Nebraska Newspapers

    THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
The River
I
GERTY HARDIN'S DINNER PROVES AN ORDEAL FOR ALL
WHO ARE PRESENT.
Synopsis, K. C. RIckard, nn engineer of tlio Ovcrlund Pacific, Is
called to tlio olllce of President Murshull In Tucson. While waiting Rlck
nrd reads n report on the ravages of tho Colorado river, which occurred
despite tho efforts of Thomas Hardin, head of the Desert Reclamation
company. Hardin had been a student under Itlckard In nn custom col
lego and had married Gcrty Holmes, with whom Itlckard had fancied he
Was In love. Marshall tells Itlckard tho Overland Pacific must step in to
save tlio Imperial valley and wishes to send Itlckard to take charge.
RIckard declines because he foresees embarrassment In supplanting
Hardin, but is wou over. RIckard goes to Calexlco end, on the way,
learns much about nardln and Ills work. Itlckard meets Mr. and Mrs.
Hardin and Innes Hardin, the former's half sister. At the company
offices he finds the engineers loyal to Hardin and hostile to him. RIckard
attends a meeting of tho directors nnd asserts his authority. Hardin
rages. Estrada, a Mexican, son of tho "Father of the Imperial Valley,"
tells RIckard the general situation and expresses,, forebodings that the
work will' fall. Innes Hardin Is bitter against RIckard for supplanting
her brother, out she tries to cheer up tho latter. Hardin discovers that
RIckard is planning a levee to protect Calexlco nnd puts him down as
Incompetent Gcrty thinks her husband is Jealous.
CHAPTER X Continued. i
She didn't need to pierce those can
vas walls to know that there hud
beon feverish activity for this dinner.
A. now gown would appear tonight,
mado secretly. An exquisite meal,
and no ono must comment on Its elab
oration. Twice Tom nnd she bad
been asked to take their lunch at the
hotel. "Bccauso of a headache I" A
headache I
Tom's wifo could not even shop
openly I Bundles had always the air
of mystery, never opened before Tom
or herself. She must have yards of
stuff laid away, kept for sudden emer
gencies. "She can't help It. It's her disposi
tion. She can't help being secretive.
Look at your face, Innes Hnrdlnl"
What was It to her, tho pettiness of
a woman whom nn accident of life had
swept upon tlio bench bcsjdo her?
Gcrty was not her kind, not the sort
nho would pick out for a friend. Sho
was an oriental, ono of tho hnrem
women, whoso business It Is In life to
plcuso one man, to keep his homo soft,
his comforts ready, keep him con
vinced, moreover, that It is tho desiro
of his life to support her. Herself dis
satisfied, often rebellious, staying by
hlra for self-interest, not for love ah,
that was her impeachment. "Not lov
ing I"
Soberly alio covered her plain bras
slero with n white waist of cotton
ducking. A red leather belt and crim
son tie she added self-consciously.
"Whero Is my bloodstone pin?"
Hadn't she spent an hour at least
matching that particular leather belt?
But ho was a man, in battle. Tho
hcadgato held up; It was too bad.
Silent, Bodefcldt, Wooster, Grant, nil
of them fighting mad becuuso of tho
deadlock nt tho Heading. All up in
arms, nt last, against Marshall, bo
cnuso of thlB cruel cut to their hero,
Hardin. Her eyes glowed like yellow
lamps as sho recalled their fervid par
tisanship. "Only one mnn who enn savo tlio
valley, nnd that's Tom Hardin." Woos
ter had said that; but they all be
lieved It. Tho loyalty of tlio force
mado her ashamed of her soft woman
fears. For there were times when
sho questioned her brother's ability.
He had a inrgo, Ioobo way of handling
things. Ho was too optimistic. But
thoso men, thoso engineers must know.
It was probably tho man's way of
sweeping ahead, Ignoring detail. Tho
verdict of those fleld-trlcd men told
her that tho other, tho careful, plan
nlng wny, was tho ofilco method. RIck
ard, as a dinner neighbor, she had
found Interesting; but for great un
dertakings a man who would let n
Gcrty Holmes Jilt him, ruin hid Hfo
for him I The wholo story sprang nt
last clear from tho dropped Innuendos.
( Sho adjusted a barrctto In her
smoothly brushed hnlr. Slowly sho
walked over to tho neighboring tent,
i Gerty frowned at tho whlto duck.
"You might nt least have worn your
blue I"
"You'ro elegant enough for tlio two
f ub. Isn't that something new?"
Gerty said' carelessly thut sho had
had It for a long time. For sho had
had tho material a long timet It
,wasa't necessary to explain to her
husband's sister that it had been
made up that week. Sho hoped that
eho didn't look "fussed up." Would
Mr. RIckard think sho was attaching
any Importance to tlio stmplo llttlo
'visit? For It was nothing to him, of
.course. A man of his standing, whom
tho great Tod Marshall ranked so
high, probably dined out several times
acK week, with white-capped mnlda
and candelabra 1 If Tom had only
made tho most of his opportunities.
iWhat a gamble, Hfo to a woman I
i Sho mado a trip Into her bedroom
aA took a reassuring survey In her
-Mirror. Tho Ungcrio frock would look
tfdmple to a man who would nover
.'aspect it of hand-mado duplicity.
flfr class declared tho hund-whlnned
Srfedalllons casual nnd elegant. And
a long time ago, a Ufctlmo ago, Rick
nrd had told her that sho always
should wear blue, because of her eyes,
Lbbm frost Uu atxt room could hear
Gcrty teasing Tom to wenr his Tux
edo. "Isn't ono dudo enough for you?"
growled her surly lord. Innes recog
nized the mood and shrank from tho
ordeal ahead. It was the mood of
tho Hardin in tho rough, the son of
his frontier mother, tho fruit of old
Jasper Glngg, whoso smithy hnd been
the rendezvous for tho wildest roughs,
the fiercest cattlemen In Missouri.
"I'd let him see you knew what's
what, oven If wo do llvo like gipsies."
The answer to thnt was another
growl. Innes could bear him dragging
out tho process, grumbling over each
detail. That confounded laundry had
torn his shirt. Ho hadn't a decent
collar to his name. Whero was his
black string tlo? If Gert would keep
his things In tho lowest drawer I Hang
that button I Gerty emerged from tho
encounter, her fnco very red. Innes
could see her biting her Hps to keep
tho tears back as sho put tho last
touches to the table.
"She's tired out," thought tho sister
of Tom Hnrdln. "She's probably
fussed herself to death over this din
ner." A few, minutes later RIckard nr
rived In a sack suit of tweeds. Gerty'B
greeting was n llttlo abstracted. How
could she make Innes understand to
tell Tom to cl.ango his coat?' Tho
duty of a host, sho suddenly remem
bered, was to dress down rather than
up to tho chances of his guest. She
rcgrotted bitterly her Insistence. Wns
ever anyone so obtuse as Innes? Mr.
RIckard would seo that they thought
It a big event Sho was watching tho
curtain whero Tom would emerge.
And his coat was a styl6 of several
seasons ago and absurdly tight I Sho
made an unintelligible excuse and
darted behind tho portiere.
Tom's faco was apoplectic. Ho was
wrestling with n mussed tie; tho col
lar showed a desperate struggle.
Gerty mado wild signals for him to
change his clothes. Sho waved a
hand Indicating RIckard; sho pointed
to Tom's sack suit lying on tho floor
where ho had walked out of It
"What Is It all about?"
"Ssh," whispered his wife. Again
the wild gestures.
"Well, urcn't you satisfied? Don't
look Uko a guy?"
no could bo heard distinctly In tho
next room. Gcrty gave It up in de
spair. Sho dabbed somo moro powder
on her nose nnd went out looking llko
a martyr n very pretty martyr 1
RIckard praised tho miracles of tho
tent. Gcrty's soft flush reminded In
nes of their old relation. "Exit Innes,"
Bho wns thinking, when Tom, red and
perspiring, brought nnothcr element
of discomfort Into tho room.
Gcrty ushered them Immcdhtcly to
tho stable. Sho covered tho first mln
utes which might bo awkward with
hor small chatter. Somewhcro sho
had read that It was not well to mako
apologies for lack of maid or fare
Besides Mr. RIckard remembered
Lawrenco! That dreadful dining
room, tho over-sot tablol How sho
had hated it, though sho had not
known how fearful It was until sho
had escaped.
"Wo aro stmplo folk here, Mr. RIck
ard," sho announced, ns thoy took
their places around tho pretty tnble.
That was hor only allusion to duilclcn
clcs, but It covered her noiseless move
ments nround tho board between
courses, filled up tho gaps when alio
mado necessary dives into kitchen or
prlmltlvo Ice chest, and set tho key
for tlio homeliness of tlio meal Itself,
Tho dinner wns a triumph of apparent
simplicity. Only Innes could guess
the tlmo consumed in tho perfection
of detail, details dear to tlio hostess'
heart. Tho almonds she hnd blanched
of courso, hcrsejf; had dipped and
salted them. The cheese straws were
her own. Sho did not mnko tho nils
tnko of stringing out endless courses,
An Improvised buffet near ut hand
mndo tho serving a triumph.
Rlckurd praised each dish; openly
ho was admiring her achievement
Innes, remembering tho story Gcrty
had told her in dots and dashes, tho
story nt tho old rivalry, glanced cov-
Copyrltfht. Bobbi-Merrlll Company
lertly at Tom sulking nt tho head of
'his own table.
, "Poor sulky Achilles," she thought.
"Dear, honest old bear!"
"Innes!" cried Mrs. Hnrdln.
She turned to find that the guest
was staring nt her. She had not heard
his effort to Include her in tho con
versation. "Mr. Rlcknrd asked you if you like
it here?"
"Thank you why, of course I" Her
answer sounded pert to herself.
Her slstcr-ln-law hastened to add
thnt Miss Hardin was very lonely, was
really all alone in tlio world ; that they
Insisted on her making her homo with
them.
Innes had with dlfllculty restrained
a dental. After all, what other homo
hnd she? Still the truth had been de
flected. She recalled the sacrifice It
had been to cut her college course In
order to make a home In the desert
for the brother who hnd always so
gently fathered her, who had helped
her Invest her small capital that it
might spell n small Income. She re
called his rcalstnnco when she had
called In a mortgage; who could watch
thnt mad scapegoat of a river playing
pranks with desert homes nnd not
yearn to heln? Not a Hardin. Sho
'still gloried In remembering thnt sho
I had nt least driven ono nlle Into thnt
rebellious stream, even if when she
left the valley It would be as n bread
winner. She was prepared. She was
a good draftsman; she would go as
an apprentice in nn architect's office.
She had already settled on tho archi
tect! "Are you going to Los Angeles
soon?" Sho heard tho new manager
address' his host
"I'm taking orders!"
There was another awkward mo
ment when Hardin pushed bnck his
plate declaring ho hnd reached his
limit; It was too big a spread for him I
It was the stupid rudeness of the
small bad boy; even Innes flushed for
her sister-tn-law.
With resolution Gerty assumed con
trol of the conversation. Her role
sounded casual; no ono could have
suspected It of frequent rehearsal.
They must not talk of the river; that
was taboo. Railroad matters wero
also excluded. Equally difficult
would be reminiscences of Lawrenco
dnys. So sho began brightly with a
current book. Tho theater proved a
safe topic, and by that .natural route
they reached New York. Innes, who
had never been farther east than Chi
cago, was grateful to play audience,
nardln, who know his New York per
haps better than either, refused to be
drawn Into tho gentle stream.
Things must be kept sprightly. Hnd
Mr. RIckard met many of tho valley
people? And It was then that Bhe
throw her bomb toward tho listening,
silent Hnrdlns. She would like Mr.
Rlcknrd to meet some of their friends.
ne said that he would bo delighted,
but that ho was planning to lenvo
shortly for tho Heading.
Of course." She did not give her
husband timo to speak. Sho meant
afterward I Sho wns planning to give
something a bit novel In his honor.
She refused to see tho glnro from the
angry mnn In his outgrown dinner
coat Sho did not glance toward the
sister. What did Mr. RIckard think
about a progressive ride?
"It sounds very entertaining, but
what do you do?"
There was a loud guffaw from Tom.
With deepened color Gcrty told her
Idea. A drive, changing partners, so
ho could meet nil the guests.
"I think It will surprise you to find
bo many nlco peoplo In here; it cer
tainly did me. Ono doesn't expect to
find congenlnl peoplo In a new country
llko this."
Rlckurd remembered that he hnd
to get back to his hotel. He had let
ters to write. It had been n splendid
dinner I And what a wonderful home
sho had mndo out of n sand-baked lot,
out of a tent! He spoke of tho roses
nnd the morning glories. His eyes
fcl. on the open plnno, tho rending
table with the current magazines,
Now ho couldn't understand why they
over went to that hotel 1
Gerty's eyes wero shining as deep
pools of water on which tho sun plays,
Sho looked nlmost Infantile ns sho
stood by tho two tall men, her head
perched blrdllke. "Good-byl and
hopo you'll como again I"
Of courso he'd como again 1
"And you will let mo know when
you return, so that I may sot tho date
for my party?"
innes did not get his answer. Sho
had been observing that ho was not
taller than her brother IIo looked
taller. Ho was lean
ltU Will V" IIO
growing stocky,
She wished ho would
not slouch so. his bunds In his pock
cts I In Tucson, before sho know thut
she must dislike RIckard, she hud had
an Impression of virile distinction, of
grace, n suggestion of mastered mus
cles. Ho had known that It was her
brother he "was supplanting did ho
get any satisfaction from tlio fact that
It was the husbnnd of tho woman who
had Jilted him? Anywny, she did not
llko him. She could nover forglvo n
hurt that wns dono to hor own. Sho
wns u Hurdln.
When the Colorado Burst Its Banks and
Flooded the Imperial Valley California
By EDNAH
"Innest
Mr. Rlcknrd said good
n'Snt '"
She gnvo him the tips of her cool,
browned lingers. Her eyes did not
mppt tils; she would not meet that
lniiphing scrutiny.
"Good night, Mr. RIckard."
CHAPTER XI. I
The Fighting Chance.
"Casey's back, spying 1" nnnounced
Wooster ut mess ono evening. By that
tlim tho feeling against "Marshall's
man" wns actively hostile. There had
been a smudge of slumbering fires be-
fore RIckard had left the towns,
Fanned by much talk during his ub-
sence, it hnd burst into ucttve blaze.
They were ready to show their resent-
meat against the man who had sup- 0f activity here because bo's buffn
planted Hnrdln, their Napoleon, If it i0Cd; ho doesn't know how to tncklo
cost them their plnces. By this time the Job out there."
!,irf?Lo?rrS "3 Cm" " h'ld b to look thnt way to
the lily banners of France to tho fol- nf r,,., ,. , f ,,,
lowers of the Little Corporal.
Itlckard was not expected. He hnd
JV.P Cf"
ni.uwi n wiui. ui u IltT-
:.:",.V. " 1"
hushing an active babel of tongues.
He knew what he would find, ample
reasons why! He was not given the
satisfaction of locating any particular
act of disobedience. The men pre-
scnted a blank wall of politeness, rea-
sonuble and ineffectual.
Silent er.
nhl.. n nnllnnf mnnh mnn nf
i, tnrn tvn h.,a in tho Mn n ,na.
trict, trying to push the shnttered Wis-
tnrln through by n new routo before
thnt vonr's erons worn entirely ruined.
A gang was at Grant's Heading; the
floor needed bracing. Another squad,
Irish's, was in the Volcano Lake re-
clon. whero they wero excavating for
the new headgate.
"No hurrv for that." RIckard was
glad to pick n flaw in such a perfect
pattern. "You might have withdrawn
those men and put them to work on
the levee."
"I was given no authority to do
that"
Tho chief pretended to" accept the
reason ; else it were a case of chang-
lag horse3 In mldstrenm. What he
Her Eyes Did Not Meet His.
had seen at tlio Heading, his peep at another rub. There wns no enmp I It
tho exposed valley, his gleaning of was not equipped for a sudden lnfla
the river's history had convinced him tlon of men. The Inefficiency of tho
that in hasto and concentration lay
tho valley's only chance, no must re-
fuse to see tho Insubordination of tho
engineers, the seasoned desert sol-
dlers. He needed them, must win
their confidence if ho could. If not
they must save tho valley anyway I
Tho Imperturbable front of Silent, his
bland, big stare, exasperated him ;
casler to coutrol tho snapping terrier
of a Wooster. He had told Silent dls-
tlnctly to gather his men and rush tho
levee. A good soldier hnd mndo n bet-
ter guess thnn his. nnd had stoppcu
tho casual work at Black Butte, or
hnd found Indians 1 Thoughtfully
RIckard followed that last suggestion
across tho ditch into Mcxicall.
Tin irnth,.rn,i nil thn remits ho
needed that morntne. The Indians,
Inzv Coconnhs. eront out of their huts
to earn a few of tho silver dollars hem
out to them by tho now whlto boss,
A few Mexican laoorcrs were bribed
t ..... i m 1 1.
to loss un enrtn to tno west oi mu
town. Estrada, nt his request, put n
sqund of his road forco at tho service
of tho manager. Ho could not spnro
ninny men.
Tho railroad hnd nlrendy Btnrtcd
tho lino projected by nurdln to Mar-
shall tho year before, n spur across
tho desert, dipping Into Mexico be-
Cwecn tho lean, restless Bundhllis,
from Calexlco to Yuma. The Mexican
government hnd ngreed to pny flvo
thousand dollars n mile wero the rouu
completed nt n certain period. Estrada
wns kcplng his men on tho Jump to
fill tlio contract, to make his nntlon
pay tho prlbo. Tho completion of tho
road meant help to the vulloy; sup-
plies, men, could bo rushed through
tho break.
In spito of bis haunting senso
AIKEN
J
ultimate failure the crowing belief In
the omnipotence of the Grent Yellow
Dragon ns the Cocopahs visualized It,
Estrada's work wns ns Intense as
though ho Were hastening n sure vie
tory. Tho dauntless spirit of tho elder
Estradu pushed the track over the hot
sands where ho must dance at times
to keep his feet from burning. Many
of the rails they lnld at nlcht
"Rlckard's cone hoc-wild." Hardin
told his fumily the next morning.
"Building a levee between the towns I
The man's off his hend."
"There Isn't nny dnnger?" Gerty's
anxiety mado the decn blue eyes look
hlnelc.
Innes looked tin for Tom's answer.
His face was ugly with passion.
"Dancer t It;s n bluff, a hie show
vsvsull.ft OllIV 144 1 1 1 VJ J Li li. UU1,C
of the D. R. company whero the engi
neers foregathered; among tho chair
"Item who Idled In front of the Des
nrt nm, .1 .., i.
ow to tnckle his Job!" A levee, nnd
the gate held up ! What protection to
rUB T' " "l
? 7",? bf that 0y 1CV?. f
JJZ ?!lld rf,,rAn1on one ,E t8
! ,,SPrC?S? i l'-?0' tt
JS0 ' not guarded? He was
" , , b"icik; one oi
.vlili.n.n,1 t I . -
..minium n tiuiKa. no WHS ClVCn a
8ll0rt 1,1110 t0 Dl0W himself OUt A
bookman, a theorist.
, As wcl1 Put sentinels n few miles
from Pr,8on and le,lve the Jail doors
0Pen 1 This wns Wooster's gibe. All
BUW U,B "'orauo as a marauder nt
mree- "And "ttle heap of sand
stacked up to scare It off! It's n
scream!"
Mrs. Hardin found it difficult to
mcet wlth diplomacy the confidences
which inevltnbly camo her way. As
"arum s wue sne was expected to cn-
J" ie universal censure tne new man
waa ncqulrlng. Gerty's light touches,
too slight for championship, passed as
a sweet charity. Her own position
those days was trying. She' did not
yet know her diplomatic lesson.
Apparently unaware of the talk,
RIckard spent the greater part of his
time superintending the levee. Ho
could trust no one else to do It, no
one unless It were Estrada, who was
rushing his steel rails through to tho
front nnd was needed there.
Things were moving under his con-
stnnt goading. The extra pay was
showing results He should be at tho
Heading now, he kept telling himself,
but he was convinced that the lnstunt
he turned his back, tho work on tho
levee would stop; nnd all the reasons
excellent I Some emergency would be
cooked up to warrant the withdrawal
of tho hands. Chafe us he might at
the sltuution, It was to be guerrilla
warfare. Not a fight in the open, he
knew how to mcet thnt, but that baf.
fling resistance, the polite sllcnco of
the office when ho entered "Well,
they'll be doing my wny pretty soon,
or my namo Isn't Rlcknrd. That's
flat"
Ho was fretting to he nt work, to
stnrt the wheels of the O. P., its vast
machinery toward his problem. Ho
knew that that organization, like well
drilled militia, was ready for his call
Tho call lagged, not thnt he did not
need men, but there wns no place
ready for them. Tho camp, that was
projectors of this desert scheme had
never seemed so criminal as when ho
had surveyed tho equipment at the in'
tnke. "Get ready first ; your tools.
your stoves, your beds." That was the
training of the good executive, of men
like Marshall and MncLean. Nothing
to be left to chance; to foresee emer-
gencles, not to be taken by them un-
aware. Tho reason of nnrdln's down
fall was his slipshod habits. How could
he bo n good officer who had never
drilled ns a soldier? There was tlio
gap nt tne intnke, unruin's grotesque
folly, widened from ono hundred feet
to ten times the original cut; widening
every day. with ncljhcr equipment nor
camp adequate to push through a worK
of half the original magnitude. Cut-
ting away, moreover, was tne lsianu
Disaster Island ; it had received apt
cnnsiening Dy mo engineers, ua uup-
tlsmal water the Colorado. Tlie last
floods hnd played with it as though it
imam n Lin. rt riii.ni. fPlmA itna nn
u m nu.
rock nt hand ; no rock on tho wny, no
rock ordered. Could anyone piece to-
geincr sucn recKiessncss t
Rlcknrd knew where ho would get
his rock. Already ho hud requisitioned
the entlro output of the Tacna and
Patagonia quurrlcs. Ho had orucreu
steam shovels to bo instnlled nt the
qunrry bncK or old uninlln's. Thnt
rock pit would bo Ida flrst crutch, and
tho gravel bed that was a find! As
no puceu tno levee west or tho towns,
ho was planning his cuuipnlgu. Por-
ter was scouring Zncatecus for men
he himself had offered, as bait, free
transportation; tho O. P. ho know
would hack him. no was going to
to throw out a spur-track from tho Head'
Ing, touching at tho qunrry nnd gravel
of I pit, on to tho main road at Yuma.
Double tracli most ot tho way; sidings
every thrco miles. Rock must bo
rushed; tho trains must bo pushed
through. Ho Itched to begin. It never
occurred to him thnt, llko Hnrdln, ho
might fnil.
"Though It's no pink ten," ho told
himself, "It's no picnic." At Tucson
he knew thnt the situation was a
grave one, but his talk with Brandon,
who knew his river ns docs a good In
dian, mado the year a significant
eventful one. Matt Hamlin, too, whoso
shrewd eyes hud grown river-wise, ho,
too, hnd had tales to tell of tho tricky
river. Maldonado, the half-breed, had
confirmed their portents whllo they sat
together under his oleander, famous
throughout thnt section of Uie coun
try. And powerfully hnd Cor'nel, tho
Indian who had piloted Estrada's party
across the desert, whom RIckard hnd
mot nt tho Crossing, deeply hnd ho Im
pressed him. The river grew Into a
mnlevolent, mocking personality; ho
could seo It n dragon of yellow waters,
dragging its slow, sluggish length
across the bnked desert sands; deceiv
ing men by Its Inertness; luring tho
explorer by a mild mood to rise sud
denly wjth Its wild fellow, the Gila,
sending boat and boatmen to their
swift doom.
RIckard was thinking of tho half
breed, Maldonado, as ho Inspected tho
new stretch of levee between tho
towns. He hnd heard from others be
sides Estrada of tho river knowledge
of this descendant of trapper and
squaw, and had thought It worth whllo
to ride tho twenty miles from down
the river to talk with him. Tho man's
suavity, his narrow silts of eyes, tho
Hps thin nnd facile, deep lines of cru
elty falling from them, had repelled
his visitor. Tho mystery of the place
followed him. Why tho dobo wnll
which completely surrounded tho
small, low dwellings? Why the cau
tious admittance, the atmosphere of
suspicion? RIckard had seen the wife,
a frightened shadow of a woman ; had
seen her flinch when tho brute called
for her. He had questioned Cor'nel
about the half-breed. Ho was remem
bering the wrinkles of contempt on tho
old Indian's fnce ns ho delivered him
self ofan oracular grunt
"White man? No. Indian? Not
Coyote I"
Though he suspected Mnldonndo
would He on principle, though It might
be thnt two-thirds of his glib tissuo
were false, yet a thread of truth co
Incident with the others, Brnndn nnd
Hamlin and Cor'nel, might be Dulled
out of Ms romantic fabric.
"When the waters of the Oiln run
red look out for trouble 1" Ho doubt
ed that they ever ran red. He would
ask Cor'nel. He haa also spoken of
a cycle, known to Indies, of a nun
dredth year, wlien the Dra grows
resiicss; mis no nau ueciarea 7qS a
hundredth year.
Following his talk with Maldonadovf
nnd the nccldentnl hnppy chance mcet-
nig with uoronei at tne Crossing luck
ard had written his first report to Tod
Marshall. Before he had como to the
neadlng he had expected to advise
ngninst the completion of the wooden
headgate at the Crossing. Hamlin
had given him a new viewpoint. There
was n fighting chance. And he wanted
to be fair. Next to being successful
he wanted to be fair.
"It's time to be hearing from Mar
shall," Rlcknrd was thinking, as hu
walked back to the hotel. "I wonder
what he will say." He felt it had
been fair to put It up to Marshall!
personally, he would llko to begin with
a clean slate begin right Oumsj
work had been done, it was true, ye
there Were urgent reasons now fol
haste; nnd the gate was nearly haU
done! He had gone carefully ovei
the situation. The heavy snowfall, un
precedented for years, a hundred, ac
cording to the Indlnns on tho Wind
Rover mountains the lakes swollen
with Ice, the Gila restless, the summei
floods yet to be met ; perhaps, he no
thought, he had been overfalr in em?
phaslzlng the arguments for tho head-
gate. For the hundred feet were nov
u thousand feet yet he had spoken
of that to Marshall: "Calculate fo
yourself the difference In expensa
since the flood widened tho break. It
Is n vastly different problem now,
Disaster island, which they figured on
for anchor, is a mere pit of corroding
sugar In the channel. An Infant Col
orudo could wash It away. However,
a lot of work has already been dono,
nnd n lot of money spent Tbcre Is a
fighting chnnce, Perhaps tho bad yeai
Is all Indian talk."
A guess, at best, whatever they did I
It was pure gamble what the trlckj
Colorado would do. Anyway, he had
given the whole situation to Marshall.
In his box at tho hotel was a tele
gram which hud been sent over from
the ofilco from Tod Marshall. "Tak
the fighting chance. But remember to
speak moro respectfully of Indians."
"Marshall all over," laughed his sub
ordinate. "Now It's a case of hustle I
But dollars to doughnuts, as Junlai
says, wo don't do It!"
Was it Hardin's luck? RIck
ard scouted the Idea and charged
It to puro Inefficiency. Whatever
the cause, fate and Hardin's
failure to carry out Instructions
seemed to have combined to
wreck Rlckard's plans. Don't
miss the next Installment
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Creatures That Weep.
Among tlio creatures thatvvecp most
easily are tho ruminants. All hunters
know thut tho stag weops, and it is
asserted that the bear sluMs tears
when severely wounded. Tho glrnffo
is not less sensitive and regards with
tearful eyes tho hunter who hsM
wounded It
. l