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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1919)
THE SEMI WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. Tire RIVER assg When the Colorado Burst Its Banks and Flooded the Imperial Valley of California Copyright, Bobbs-Herrlll Company HARDIN'S LUCK7 HARDLY, THINKS RICKARD, AS HE FORESEES DISASTER FROM CARELESSNESS OF HIS PREDECESSOR. Synopsis. IC. C. Ricknrd, nn engineer of tho Overland Pacific, In sent by President Marshall to stop the ravages of the Colorado river In the Imperial uallcy, n task at which Thomas Hardin, hend of tho Desert Reclamation company has failed. Illckard foresees embarrass ment because ho knows Hardin, who wns a student under him In an eastern college, married Gcrty Holmes, with whom IMckard onco thought himself In love. At the company offices ut Calcslco Illckard finds the engineers loyal to Hardin and hostile to him. Ho meets Mr. and Mrs. Hardin and lnncs Hardin, tho former's half sister. Innes Is bitter against Illckard for supplanting her brother. Ilnrdln dis covers that Illckard Is planning a levee to protect Caloxlco and puts him down as Incompetent Gcrty thinks her husband Jealous. Gerty Invites Illckard to dinner nnd thero plnns n "progressive ride" In his honor. Illckard pushes work on the leveo nnd Is ordered by Murshnll to "take n fighting chance" on the completion of Hardin's pet project, a gate to shut tho break in the river. CHAPTER XII. Hardin's Luck. Two days later thero wan a nhock of (earthquake, bo slight that the lapping fif the water In lllckard's hath was his ntlrnatlon of tho earth's uneasiness. Iln the dining room later ho found cv cryono discussing It. "Who could re iraembcr on earthquako In that desert?" "Tho first slulcel" During tile morning, unfathered, as rumors tfro born, tho whisper of dis aster ftomcwhero spread. Their own (slight shock wns tho edgo of tho con Nrulslon which had been serious clso jwhero, no ono know qultd where, or Iwby they knew It nt alL Tho men wbo wcro shoveling earth on tho loveo Ixgnn to talk of San Francisco. Some tone said that morning that tho city wm badly hart No ono could confirm tho rumor, but It grow with tho day. Rlckard met It at tho office Into In tho afternoon. Ho went direct to tho telegraph operator's desk. "Get Los Angeles, tho O. P. office And bo quick about It" In ten minutes ho was talking to Hancock, Babcock said that tho dam ago by tho earthquako to that city was not known, but It was afire. San Joso bad confirmed It Oakland had report ed tho flames creeping up tho resi dence hills of thai; gay Western city. Cinders were already failing In tho transbay town. Ricknrd dropped tho receiver. "Where's Hardin 7 Tom Hardin emerged from a knot Of men who wcro talking In a corner by tho door. "Where's that machinery T "What machinery T" Illckard saw the- answer to his qucs tlon In tho other's fncc. "Tho dredgo machinery. Did you attend to that? Did you send for It?" "Oh, yes, tliat'n all right It's all right" "Is It hero?" Ilnrdln attempted Jocularity. "I didn't know as you wanted it hero. I ordered it Bent to Yuma." "Is it at Yuma?" Hardin ndmlttcd that it was not yet at Yuma; It would bo thero soon; ho Hind written ; oh, It was all right. "When did you wrlto7" Hardin reddened under tho cnto jchlsra of questions. Ho resented be ing held up before his men. Tho oth ers felt tho electricity in tho nlr. Hnr tiln and his successor wcro glaring at ach other llko belligerents. "I asked when did you wrlto?" "Yesterday." "Yesterday I" Illckard ripped out Ian oath. "Yesterday. "Why at nil, I'd plko to know? Did, you understand that you wero ordorcd to got that oro? Now, It's gone." "Gono?" Tho others crowded up. "San Frnncslco's burning." no rwalked Into his Inner ofllco, mnd clear (through. Ho was not thinking of tho ruin of the, gay young city; not a thought yet did ho havo of tho human Itragedles enacting thero; of homes, llves, fortunes swept into that hugo 'bonfire. As it nlTcctcd tho work at tho jrlvcr, the first block to his campaign, tho catastropho camo homo to him. Ho .bad a plcturo of tortured, twisted (Iron, of ruined machinery, tho ma chinery fpr his dredge. Ho saw it lying llko a spent Lnocoon, writhing In its last struggle. Ho blamed himself for leaving oven such a small detail as tho Ihastenlng of tho pnrts to Hardin's tearo, for Hnrdln wasn't fit to bo trust ed for nnythlng. No ono could tell hlm now tho man was unlucky; ho tvns a fool. A month wasted, and (days wcro precious. A month? Months (Hardin's luck. Oh, belli ( Then ho began to Bpeculnto as ho 'cooled over tho trouble up yonder. A taholo city burning? They would sure lly get it under control. Ho began to Ithlnk of tho Isolation; tho telegraph wires all down. Thnt might happen lanywljerol Ho wulked to tho door ind looked thoughtfully nt tho m- pany's big water tower. That wasn't Uuch a bad ideal Ho picked up his fcat, and went out CHAPTER XIII. .J Tho Wrona Man. , Mrs. Hardin heard from every Mrc'o but tho right ono that Illckard had returned. Each time her tele phono rang, It was his vplco eho ex pected to hear. Sho began to rend a meaning Into his silence. Sho could think of nothing else than tho strange coincidence that had brought their lives again closo. Or was It a coinci dence? That Idea sent her thoughts far afield. Sho was tldnklng too much of him, for peace of mind, thoso days of wait ing, but tho return of tho old lover had made a wonderful break In her life. Her eyes wero brighter; her emllo was less forced. She spent most of her days at tho sewing machine. A lot of laco was whipped onto llngcrlo frocks of palo colors. Sho was a dls clplo of an Eastern esthete. "Women," ho had said, "should buy laco, not by tho yard, but by tho mile." As her fingers worked among tho laces and soft mulls, her mind roved down, avenues that should havo been closed to hor, a wife. Sho would havo protested, had anyono accused her of infidelity in those days, yet day by day, Bhe was straying farther from her hus band's side. Sho convinced herself that Tom's gibes and Ill-humor wero getting hnrder to endure. It was inevitable that tho woman of harem training should rclivo tho Law rence days. Tho enmity of thoso two men, both her lovers, was pregnant with romantic suggestion. Tho drama of desert and river centered now in tho story of Gcrty Hardin. Illckard, who had never married 1 Tho deduction, onco unveiled, lost all its shyness. And every ono saw that ho disliked her hus band I Sho know now that sho had never loved Tom. Sho had turned to him in thoso days of prldo when lllckard's nngcr still hold him aloof. How many times had sho gono over tlioso Unreal hours 1 Who could havo known that Ids nngcr would Inst? That hour In tho honeysuckles ; his kisses 1 None of Hardin's rougher klsBcs had swept her memory of hor cxqulslto delight de lirious ns wns her Joy, thero was room for triumph. Sho hnd seen herself clear of thd noisy boarding house. Her Bolf, Gerty Holmes, tho wlfo of a pro fessor; nblo to havo tho things sho craved, to havo them openly ; no longer having to scheme for them. It wns through lllckard's eyes that sho had seen tho shortcomings of tho collcgo boarding house. Sho had ac quired a keen consciousness of thoso quizzical eyes. When thoy had Isolated her, nt last, appealing to hor sympa thy or amusement, separating her from nil thoso boisterous students, her dream of bliss had begun. In those days, sho had seen Hardin through tho eyes of tho young instruc tor, younger by Bovcrnl years than his pupil. Her thud of disappointed nngcr, of dislike, when tho faco of nardln peered through tho leafy screen 1 To havo walled, prayod for that momont, and to hnvo It spoiled llko that I Thero had been days when sho hnd wept be causo sho had not shown her anger I How "could eho kuow that everything would end thero; end, Just beginning I Her boarding-house training had taught her to bo civil. It was still vivid to her, her anxiety, her trcmu- lousness with Hnrdln talking forovor of n play ho had Just seen; Illckard growing stlffcr, angrier, refusing to look nt thoso lips still warm with his kisses I And tho next day, still nngry with her. Ah, tho puzzled desolation of thoso weeks beforo sho hud salved her hurt; with pride, and then with lovol Thoso days of misery beforo sho could cotivlnco herself that she had been in love with love, not with hor fleeing lover I Ilnrdln wns thero, eager to bo noticed. Thnt affair, sho could seo now, hnd lacked flnesso. Illckard had certainly loved her, or why had he never married? Why had ho left so abruptly his boarding houso In midterm? Doesn't Jealousy confess love? Some day, ho would tell hor; what a hideous mlstako hers had been I Sho ought not to hnvo rushed Into that marriage. Sho knew now it had always been the other. But llfo was not finished, yet I tho uato sot for her summor "widowhood" had come, but she lln gered. Various reasons, splendid and sdcrlficlal, were given out. There was much to bo done. "I wish she would be definite," In- nes' thoughts complained. She was restless to make her own plnns. It had not yet occurred to her that Gcrty would stny In all summer. For sho never had so martyrized herself. "Some one must bo with Tom. It may ppoll my trip. But Gcrty never thinks of that." Sho believed it to be n simple matter of clothes. It always took her weeks to get ready to go any where. "But I won't wait nny longer than next week. If she does not go then, I will. Absurd for us both to be here." i It was already fiercely hot. Gerty, meunwhllo, hnd been wonder- i Ing how she could suggest to her sis-! ter-In-lnw thnt her trip be taken first Without urouslug suspicions 1 Ter-1 rlbly loud In her ears sounded her; thoughts those days. Her husband flung a letter on tho j tnblo ono evening. "A letter to you from Cnsey." j une tried to make the lingers thnt closed over tho letter move cnsunlly, She could feel them tremble. What would sho say If Tom asked to seo It? It was addressed to her In her hus band's enre. Hardin had found it at tho ofllco In his mail. And sho going each day to tho postofilce to prevent It from falling Into his hnndsl Sho gnvo it a quick offhand glance. "About tho drive, of course, Sup per's getting cold. Look at that ome lette. Don't wait to wash up. It will bo llko leather." "When sho had finished hor meal, sho read her letter with a fine show of In- difference. "He sets a dato for tho t drive." Sho put tho letter carelessly ' muca 110 n&u entered tnc tent, sno into her pocket beforo hor husband I lmd warned Innes by a lifted eye could stretch out his hand. It would 1 brow they must be careful not to nover do for Jealous Tom to read that: Provoko htm. Something had gone "Your letter was received two weeks wrong at tho office, of course I How ago. Pardon mo for appearing to hnvo much longer could she stand his hu- forgotten your kindness." I "Tho nervo," growled Tom again, his mouth full of Gerty's omelette. "To take you up on an Invitation like that I call thnt pretty raw." "You must remember wo are such old friends," urged his wife. "Ho know I meant it seriously." "Just tho snme, it's nerve," grum bled Hardin, helping himself to moro of tho omelette, now a flat ruin in tho center of tho Canton platter. His r& scntment hnd taken on an edge of hatred since the cplsodo of the dredgo machinery. "To wrlto to nnyono In my houso I Ho knows whnt I think of him ; nn Ineffectual ass, that's what ho Is. Blundering around with his llttlo levees, nnd hie fool work on tho wa ter tower." "Tho water tower?" demanded his sister. "What's ho doing with that?" "Oh, I don't know," rejoined Tom largely, his Hps protruding. Ho had been Itching to ask somo ono what Ricknrd was up to. Twice, ho had seen him go up, with MacLcan and Estradn. Onco, thero a large flare of light But ho wouldn't nsk I Somo of his fool tinkering! nis sister's gaze rested on him with concern, no had too llttlo to do. Sho guessed that his title, consulting en gineer, wns n mocking one, that his chief, nt least, did not consult him. "Wns it true, whnt sho hnd heard, thnt ho had mudo n fluke nbout tho ma chinery? Ho was looking seedy. Ho bad been letting his clothes go. Ho looked llko n mnn who has lost grip; who has been shelved. Sho knew ho wns sleeping badly.'. Every morning now sho found tho couch rumpled. Not much pretense of marital congcnlnllty. Things wero go ing bndly, thero "Everybody has accepted," Gcrty wns.saylng. They havo been waiting I for mo to sot the dntc." "And you enter to him, let him dnngle you nil. I wondor why you do It, unless It's to hurt me." "Hurt you, Tom," cried his wife, her deep blue eyes wldo with dismay. "How can you say such n thing? But If It Is given for him, how can I do anything else than let him arrange the day to suit himself? It would bo funny for the guest of honor not to bo present, wouldn't It?" "I don't seo why you want to mako him a guest of honor," ho retreated, covering his position. Gently, Gcrty expressed her belief that sho wns doing tho best thing for her husband In getting up n public nf fnlr for his successor. Sho did think thnt Tom would seo that it showed they had no feeling. "I think It u flno'idcn," agreed In nes heartily. "I'm sure Tom will, too, when ho thinks nbout It" But sho did not glvo him any chnuco to express himself, "now aro you going to man ngo it, Gcrty7 You said it was going to bo progressive?" "Wo shnll draw for partners," said Mrs. nardln. "And chnngo every half u mile Tho first lap will bo two miles; that will glvo somo excitement In cutting for partners." Easy, being tho hostess, to withhold any slip eho pleased, easy to mako it seem acci dental I "When Is this circus coming off?" Inquired her husband. "Mr. illckard says ho will bo back on tho first ; that ho'U bo frco on tho second." "For half an hour, Til listen to Mrs. Youngberg tell mo how hard it Is to have to do without servants, as she's never dono it In her life before. For (mother half-mile, Mrs. Hatfield will flirt with me, nnd Mrs. Mlddlcton will toll me all nbout 'her dear llttlo kid dles.' Sounds cheerful. Why didn't you choose cards? No ono has to talk then." There wns nn Interval when his wife appeared to be balancing his sugges tion. "No. I think it will hnvo to ho drive; for I've told every ono nbout n." "Well," remarked her husband. "I only hopo something will hnppen to prevent It" "Tom I" exclaimed Gerty Hardin. "What a dreadful thing to sny. That pounds like a t-urse. You make my lilooU run cold." "Shu 1" suld Hnrdln, picking up his hat. "That was no curse. You wouldn't go It It rained, would you?" "Oh, rain!" Sho shrugged at that possibility. "Well, you wouldn't go If tho wind Mows I" retorted Hardin, leaving the room. , CHAPTER XIV. The Dragon Takes a Hand. Tho company's automobile honked outside. Hardin frowned across tho tablo at ids wife. "You're surely not going such n night as this?" Gerty gave one of her light, elusive shrugs. No need to answer Tom when ho wns in ono of his blnck moods. Thls wns th flrst word he had spoken mors. tnese gnnstly silent dlnncrs7 "The river on a rampage, and wo go for a drlvol" Jeered Hardin. Tho flood wns not serious yctl Tom loved to cry "Wolf I" No one wns alarmed In town Pntton, Mrs. Youngberg, would havo told her. Of Gerty's Pretty Lips Hardened. course, ono never know what that dreadful river would do next, but if one hnd to wait always to seo what the river's next prank would be, ono would never get nnywherol Innes was lenving the table. "Well, I supposo I should bo lashing on my , nnir uertys pretty nps narueneu ns tho girl left tho tent These Hnrdlns nlwnys loved to spoil her enjoyment They would llko her to be n nun, n cloistered nun I At tho opening of; tho door, the wind tore the pictures from the piano. Gcrty ran Into her room, shutting herself in ngnlnst further argument. Sho enmo back mio the room, pow dered nnd heavily veiled against the wind. A heavy winter ulster covered the new mull gown which she hnd not worn at supper, though Innes could havo helped her with the hooks I But there wns always so much talk about' everything I They hnd to faco the gnlo as Uie machine swept down, tho wind-crazed street It was too bad to havo n night like this I And ull her work Tom nnd his sister would hnvo It go for noth ing! She wns mndo of stubborner stuff than thnt Life had been deal ing oi t mean hnnds to her, but bIic would not drop out of tho game, ac knowledge herself benten-r-Iuck would turn, sho would get better cards. In the hall of tho Desert hotel, the pnrty was assembling. Mrs. Hardin's roving eye scoured tho hall. Ricknrd was not Urre. Patton called her from tho desk. Somo ono wnntcd her at tho telephone. It wns illckard, of course, at tho office; to say ho had been detained. The fear which had been chilling her passed by. It wns not Illckard on tho wire, but Mrs. Hntfleid, loquacious and coquet tish. Sho urged a frightful neuralgia, nnd hoped tnnt she wan not putting her hostess to nny Inconvcnlcnco nt this lust moment. She wanted to prolong the conversation had the guests nil come? Were they rcnlly going? Then she must be getting old, for a night like this dismayed her I Gcrty felt her good-night wns rudely abrupt. But was she to stand there gabbling all night, her guests wait ing? Sho prnyed thnt Ricknrd would be there when she returned. What n travesty If tho guest of honor should disappoint her! Though he wns not among the different groups, her con fidence In his punctiliousness reas sured her. Sho must hold them n lit tle longer. She flitted gaily from ono standing group to nnothcr. Her eyes constantly questioned tho clock. "How long are you going to wait for Mrs. Hatfield?" Her husbnnd enmo up, protesting. "Mrs. Hatfield," sho explained dis tantly, "Is not coming. Wo nro wnlt lng for Mr. Ricknrd." "He didn't como In on thnt trnln; he's at tho Hcndlng." Hardin added something nbout troublo nt tho intnkc, but Gerty did not heed. Tom had known nnd had not told her when thero wns yet time to "call it off I "A pretty time to tell me!" Hnd he been looking nt her, ho would hnvo been left no Illusions. Her blue eyes flashed hate. ".I did not know it until we got here. There wns n messnge from Mac Lean at the desk, waiting." MacLcan was not there, either I "We aro all ready," she cried. "Mrs. Hatfield nnd Mr. Ricknrd cannot come." Not for worlds would sho give In to her desire to cnll the whole grim affair off; let them think she wns disappointed, not she. Though the world blew nway, she would go. She found herself distributing slips of mangled quotations. The white slips went to the women; tho green bits of pasteboard to tho men. Sho held n certnln green enrd In her glove: "Leads on to fortuno." Rick nrd might como dashing In nt tho last momont, the Ideal man's way; a spe cial, perhaps ; It did not seem credible that ho would deliberately stay away without sending her word. . In a burst of lnughtcr, the com pany discovered then thnt tho guest of honor was also absent. Mrs. Hnrdln hurried them out to tho wait ing buggies. Drearily, they drove down the fly ing street. The wind wns at their backs, but It tore at their hats, pulled at their tempers. Their eyes were full of street dust. A flash of light as thoy wero leav ing town brightened the thick dust clouds. "Whnt was thnt?" cried Gerty. She was ready for nny calamity now. "Not lightning?" Again, the qv'eer light flashed across the obscured sky. Tom roused himself to growl that he hadn't seen nnythlng. And the drenry fnrco went on. Innes' partner was young Sutcllffe, tho English zanjero. He was In tho quicksand o n compnrlson between English nnd Americnn women, Innes mischievously coaxing him Into deeper wntcrs, when thero wns a blockade of buggies ahead of them. "The ABC ranch," cried Innes, peering, through tho veil of dust at tho queer unrenl outlines of fences and trees. "It's our first stop." "Oh, I say, that's too bad," began Sutcllffe. Innes wns already on tho road; her skirts whipped by tho wind Into clinging drapery. Gerty's party found Itself disorgan ized. Partners were trying to find or loso each other. "Get in herel" Innes heard the voice of Estrada be hind her. He had a top buggy. Sho hailed a refuge. "Splendid I" sho cried. "What a relief I" Climbing In, sho said: "I hopo this Isn't upsetting Gerty's ar rangement." "Arrangement I Look at theml" Tho women were hnstenlng out of tho dust swirl into nny haven that of fered. With little screams of dismay, they ran like rabbits to cover. Gerty found herself with Bllnn. At tho -next stop thero wns n block of buggies. "No uso chnnglng again!" Sho ncknowlcdged herself benten. "Let's go on. Whnt nre they stopping for?" Dismal farce It all wns! Sho was pushing back her disheart ened curls when tho beat of horses' hoofs back of them brought tho blood back Into her wind-chlllcd cheeks. "Ricknrd!" she thought. "Ho must havo como in a special !" The gloom suddenly disgorged MncLenn. "Ilnrdln! Where Is he?" "What's up?" yelled Bllnn. "Is it the river?" MacLcan's fnco answered him. Ills ranch scoured again "God' Almighty 1" - "The river I" screamed tho women. Tho men wero surrounding MncLean, whoso horse wns prancing ns If with the Importance of having carried a Revere. "Tho levee I" called Mac Lean. "Where's Hurdln?" He spurred, his mnro townrd nardln, who wns blncker than Napoleon nt Austerlltz. "You're needed. They're nil need ed." Tho other voices broke In, tho men pressing up. This threntened them nil. Blinn's ranch lay in tho ravaged sixth district Nothing would snvo him. Youngberg belonged to water company number one; their ditches would go. Holllster and Wil son of the Palo Verdo saw ruin ahead of them. Each man wns visualizing the mnd onward sweep of that de stroying power. Llko ghosts, the women huddled In tho dust-blowc road. "Where Is It now?" demanded Bllnn. "It's here, right on us. You're nil needed at tho lovee," bawled Mac Lean. Tho levee! Thero was a dash for buggies, a ecraplng of wheels, tho j whinnying of frightened horses. Sonxi one readied tho Hashes of light thoy hnd seen on leaving town. "Whnt were those lights signals?" "From tho wnter-tower." MncLcan'a voice split tho wind. "The wires nre nil down between tho Crossing and the towns. Coronel was on tho tower he got tho signal from tho Heudlng ho'a been thero each night for n wcckl" This wns u great night for !il3 chief, Rlckard I Gcrty Hardin caught the thrill of his hero-worship. How splendid, how triumphant ! , Innes found herself In her brother's buggy. Ills horse, under" the whip, dashed forward. Suddenly he pulled It bnck on Its haunches, narrowly nvertlng n Jam. ."Where's Alue Lean?" Tho boy rodo back. "Who's call ing me?" "Give me your horse," demanded Hnrdln. "You tnke my sister home." Gerty Hnrdln's pnrty was torn like a bow of useless finery. Facing the wind nuw, no one could talk; no one wnntcd to tnlk. Each was threshing out his own thoughts; personal ruin stared them In tho fncc. Every man (vas remembering that reckless e posed cut of Hardin's; pinning theli hope to thnt ridiculed levee. The horses broke Into' a reckless gallop, tho buggies lurching wildly as thej dodged ono nnother. The axlee creaked and strained, The wind tore nway tho hats of tho women, rent their pretty chiffon veils. The dusty road was peopled witl dark formless shapes. The slgnall had spread tho ularm; the desert world was flocking to tho gorge of the New river, to tho levee. The women were dumped without ceremony on tho sidewalk, under the screened bird cngo of the Desert hotel. Shivering, her pretty teett chattering, Gerty Hnrdln ushered them Into the deserted hall. The Chinese cook snored away his vigil In nn nrmchnlr by the open fire. The men hnd rushed nway to the levee. "Women must wnlt," Gerty's laugh was hysterical. "Wo can do no good down there." Sho threw herself, con scious of herolneshlp, Into the ordeal of her spoilt entertainment It wns nlwnys nn Incoherent dream to Innes Hnrdln, thnt wild ride home, wnrd, tho lurching scraping buggies tho apprehensive silence, this huddling of women like scared rabbits around table that hnd else, been gay. The women's teetlr shivered over the ices Their faces looked ghastly by tho Ugh) shed by Gerty's green sjindes. Shi wished she were at tho levee. She simply must go to tho levee. "I'm go ing to get n wrap," she threw to Gertj as she passed. "I left It in the hall." She stole through tho deserted of fice, pnst the white and sliver soda fountnln, nnd out Into the speeding blur of the night. Formless shapes soft-footed, passed her. As she sped past the French windows of the din ing room she could get a view of the shattered party. Innes made a dive Into the darkness There was n dim outline of hastening figures in front of her. She could hear some ono breathing henvlly bj her side. They kept apace, stumbling occasionally, the moving gloom betray lug their feet A mnn enmo mnnini back toward the. town. "It's cutting back!" He cried. "Nothing but thi leveo will save tho towns 1" Tho leveo! Tho harsh breathing followed her As they passed tho wretched hut of ti Mexican gambler, a sputtering light shono out. Innes looked back. She saw tho wrinkled face of Coronel, whe had left his water tower. His blacl coarse hair was streaming In the wind, his mouth, ajar, was expre9 slonless, though the fulfilment of thi Great Prophecy was at hand. Beneath the cheek-splotches of green nnd red paint rested a curious dignity. The Indian was to come again Into his own Whnt wns his own, sho questioned ns her feet stumbled over loosened boarding, n ditch crossing she had nol seen. Moro corn, perhaps moro flerj stuff to wash down the corn! More white mnn's money in tho brown man's pocket that, his happlnesa Why should ho not thank the godsl His gods were spenklngl For when the wntcrs of tho great river ran bad to the desert, tho long ngo outraged gods wcro no longer angry. The towni might go, but tho great Indian godi wero showing their good will 1 She Joined n group nt tho love winding hor veil over mouth and for hend. Dark shnpes swayed nenr her, Tho wind was making havoc of the mad waters rushing down from the chnnncl. Tho noise of wind nnd wa ters was appalling. Strange loud voices enmo through tho din, of In dlnns, Mexicans; guttural sounds. Men ran past her, carrying shovels, pulling sncks of sand; lanterns, blown dim, flnshed their palo light on her chilled checks. Not even tho levee, she knew then, would save tho towns. This was the end. What will Rlckard think when, he reaches the levee to Mnd Har din gone on a melodramatic, If useful, dash up the river, leaving the men fighting the rising river leaderless and disorganized? Innes grasps the situation and Jumps Into the breach. Don't miss the next Installment (TO BE CONTINUED.) Seek Truth Even In Error. Thero Is no error so crooked but It hath In It somo lines of truth, nor Is nny poison so deadly that It servoth not somo wholesome use. Spurn noti a seeming error, but dig below it( mrfaco for the truth, Tupper.