He had fought, and he had made
them fight, as the Crusaders must
have fought before Jerusalem, in.
spired. with the inspiration that
ignores the law Of averages.
With the light of dawn they knew
they were coming through. The river
would be held back. The storm had
spent itself, its fury gone, and in its
place was only the stolid rain.
Willett's hands were torn and
bleeding. he was drenched and
muddy and bruised from head to
foot and he stumbled with exhaus.
ton as he stepped on shore. He
rubbed a hand across his face and
took deep breath.
We'll beat it now, fella," Corrigan
was saying at his shoulder. "OVer
the wire. and hip. hip. hooray!"
Willett nodded mechanically.
"Bucky, my thanks to you-and
to all" He put out his hand. Cor.
rigan gripped 1t briefly, and then
saw him turn toward the hut, and
il was the longest, hardest. most
agonssing trek Terry had ever made,
Copyright. 1855, By David GdrthJ