OCR Text |
Show i a . i WNU Service. J : PETE El ES. EI S3 8 jj SYNOPSIS At the close of the Mexican war, Itobln Kershaw, with h la bride, rode In northcnatorn California. Here he found an Ideal valley for cattle raising. rais-ing. They chrlwtened It fcden Valley. Below Eden Valley la a less valuable tract which Kershaw's wife names Forlorn Valley. Joel II ens ley settles In the lower half of the valley. There Is bad blood over fences and water for Irrigation. Kershaw kills Hensley and the blood-feud Is on. By 1917. 3 tan re Kershaw, his son Owen, and daughter Lorry are all that remains of one clan. Nate Tlchenor Is the sole survivor on the Hensley side, lie goes to help Lorry In her car and finds her father has died of heart disease. Silas Uabson, banker, schemes to control the Irrigation and hydro -electric posslbil-I posslbil-I ties of Eden V'al ley. Nate tells Lorry he and Owen Kershaw, Lorry's brother, met in France Just before Owen was killed. They became buddies, and Nate promised that if he survived Owen he would look after Lorry as a brother might do. liabson, determined to secure se-cure Lorry's lake-site and Nate's dam-alto, dam-alto, makes legal application for the allocation of flood waters to the Forlorn For-lorn Valley Irrigation district, which he organizes. With money advanced by Nate, Lorry clears up her Indebtedness Indebted-ness to Babson. CHAPTER VII Continued 8 "Why do you have to go away, Nate?" "Got a couple of deals on and I can't handle them from here." "If you're coming back in the fall," Bhe suggested, "you should have the Bar II place put In order. It's fallen into decay; It smells neglected. It Isn't a nice place for you to live, even with capable servants to care for you." "I had thought of that. Indeed, It's one of the reasons I have to leave Eden Valley. Got to engage an architect archi-tect to draw plans for a new house, new barns, four-car garage, kennels, and such. Got to engage a smart gardener gar-dener to put in a nice lawn around the new house and plant flowers. Got to grade a new graveled road from the main lOden Valley highway to the ranch house and plant a border of trees. And I wish you'd sort of superintend super-intend the job while I'm away. And when the house is finished I'd be obliged to you if you'd run down to San Francisco and buy the furnishings for It." "Oh, I'll be so glad to. Nate, you're giving me an interest in life. A woman's wom-an's Interest. I'm kept pretty busy operating the Circle K, but it isn't my Job and" She sighed ecstatically. So he was coming back, after all. He needed her and he hadn't scrupled to tell her so. That night, when he departed for the Bar II, the girl walked with him to the gate. A full moon rode the sky above them, and Eden Valley was filled with the silvery light. It was a night for love, and IS'ate Ticheuor, who had never felt his heart beat high in any woman's presence, was suddenly thrilled to the core of his being at sight of Lorry Kershaw leaning over the gate. He had a sudden mad impulse im-pulse to place his hand under her adorable chin, tilt her face upward and kiss her on the lips. For the strangest of all reasons he refrained. He had been reared in Eden Valley; he was old-fashioned, the victim of an Iron code of morals and social procedure. Her father hadn't been dead long enough ! So he compromised com-promised and said, with an effort paternally pa-ternally patronizing: "Good night, Lorry dear. I've had a delightful evening." eve-ning." But his burning eyes betrayed him. The girl smiled up at him wistfully. "Thanks to you, I'm happy for the first time since Owen went away," she said. At his gate he stood for a little while, gazing over the hills toward Forlorn For-lorn Valley. "Coyotes !" he growled. "Not one of you, except Doc Donaldson, Donald-son, would come to her father's funeral and Doc couldn't. And not one of you came to my mother's funeral, either. She was an angel and Ranee wasn't less than a man, if he did pump Uncle Taylor off . . . Well, one day you'll come asking me for a favor, and when you do. by gad. I'll remember remem-ber and charge accordingly. Coyotes!" Silas Babson rose next morning, sans headache, and with a very definite realization that he had many busy days before him. He drove over to Gold Hun first, to Interrogate the county coun-ty recorder, from whom he ascertained that a deed to a quarter-section in Eden Valley from Nate Ticheuor to the Mountain Valley Tower company and another deed for four thousand acres, from Lorraine Kershaw to the same company, had just been sent over by the First National bank to he recorded. re-corded. Well, he had been thwarted by this Interloping power ennipuration, just as he had feared would he the case. Well, no matter. The Mountain Valley Power Pow-er company could not thwart him In his plan to secure from the lH'part-ment lH'part-ment of the Interior permission to erect a diversion dam in the Handle and dig a canal from Eden Valley creek down beyond the western buttress but-tress of Forlorn Valley. They might have influence, but not with the congressman con-gressman and senator whose constituency constitu-ency Included Forlorn Valley. "ell. his tirst step was to create public Interest In the proposed Irrigation Irriga-tion district not at all a dillicult task, since the Valley Center Register was the only newspaper In the valley and its editor, Joe Brainerd, had financed his venture largely on money borrowed from the Bank of Valley Center. Brainerd Brain-erd would see his duty and do It nobly. He must attack the power company com-pany and pay the community's respects, re-spects, In no uncertain terms to those two Eden Valley outlaws who had betrayed be-trayed them or at least sought to betray be-tray them. Suddenly, as he drove home across Forlorn Valley, a thought occurred to him with such force that he Jammed on his brakes and stopped In the middle mid-dle of the highway so suddenly that a car coming behind him, smote his car In the rear and skidded It off the right of way Into a ditch. Babson emerged from the wreckage unharmed, but frightened and exceedingly angry. Just In time to come face to face with a young man emerging from a limousine driven by a liveried chauffeur. "What's the matter with you?" he cried furiously. "Can't you stay on your own side of the road?" "I'll answer your question with another, an-other, sir. Why did you stop so suddenly, sud-denly, without giving the legal warning warn-ing by thrusting your hand out? My chauffeur Is not a mind-reader." "You've wrecked my car, d n you, and you'll pay for It." "I'm not wishful to argue that point." The young man's tones were crisp and unafraid. "I got out solely to see what damage has been done to my car. Very little, I observe. Bumper thrust back on the frame and twisted a little, that's all." Then to the chauffeur: "We'll stop In at a garage in Valley Center and have It repaired. Lucky you had most of the speed off the car or we'd have knocked this peculiar person over Into that alfalfa field." "This peculiar person wants your name and your license number," Babson Bab-son shrilled. "I'll give you ray card, sir; help yourself to the license number. You "I'll Remember and Charge Accordingly Accord-ingly Coyotes!" will furnish me with your name and address, of course." "My name Is Babson, and I'm a responsible re-sponsible and reputable citizen." "Ah, Mr. Silas Babson. I didu't recognize you. My name Is Nathan Tlchenor and I, too, am a responsible but, alas, disreputable citizen at least in these parts." "I beg your pardon, Nate. I didn't know who you were." "Your excuse is a sound one and your apology Is accepted. Sorry we couldn't avoid hitting you, Mr. Babson. However, since we've set you afoot some six miles from Valley Center we'll not desert you. Hop In and I'll take you home. You will have to send a wrecking car back for that mess." "Thanks." Babson stepped In. "Well, well," he began unctuously, "you've changed, Nate. I should never have recognized you. Back In Eden Valley to stay? "Perhaps. How are things with you, Mr. Babson?" "Fair, fair I Forlorn Valley, like the rest of the country, Is recuperating gradually. The bank's had to carry this doggoned valley since the postwar post-war depression struck us." "Well," Nate soothed, "you'll soon begin to get your loans In. Beef's coming up. The cattlemen have certainly cer-tainly taken a bad licking, but those who have held their breeding stock intact will make a clean-up within three years. I was saying as much to Lorry Kershaw recently. Old Ranee's estate is in a had way and Miss Kershaw Ker-shaw was feeling a hi! downhearted." "Well, she's light-hearted today." Babson was pleased that his host had opened this subject of conversation anil little dreamed that Ticheuor had purposely done so. "She's sold four thousand acres of worthless land her father gave her to the Mountain Valley Val-ley Power company. Must have got at least three hundred thousand dollars for it. Cleaned up the mortgage and paid old Ranee's notes." He glanced slyly at Ticheuor. "Unless you close in on her I reckon she'll work out of the hole she's In." "I think so, too. No sense crowding her, In that event. She's a capable girl and will make good If given a chance. So I'm going to give her that chance." "By the way, I hear you've sold your dam site to the Mountain Valley Bower Bow-er company," said Rabson. "Yes, they made me an offer a see any proiit In rejecting It. . . . mighty fine offer, In fact, and I couldn't News reaches you very promptly," he added. "A new company, I believe. Know anything about this outfit who's back of it and why?" "It is a Delaware corporation capitalized capi-talized for two million dollars with a license to do business In California. The corporation plans to erect a dam, impound the flood waters of Eden Valley Val-ley creek after they have passed over the Circle K and the Bar II ranches and use the water for the production of power." Babson now remembered the dazzling daz-zling thought that had operated to wreck his automobile. "You may have noticed the large number of gasoline-driven gasoline-driven pumping plants, Nate." "I did, and guessed the reason. The water tables are receding and the lift Is Increasing; hence more power Is required re-quired to pump. I hear the power company's com-pany's rates are pretty high, so I suppose sup-pose the farmers are trying out a cheaper method of pumping, although since gasoline Is not cheaper than electricity, elec-tricity, I surmise the gasoline farmers must have had their power cut off because be-cause they didn't or couldn't pay their bills to the power company." "You've gone straight to the milk in the coconut, Nate. I wonder If It wouldn't be a good Idea for the farmers farm-ers of Forlorn Valley to organize an Irrigation district and make a contract with the Mountain Valley Power company com-pany to sell It water for surface irrigation?" irri-gation?" "A good idea for the farmers but a bad Idea for the company. Of course in years of unusually heavy freshet it might be glad to divert Its excess water wa-ter to Forlorn Valley, but In subnormal years, such as we have been experiencing experi-encing the past three winters, the demands de-mands of Forlorn Valley might lower the water In the reservoir to a point below the power company's ditch and operate to close down its power plant." "You seem pretty sure of your premise, Nate. How do you know that?" Tichenor smiled a prescient little smile. "Because I'm the president of the Mountain Valley Power company. In fact I'm the entire company." For the remainder of the trip Into Valley Center, Babson was glum and silent to such a degree that Nate Tichenor noticed his preoccupation, saw that Babson's hands were trembling. trem-bling. "For some reason or other," Ticheuor decided "that was a direct hit. I'll have to figure this out." On his part Babson was thinking confusedly. "As yet the Mountain Valley Val-ley Power company exists on paper only. It has its charter from the state of Delaware, Its permit to do business In California, a dummy board of directors and the lands It has recently re-cently acquired. If this wretch I am riding with should die suddenly, the Mountain Valley Power company might die with him " "Do you mean to tell me, Nate, that you are alone In this power enterprise?" enter-prise?" "I own all of the issued capital stock of the Mountain Valley Power company, com-pany, and I intend to keep it. It'll be valuable." "Guess It will, Nate!" And again Babson's wild thoughts took possession of him. "This fellow is liable to ruin me. He's no mean enemy. He may have more money than we have. He'll fight as the power company and he'll fight us privately as a riparian owner. But if he should die, who are his heirs? He's the last of his line, so far as I know. His executors would not be liable to carry through his plans for the Mountain Valley Power company. com-pany. . . . The scheme would die with him and we might be able to buy the company with all Its assets. He'll have to do some tall financing Just the same. . . . His executor might not be capable of the financing damnation, what am 1 thinking of? But he may ruin me. . , . We've got to have that water . . , got to have It. . . ." The phrase beat like a hammer In his brain. CHAPTER VIII Nate Tichenor's action In admitting to Silas Babson that he was the sole owner of the Mountain Valley Power company had not been predicated on a desire to shock the banker. Tichenor was merely In a position where he could not afford to promise Babson to enter Into negotiations to sell Forlorn Valley water for Irrigation. Irriga-tion. Before deciding to acquire Lorry Kershaw's lake site and proceed pro-ceed to the vast expense of building his dam and power station he had found it necessary to make certain of a market for the power he purposed generating, for the Mountain Valley Power company was not In position to enter the field in competition with the P. G. & E., the cpmpany that already controlled the market In northern California, Cali-fornia, with a dozen large plants scattered scat-tered through the mountains. In order or-der to consolidate his position, therefore, there-fore, he had already had the Mountain Valley Power company enter Into negotiations nego-tiations for a contract with the P. G. & E., whereby that company was to purchase all the power Tichenor's company com-pany could deliver. While this contract con-tract did not restrain his company from selling water for irrigation, and Tichenor had hoped to sell water for that purpose, he dared not consider the proposition until quite certain he could do so without threat to. his production pro-duction of power. Instinctively cautious, cau-tious, he declined to commit himself even to a half-way promise to Babson. He had discerned that his refusal to enter into negotiations had shocked Bahson, but he had no idea as to the extent of the shock. Other than the knowledge that Babson Bab-son had organized a raid to ruin Lorry Kershaw, Tichenor had no cause to dislike dis-like the man, Indeed, the knowledge that he, Tlchenor, had always been in position to frustrate that raid, had operated to dull the edge of his resentment. resent-ment. He knew the world was quite filled with Silas Babsons; indeed, during dur-ing his busy years in New York he had met more than one of them, had crossed financial swords with them, bad defeated de-feated them and been defeated by them. Such men were all in the day's work for him, and such Irritation as he had felt against Babson was solely out of sympathy for Lorry Kershaw. If the impending disaster appeared to affect Babson only, he would have dismissed all thought of him. Certainly Certain-ly he would not have wasted any sympathy sym-pathy on him. But, without water, eventually hundreds of people in Forlorn For-lorn Valley would be reduced to poverty. pov-erty. And with the collapse of the Bank of Valley Center, the absolute ruin of the valley would be hastened and completed. Nate Tichenor, ostracized as he had been by the people of Forlorn Valley In his boyhood ostracized as all of his people had been had, not unnaturally, acquired a fierce resentment against these people who looked to him for succor. But his resentment faded now before the realization of the tragedy they faced. His heart welled with pity for them. "I'll have to do something about this," he decided. "I'll defer signing the contract con-tract the P. G. & E.'s counsel Is preparing; pre-paring; I'll defer building the hydroelectric hydro-electric plant until after I've experimented experi-mented with the water. Perhaps I'll not build the power plant. I'll show those Forlorn Valley cattle that the despised Hensley clan managed to breed a human being and a public-spirited public-spirited citizen after all." 1 TO BK CONTINUED. |