Show H c t When the Colorado Colorado Colorado i dl T Burst Its Banks and 1 I By y d Valley Flooded d of the r California Imperial W Th e V ERe Ednah Aiken s Y Sv TM V i cJ Copyright Bobb Merrill Bobbs-Merrill Comp Company nl 4 41 F 1 r CHAPTER 13 13 t The Tho White Night Im I'm tired Lord groaned Rickard I stumbling into camp wet to the skin 1 V Dont you say letters to me Mac Im I'm going to bed Tell Ling I dont don't want any dinner Hell He'll want to fuss up something I dont don't want to see food The day confused and Jumbled Y burned across his eyeballs a turmoil i I of bustle and hurry of insurrection He Y had made a swift stand against that He was to be minded to the last mana man- man j a Jack of them or anyone would go his V r v threat Including the engineers Silent Irish Wooster Hardin himself This t was Vas no time for factions for leader feeling Y t r Nin In In bed the day with Its irritations irritations' fell away He Ho could see now the step ahead that had been taken i the last J trestle was done the rock pouring wel on on-he on he called that going some I f. f He felt pleasantly languid but not yet sleepy His thought wandered over the r. r l resting camp And then Innes Hardin j. tame Came to him Y Not herself but as a soft little thought which came creeping around r. r J. J the corner of his dreams She had hadY Y been there of course all nil day tucked away In his mind as though In his R f. f z home honie waiting for him to come back to toR toY V Y her weary from the pricks of the day v The way he would come home to her j please God some some day Not bearing J Y j his bis burdens to her he did not believe 1 S' S j in that but asking her diversions Con- Con spread her soft wings over overt t r C him He fell asleep V VY J Y Rickard wakened as to a call What r Y had bad startled him He listened rals- rals v Ing toS h his s elbow From a disY dis- dis Y 7 f r tance a sweet high voice Unreal In Its ty Y C-Y r pitch and thrilling quality came to tor V r him It was Godfrey somewhere on t. the l levee vee singing by the river It Yi brought him again to Innes Hardin He pulled aside his curtain which hung over over the screening of his tent o and rind looked out Into a moon-flooded moon fiS S world RIckard's eyes fell feIl fell on on a little I. I Y V-Y tent over yonder a white shrine vr i White as that fine sweet soul of if hers bers I 1 Wandering Into the night Godfrey m f. f JS passed do the river singing His iff vs voice the the footlights the listening ci great audiences were calling to him V To him the moon-flooded moon levee the 7 glistening water made a star-set star i scene scene He was was treading the bo boards Yv- Yv i the e rushing waters by the bank gave J r. r f the orchestration for his melody melody La La Laj j j A Donna e a Mobile He began it to Gerty x Hardin she would hear it in her ber tent o she would take It as the tender ref reproach re- re f preach he had teas teased d her with that ff afternoon in the ramada He gave for encore a ballad lon long l t forgotten he had pulled it back from frol F the cobwebs of two decades he had if tf made it his own rr But my darling you will be E Y Ever young and fair fall to me Y It came the soaring voice to Tom 5 Hardin outside Gertys Gerty's tent on his ya J 1 lonely cot He knew that song Dis- Dis fi by his wife a pretty figure a aman a man nian cuts t I If his bis wife cant can't stand yr J him who w o can He wasn't good enough J iA for her her He was rough His life lle had hado o kept him from fitting himself to her taste She needed people who could i. i k talk like Rickard sing like Godfrey S f People other people might misconstrue miscon- miscon etrue her preferences He knew they i r. r fT- fT were not flirtations she needed her Vl- Vl kind She would always keep straight she was straight as a whip Life was r as hard for her as it was for him he S. S could feel sorry for her his pity was wasL t. t L' L L divided between the two of them the tf husband the wife both lonely In their V own way y v y On the other side of the canvas Cam walls Gerty Hardin lay listening to toY Y the message meant for her The fickle a i sex sex he had called hers no constancy I I in woman he be had declared fondling f her ber hair He had tried to coax her heri i into pledges pledges which were also disavowals to the man outside I SIlver Sliver threads 1 Age shuddered at ji her threshold She hated that song Cruel life had been to her none of its i. i promises had bad been kept To be happy LS that humans human's birthright why was a her creed I There Thereas grab It that was I Was vas as a chance yet youth had not gone f j He was singing it to her her escape escape- if q Darling you will be bc Ever fair to Ever young and me Y Godfrey singing to Gerty Hardin r had bad awakened the camp Innes lanes in her ber tent too was listening J Darling you will be Ever young and fair to me I 1 ISo w So So that Is the miracle that wild rush of certain feeling 1 I Yesterday E doubting tomorrow more doubts doubts but but pS it S tonight the song the night isolated i them herself and Rickard Into a ai i world of their own Life with him on onI i I any terms she wanted I i f r vJ v j I It J If CHAPTER v t L' L ri t The Battle In the Night F t Gathering on the bank were the TM f ft lr S f camp groups to watch the last stand standA A of the river against the rock bombard- bombard p v ment Molly Silent crept hail down v. v Crossing rom the Crossing full off Out thorp there somewhere on on OD t th i trestles on I 1 one of those rock cars was her Jim She sat en the bank by Innes lanes and Mrs Marshall Mrs Hardin floated by in her crisp muslins A few feet behind stalked Godfrey his eyes on the pretty figure by his side Innes turned from his look abashed as though she had been peering through a locked door Gayly with a fluttering Buttering of ruffles rumes Gerty established herself on the bank a a. tri to out of hearing distance A Ahard Ahard Ahard hard little smile played on the lips accented accented accented ac ac- ac- ac with Parisian rouge The chIldIsh childish childish child chIld- ish expression was gone her look accused ac as life of having trifled with her But they would see see see- Dont look so u unhappy happy dearest whispered the man at her side Im going to make you happy dear dea dean 1 She flushed a brilliant finished smile at him Yes es she was proud of him lie satisfied sense her-sense of romance or would later Inter when she was away from here her a Il dull duIl pain pricking at her ber deliberate erate planning Godfrey found her young young and aad distracting His life had bad been hungry too the wife up there in Canada somewhere had never neer understood him Godfrey was ambitious ambitious us as she was She would be his wife she would see the cities of the world warM with him the welcomed welcomed welcomed wel wel- wife of Godfrey she would share the plaudits his wonderful voice won t tHis His eyes were we're were on her now how she knew w questioning not quite sure of f her She had worried hIm Win yesterday because she would she would not pledge herself to marry him hims If he su sued d for his hla divorce She had hud told him to lo Il ak ask k her that after the courts had s set t him free She could not have him sure of f her An exclamation from him rec recalled her She found round that he was no longer staring at her his eyes were fixed on the trembling structure over which a battleship laden with rock was creeping I want to stay with you you know that dearest B But t It doesn't feel right to see them all aU working like and me loafing g here You dont don't mind Oh no Gerty did not mind I She was tired anyway I She was going back bacI to her tent I He thrust a yellow paper into her I hands I sent that off today Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps you will be glad She Sho flung another of her ber inscrutable smiles at him and w went went nt up the bank the paper paper unread in her hands bands The long afternoon wore away They were now dynamiting the largest rocks on the cars before unloading them The heavy loads could not be emptied quickly enough Not dribbled the rock but dumped simultaneously else the gravel and rock might be washed down stream faster than they could be put together Many cars must be unloaded unloaded unloaded un un- un- un loaded at once the din on Silent's train was terrific His crew looked like Uke devils drenched from the spray which rose from the river each time the rock-pour rock beg began n blackened by the smoke from the belching engine The he river was ugly In its wrath It w was s humping itself for its final stand against the absurdity of human intention I tion its yellow tall tail swished through the bents of the trestle The order came for more speed Rickard moved from bank to raft Knee deep In water screaming orders through the din directing the gangs speeding the rock rock trains Hardin oscIllated oscillated oscillated oscil oscIl- between the levee and dams takIng taking taking tak tak- ing orders giving orders His energy was superb It had grown dark but no one yet had thought hought of the lights the great Wells Wells' burners stretched across the channel Suddenly the lights flared out brightly Not one of those who labored or watched would ever forget that night The spirit of recklessness entered even into the stolid native The men of of- the Reclamation forgot this thins was not I I i I j I their enterprise the Hardin faction jumped to RIckard's orders The watchers on the bank sat tense t thrilled out of recognition of aching muscles or the midnight creeping chill No one would go home bome To Innes the struggle was vested in two men Rickard running down yonder with that light foot of his and Hardin with the fighting mouth tense tease And somewhere she remembered working with the rest was Estrada Those three were fighting for the justification Justification justification Justi justi- of a vision vision vision-an an Idea was at stake a hope for the future Rickard passed and her And had not seen her Not during those hours would he think of her not until tho idea failed or was triumphant triumphant would he turn to look for her Visibly the drama moved toward Its climax Before man many hours passed the river would be captured or the Idea forever mocked Each time a belching engine pulled across that hazardous track It flung a credit to the man Each time the waters slowly rising hurled their weight against th the creaking creaking creak creak- ing trestles where the rock was thin a point was gained by the militant riv riv- er Its roar sounded like the last cry of ot a wounded animal in Innes Innes' ear the Dragon was a reality that night as asIt asit asit it spent its rage against tho the shackles of puny men Molly Silent bad had seen her b husbands husband's train pull In In S She le watched for It It to togo topo po go out ont a again n The whistle blew twice r I Something was wrong She left her place In time to see Silent his bis face shining ghastly pale under the soot pull himself up from the battleship where he had been leaning Estrada sent by Rickard to find out why the train did not pull out saw him the same instant as did M Molly Uy Silent swayed waving them back unseeingly like a man who is drunk God man you cant can't go like that l I cried Estrada going demanded Silent his tongue thick with thirst and tion The whistle blew again I will 1 The train moved out on the trestle as the whistle blew angrily twice Only Molly and Silent saw aw Es- Es Th v l f VI pr n VI pr n cn o God Cod Man You an t. t Go Like That go Silent staggered unseeingly up the bank toward the camp Molly following The river was humping out y yonder the rolling roIlIng mass came rearing flank- flank on against the dam Qt Quick ck for Gods God's sake quick I yelled Rickard His signals sounded short and sharp Dump it on throw the cars in I Marshall was dancing his mouth full of oaths on on the bank edge Breathlessly all watched the rushing water fling itself over the dam For several hushed seconds the structure structure structure ture could not be seen When the foam fell a cheer went up The dam was standing Silent it was supposed was bringing in his train Above the distant jagged line of mountains rose a h red ball A new day began And again the Dragon rose a mountain of water came rolling dam- dam ward Three trains ran steaming on the rails Dont stop now to blast the big ones Pour em on I ordered Rickard Rickard There was a long wait walt before any rock fell feU Marshall l and RI Rickard kard waited waited waited wait wait- ed for the pour The whistles blew biew again Then they saw sav what was wrong The morning light showed a arock arock arock rock weighing several tons which was resisting the efforts of the pressing crew Out of the gloom sprang other figures with crowbars The rock tottered tottered tottered tot tot- fell The river tossed It as though it were a tennis ball sent It it hurtling down the lower face of the dam r Things began to go wild The met men were grow growing ng reckless They were sagging toward exhaustion mistakes were made Another rock as heavy as the last was worked toward the edge Men were thick about it with crow crow- bars They hurried One One concerted effort drawing back as the tho rock toppled toppled top top- pled over the edge One man was too slow or too tired He slipped sUpped The watchers on the bank saw a flash of waving arms heard a cry they had a glimpse of a b blackened face as the foam caught It The waters closed I over him 1 There was a hush of horror a halt God himself couldn't save that poor devil cried Marshall Have the work go on I 1 Pour rocks on that wretch down there Pin him down Never had It It seemed more like war I A man down Ride over him I to victory I Soberly Rickard signaled for the work to go on The rock pour stuttered uttered as If In hor hon nor The women turned sick with fear No 1 one ose knew who it was Some poor Mexican probably Who was it demanded Rickard running down to the track The young Mexican E tried to elp E wasn't fit Who WIio was It Marshall had run rundown rundown rundown down to see why the work paused Rickard turned shocked eyes on his chief Estrada I The Tile beautiful mournful eyes of Eduardo were on him not Marsh Marshalls Marshall's aUs aU's horrified Now he knew why Estrada had bad said I cant cantsee cantsee see It finished Rickard nickard I The engineer dl da d not recognize the quenched voice TIle The work has got to go on It came to Rickard as he gave tho the orders that Eduardo was was was' closer to Marshall Mar Mar- Marshall shall than to him As near a son SOD as as t hell he'll ever have He turned a minute later to see his chief standing bare bare- headed His own cap came off Were burying the lad said Marshall Mar- Mar shall The minute of funeral had haa to be pu pushed hed aside The river would ouid not wait Train after train was waa rushed on onto onto onto to the trestles wave after wave after wave hit them But perceptibly the dam was steadying The rapid fire of rock was telling Another ridge of yellow waters rose The roll of water came slowly dwindling dwindling dwin dwin- dUng as It came it broke against the trestle weakly For the first time the trestle never shuddered Workers and watchers breathed as a unit the first deep breath that night There was a change Every eye was on the river where it touched the rim of the dam dum Suddenly a chorused cry rose The river had stopped rising The whistles screamed themselves hoarse And then a girl sitting on the bank saw two men grab each other by the hand She was too far away to hear their voices but the sun rising red through h the banks of smoke fell on the blackened faces of her brother and Rickard She did riot dot care who saw her crying CHAPTER A Desertion When lien the afternoon waned and Godfrey Godfrey God God- frey did not call on lien her Gerty was roused to uneasiness Had she angered angert ol him by refusing to |