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Show l WTI TT When the Colorado Burst Its Banks and j ll liT lV H 'K' f Flooded the ImPerial Valley f California j JL J. JStZ JL"I, W By EDNAH AIKEN I Copyrfcht, Bobbs-Merrill Company a CHAPTER XIX Continued. 10 Mnrshnll's voice halted them. '''Men of the vnlley." The audience, swayed, cgaln, listened. "Hear me. The riv-ier's riv-ier's running away again down yonder. This 'Is a message from Rlcknrd. It's broken through the levee. It's started for the valley. Now, who's going to Btop It? Can you? Where's your 1 force, your equipment? Who can rush to that call but the eomptyiy you are hounding? I gave you Furaday's message. mes-sage. His hand's on the table. Not another cent from him unless you withdraw those suits. You say you have given me your answer, Black's nnswer. Now the river plays a trick. It calls your bluff. Shall we stop the river, men of the valley? We can. Will you withdraw your suits? You can. What is your answer now. Imperial Im-perial valley?" The scene broke into bedlam. Men Jumped to their chairs, to the velvet rim of the boxes, all talking, screaming, scream-ing, gesticulating at once. The Yellow Dragon was never so fearfully visualized. visual-ized. Ouf of the chaos of men's voices came a woman's shriek, "For God's sake, save our homes." It pitched the panic note. "Save the valley ! Stop the river !" Marshall's Indian eyes were reading that mass of scared faces as though it were a sheet of typed paper. "Barton," he called through the din. "Where's Barton?" Two men lifted Barton's puny figure fig-ure upon their shoulders. His vibrant voice rolled above the shouting. "The valley withdraws- its suits against the company." "Then the company," yelled Marshall's Mar-shall's oratory,, "the company withdraws with-draws the river from the valley!" Pandemonium -was loose. There were cheers, and the sound,' of women sob-hing1. sob-hing1. Barton was "carried out on the shoulders of his henchmen. Black led a crowd out, haranguing to the street. On the street, Marshall fell back to MacLean. "That was a neat trick the river threw in our hands." His voice had dropped from oratory ; the ' de- y Gerty Welcomed Her Stiffly.- claiming fire was gone from the black eyes. "It's only a break in the levee. Kickard says he can control it; estimates esti-mates two weeks or so. It may cost the O. I'. n few thousand dollars, but it saved them half a million. Now we'll have that game of poker, Mac-Lean Mac-Lean !" i'i In the balcony, Hardin was staring at Brandon. "If that wasn't the devil's own luck !" CHAPTER XX. A Soft Nook. Innes traveled, gleefully, In a ca-. ca-. boose, from Hamlin Junction to the Heading. She could not stay away a lay longer ! Never before had Los Angeles been a discipline. Why had it fretted her, made her restless, homesick? home-sick? Then she had discovered the reason; history was going on down yonder. Going on, without her. She knew that that was what was pulling lior ; that only ! The exodus of engineers had started rivoi'waid in July. Gerty v ent with Tom, and she had made it distinctly clear that It was not necessary for In-. In-. lies to follow ihem. Ridiculous for two women to coddle a Tom Hardin! Unless Un-less lime had a special interest ! Iier pride had kept her away. But Tom did not write; Gerry's letters were social and unsatisfactory; the newspaper newspa-per reports inllamed her. The day before be-fore she had wired Tom that she was coming. She had to be there at the end ! Gerty welcomed her stiffly. Assuming Assum-ing a conscientious hostess-ship, she taught fire at her waning enthusiasms. Gerty looked younger and prettier. Her Hush accentuated her childish features fea-tures which were smiling down her annoyance an-noyance over this uninvited visiU "We have all the home comforts, haven't we? Why shouldn't we be comfortable com-fortable when we are to be here for months? I'm going to brave it out to the bitter end, even if I bake! It is my duty She would make her intention perfectly clear ! "There ought to be at least one cozy place, one soft nook that suggests a woman's presence. We have tea here in the afternoon, sometimes. some-times. Mr. Bickard drops in." The last was a delicate stroke. "Afternoon tea? At the Front? Is this modern warfare?" The girl draped her irony with a smile. Gerty was stealing a pleased survey in the mirror through the rough door that opened into the division called her bedroom. The sunburned, unconscious uncon-scious profile of Innes wasclose to- her own. Pink and golden the head by the dark one. She looked younger even than Innes I Good humor returned to her. "We are going to dine on the Delta tonight." She pinned up a "scolding lock," an ugly misnomer for her sunny clinging curls ! The mirror was requisitioned requi-sitioned again. "That's the" name of the new dredge. It was christened three weeks ago, in champagne brought from Yuma." "You said dine on the Delta. Do you mean they have meals there?" "You should see it," cooed Gerty. "It's simply elegant. It's a floating hotel, has every convenience. The camp cook. Ling, has. his hands full." "Going to wear that?" They were standing now by the door of Gtrty's dressing tent. Over the bd a white lingerie gown was spread. "I live in them. It's so hot," shrugged Mrs. Hardin. "I'll look like your maid, Gerty !" Innes' In-nes' exclamation was rueful. "I didn't .bring anything Wt khakis. Oh, yesi I remember throwing in, the last minute, two piques to fill up space." "Why, we have dances on the Delta, and Sunday evening concerts. You knew the work at Laguna dam is being .held up? The government men of the Reclamation Service are down here nil the time. But it's time to be getting ready." Later, Tom flatly refused to accom- pany them. "I thought as much." Gerty shrugged an airy irresponsibility. Innes could detect no regret. They passed a cot outside the tent, "Who sleeps there?" "Torn.' The eyes of the two women did not meet. Inrtes made no comment. . "He finds the tent stuffy." Gerty's lips were prim with reserve. They walked toward the river in silence. As they reached the encampment, Gerty recovered her vivacity. . "That's Mr. IUckard's office, that ramada. Isn't It quaint? And that's his tent, no, the other one. MacLean's is next? there's Junior, now." But his eyes were too full of Innes to. see Gerty's dimples. The difference in the quality. of his greetings smote Gerty like a blow. And she had never considered con-sidered Tom's sister attractive, as a possible rival. Yet, after a handshake, she saw that to MacLean, Jr., she did nnf pvist Gerty was deeply piqued. Until now, the field had been hers. She might perhaps per-haps have to change her opinion of Tom's sister. Boys, she had to - concede, con-cede, the younger meu, might find her attractive, boyishly congenial ; older men would fail to see a charm ! The arrangement at table annoyed Gerty. The boss, MacLean explained gnliy, would not be there for dinner. He might come'in later. Two men from the Reclamation Service tried to entertain enter-tain Mrs. Hardin. "It isn't a battle." Innes looked around the gay rectangle. "It's play !" The thought followed her that evening. eve-ning. Outside, where the moonlight was silvering the deck, and the quiet river lapped the sides of the dredge, Jose's strings, and his "amlgo's" throbbing throb-bing from a dark corner, made the illusion il-lusion of pence convincing. This was no battle. It was easy to believe herself her-self again at Mare island the Delta a cruiser. Later, Gerty passed her, two-stepping divinely. Before her partner turned his bend, Innes recognized the stiff hack and straight poised head and dancing step of Rlcknrd. She admitted admit-ted he had distinction, grudgingly. She could not think of him except comparatively; compara-tively; always antithetically, balauced against her Tom. "I'm tired ; let's rest liere." Innos drew into the shadow of the great arm of the dredge, "fliey watched the dancers as they passed, MacLean paying pay-ing the woman in "Pete's" arms, Gerty witii Packard, two other masculine couples. cou-ples. The Ilardins were the only women wom-en aboard. It was because of Tom that Innes felt resentment when the uplifted appealing ap-pealing chin, the lace ruffles fluttered by. Tom, lying outside an unfriendly tent ! It was easy, in that uncertain light, to avoid Riekard's glance of recognition. recogni-tion. Estrada, who had come aboard with the manager, sought her out, and then Crothers of the O. P. Again, she saw Rickard dancing with tlie lingerie gown. There seemed to be no attempt to cover Gerty's preference; for Rick ard, she was the only woman there ! Because she was Tom's sister, she had a right to resent it, to refuse to meet his eye. Small wonder Tom did not come to the Delta ! Going in with MacLean, Jr., to the messroom for a glass of water, she met Rickard, on his way out. She managed man-aged to avoid shaking hands with him. She wondered why she had consented to give him the next waltz. "He'll not find me," she determined. MacLean followed her gladly to the dark corner of the deck Where's Jose's guitar was then syncopating an accompaniment accom-paniment to his "amigo's" voice. To her surprise, Rickard penetrated her curtain of shadows. "Our dance, Miss Hardin? Give us 'Sobr' Las Olas,' again, Jose." The hand that barely touched his arm was stiff with antagonism. She told herself that he had to dance with her politeness., conventionality, demanded de-manded it But, instantly, she forgot her resentment, and forgot their awkward awk-ward relation. It was his dancing, not Gerty's, then, that was "superb." Anybody Any-body could find skill under the leadership leader-ship of that irresistible step. And then the motion claimed her. She thought of nothing; they moved as one to the liquid falling beat. The music dtopned them suddenly, solating them at: the stern of the deck. The silence was complete. Rickard broke it to ask her what she thought of the camp. Her resentments were recalled. She blundered through her impression of the lightness, the gayety. "A work camp does not have to be solemn. You'll find all the grimness you want if you look beneath the surface." sur-face." The guitars were tuning up. "Shall I take you back? I have this dance with your sister." : She thought of Tom on his lonely cot outside his tent. She forgot that she had been asked a question. He was dancing again with Gerty ! If that silly little woman had-no scruples, no fine feeling, this man shoulii at least guard her. If he had been her lover, he should be careful ; he must see that people were talking of them. She had seen the glances that evening ! The business relation between the two men should suggest tact, If not decency ! It was outrageous. Rickard stood waiting to be dismissed dis-missed ; puzzled. Through the uncertain uncer-tain light, her anger came to him. She looked taller, older; there was a flame of accusing passion in her eyes. It was his minute of revelation. So that was what the camp thought I The wife of Hardin Hardin ! Why, he'd been only polite to her they were old friends. What had he said to call down this sudden scorn? "Dancing again " Had he been all kinds of an ass? "My turn, Miss Innes !". demanded MacLean, Jr. ; ; "Oh, yes," she cried, relief in her tone. ,., u , , . Rickard did not claim his dance with Mrs. Hardin. He stood where the girl had left him, thinking. A few minutes later, Gerty swept by in the arm's" of Breck. Later, came Innes wna junior; me two, tninjurur themselves them-selves unseen, romping through a two-step. two-step. like two young children, ne was never shown that side of her."' Gay as a young kitten, chatting merrily with MacLean ! Should her eyes discover him, she wouJd be again the liuughty young woman ! He'd gone out of his way to be polite po-lite to the wife of Hardin. 'What did he' care what they thought? He'd finish fin-ish his job,' and get out. - '-'' A minute later, he was being rowed back to camp. CHAPTER XXI. A Complete Camp. "Complete, . isn't it?" Estrada was leading Innes Hardin through the engineers' en-gineers' quarters. "Yes, it's complete !" Her Brother had told her at breakfast break-fast that lsorning how grandly they had been wasting time ! She. would not let herself admire the precision of the arrangements, the showers back of the white men's quarters, the mesqult-shaded mesqult-shaded kitchen. Gerty's elaborate settling set-tling was of a piece, it would seem, with the new management. Housekeeping, House-keeping, not fighting, then, the new order of things ! Toai was afire to get his gate done. She knew what it meant to him ; to the valley. The flood waters had to be controlled. That depended, Tom had proved to her, on the gate. And the men dance and play house, as If they were children, and every day counting! She thought she was keeping her accusations ac-cusations to herself, but Estrada was watching her face. "We are here, you know, for a siege. There are months of work ahead, hot months, hard months. The men have got to be kept well and contented. Wo can't lose any time by sickness " He wanted to add "and dissensions." The split camp was painful to him, an Estrada. Es-trada. "Even after we finish the gate, if we do finish It " She wheeled on him. her eyes gleaming gleam-ing like deep yellow jewels. "You've never thought we could finish it!" Estrada hesitated over his answer. "You are a friend of Tom's, Mr. Estrada?" Es-trada?" "Surely! But I am also an admirer of Mr. Rickard, I mean of his methods. I can never forget the levee." She had to acknowledge that Rickard Rick-ard had scored there. And the burning burn-ing of the machinery had left a wound that she still must salve. "You have no confidence In the gate?" "The conditions have changed," urged Estrada. "You've seen the mess. 'ttM''r She Waved Her Hand Gayly. tent? As it was planned, it was all right, a hurry-up defense. Marshall all along intended the concrete gate for the permanent intake. Have you seen the gap the Hardin gate Is to close? Have you heard what .the last floods did to it? It's now twenty-six hundred feet, and Disaster island, which your brother planned to ancher to, swept away ! If It can be done, it will, you can rest assured, with Rickard Rick-ard " he saw the Hardin mouth then "and your brother's zeal, and the strength of the railroad back of them." The camp formed a hollow trapezium trape-zium ; the Hardins' tents, and Mrs. Dowker's, were isolated on the short parallel. Richard's ramada and his tent were huddled with the engineers'. Across, toward the river, behind Ling's mesquites, began another polygon, the camp of foremen and white labor. Some of these tents were empty. "Is this Mexico, or 'the States?" asked Innes. "Mexico." She wondered why he halted so abruptly. She did not see, for the glare in her eyes, a woman's skirt in the ramada they approached. Estrada marched on. Outside the ramada, the two women met. -Gerrv's sten carried her mist like a high-bred horse. Her high heels cut into the hard sand. There was a suggestion of prance in her mien. She waved her hand gayly at the two, cried, "How hot it is !" and passed on. Innes saw Rickard at his long pine table used for a desk. "I can see it all from here." Not for money would the sister of Tom Hardin Har-din go in ! At table, that evening, her family heard with surprise Gerty's announcement announce-ment that they were to eat in the mess tent with the men. It was too hot to cook any longer; this had been one of the hottest days in the year. She expected to hear a protest to the new arrangement from Tom. She was to see a new development sullen resignation. If he would accept It, she must not argue. Both sister and brother broth-er knew why it was too warm to cook any longer. CHAPTER XXII. A Visit to Maldonado. Mrs- Hardin's descent on the ofTic that afternoon was successful, but not satisfactory. She had found the manager man-ager brief to curtness. She was given no excuse to linger. She traced Riekard's Riek-ard's manner to the presence of Mac-Lean, Mac-Lean, and snatched at her cue. She. too, could be businesslike and brief.-Her brief.-Her errand was of business; her manner man-ner should recommend her! Rickard had seen her making straight toward the ramada. It was not the first time; her efforts to line her nest had involved them all and often. But today, he was in a bad hiior. "For the Lord's sake," he graned to MacLean as she approached. MacLean's grin covered relief. He had never heard Rickard express himself on the subject hefere. "The dead-set Hardin's wife was making at Casey." was the choice gossip and speculation of the young engineers on the Delta. MacLean had a bet up on the outcome. He grinned more securely. "I am not going to spare any more caroenters," growled Rickard. It was an inauspicious day for Mrs. Hardin's visit. Things had gone wrong. Vexations Vex-ations were piling up. A tilt with Hardin Har-din that morning, a telegram from Marshall ; he was feeling sore. Desperately Des-perately they needed labor. Wooster had just reported, venomously, it appeared ap-peared to Riekard's spieen, increasing drunkenness among the Indians. Gerty's ruffles swept In. Her dress, the blue mull with the lace medallions, accented the hue of . her eyes, and looked dejiciously cool that glaring desert day. Her parasol, of pongee, was lined with the same baby hue. Her dainty fairness and childish affability af-fability should have made an oasis in that strenuous day, but Riekard's disintegration dis-integration of temper was too complete. com-plete. He rose stiffly to meet her, and his manner demanded her errand. She told it to' him,, plaintively. Her eyes were appealing, infantile. Would it be too much to ask, would Mr. Rickard mind in the least, he must be perfectly frank and tell her if they would be In the way at all, but while this hot spell lasted, could they, the three of them, eat In the mess tent with the men? "Surely !" Rickard met it heartily. She would find it rough, but if she could stand it, yes, he thought it a good idea. And then there was nothing for her to do but go. Her retreat was graceful, grace-ful, without haste, dignified. She smiled a farewell at MacLean; who was watching the approach of Innes Hardin and Estrada. Rickard did not see the aborted entrance of Hardin's sister and the young Mexican. He was itching to be at his work. He let out a growl when Mrs. Hardin Har-din was out of earshot. "Shucks! What in Halifax do women wom-en come to a place like this for? There's Hardin brings in two women to cook for him, and now, plense may they air eat with the men?" nis secretary subdued a chuckle. He was visualizing a procession of boxes of choice Havanas frem Bode-feldt, Bode-feldt, Hamlin and . the rest of the gang. He need not buy a smoke for a year. Rickard threw himself back In his chair. "Take This letter, MacLean. To 'Marshall." Then his worry diverted him. "WJ(0 in thunder is selling liquor to my Indians?" "nold on ; that letter can wait. You get the horses up, MacLean, and we'll ride down to Maldonado's. - It's his place to stop this, liquor business, not mine." A few hours later they were approaching ap-proaching the adobe walls of Maldonado. Maldo-nado. They found the gate locked. A woman, whose beauty had faded into a tragic whisper, a ghastly twilight of suggestion, came to their knock, and unbarred the gate for the white strangers. Mystery hung over the in-closure in-closure like a pall. Rickard told his errand. Maldonado sputtered and swore. By theuother of Mary the Virgin, that thing would be stopped. He showed to the senors, with pride, his badge. He was a ru-rale; ru-rale; he was there to uphold the law. He had CMludlt Some of tllosp drnnl.-pn Indians on the road. lie had brought them here. Maldonado showed three men in a locked shed, deep in drunken stupor. He thought the liquor was obtained somewhere back in the sandhills. He would find the place. But the senor must be patient; his hands were so full. Both, men were glad to get away from the place and Maldonado. Obviously Ob-viously he was a brute ; undoubtedly he was a liar. CHAPTER XXIII. A White Woman and a Brown. For a few weeks Mrs. Hardin found the mess tent diverting. Before the Delta had expanded the capacity of the camp her soft nook had been overtaxed, over-taxed, her hospitality strained. The men of the reclamation service, thrown into temporary inactivity, were eager to accept the opportunity created for another. Failing Hint other, her zeal had flagged. Events were moving quickly at the break ; Rickard was absorbed. ab-sorbed. Mrs. Hardin told herself that it was the heat she wished to escape; not to her own ear did she whisper that she was following Rickard, nor that the percolator and chafing dish, her shelves and toy kitchen were a wasted effort. She kept on good terms with herself by Ignoring self-confidences. Rickard, the discovery unfolded slowly, took his meals Irregularly. Ills breakfast was gulped down before the women appeared; his dinners where lie found them. "No wonder!" reflected Gerty Hardin. Har-din. "Ling's cooking is so bad." Small wonder the manager foraged for his meals. She worked out a mission ns she lav across her bed that hot afternoon. IPt duty became so clear that sh" could no longer lie still. Immediately she must retrieve her weeks of Idleness; Idle-ness; what must Rlcfcard think of her? S:,e buttoned herself thoughtfully Into a frock of pr.ie colored muslin, cream slipping toward canary. White was too giarir-g on a red-hot day like this. Pink was too hot, blue too definite. A, parasol of pastel green, and she looked like a sprig of fragrant mignonette. She found the open space of the trapezium swarming with strange dark faces. So silent their coming she! had not heard the arrival of the trlbes.i She isolated the Cocopahs. stately as1 bronze statues, their long hair stream-l ing. or wound mud-caked under the1 brilliant headcloths. Foregathering with them were men of other tribes; these must be the Yunias and Degul-' nos, the men needed on the river. These were the men who were to work on the rafts, weave the great mat tresses. A squad of short-haired VU mas with their squaws and babies and their gaudy bundles, gaped at the fair-haired woman as she passed. The. central space was filling up with Pi-mas Pi-mas and Maricopas, Tapagoes, too;, she knew them collectively by their shout hair. These were brush cutters. This, then, meant the beginning of real activity. Tom would at last be satisfied. He would no longer sulk and rage alternately at the hold-up of the work. Before she reached Riekard's ramada ra-mada she saw that another woman was there. She caught an impassioned gesture. Her only surmise rested on Innes. Gerty saw that she wns dark ; she looked the halfbreed. The brown woman drew back as the white woman entered. Gerty smiled an airy reassurance. reas-surance. She herself would wait. She did not want to be hurried. She told Rickard that she had jilenty of time. "There is something you want to tell me?" Riekard's patience was courteous cour-teous but firm. He would hear her errand er-rand first. Gerty, remembering the imploring attitude of the stranger, determined de-termined that she would not be sent away. "Will you excuse me, senora? It will be only a minute." She was to tell her errand, and briefly ! Gerty swept past the Intruder. "Sit down, Mrs. Hardin." Resenting the inflection, she said she would stand. Her voice was a little hard, her eyes were veiled, as she told her mission. Her usual fluency flu-ency dragged ; she felt a lack of sympathy. sym-pathy. In short, she proposed a commissary com-missary department, herself in charge. "I'd like to feel I was of some use," urged Gerty. "My heart is bound up in this undertaking; if I'm allowed to stay, I'd like to help along. This Is the only way I can, the woman's way." "Aren't you taking a good deal on yourself, Mrs. Hardin?" . Then she forgave his hesitation quite, as it was of her he was thinking. think-ing. "Not If it helps." Her voice was low and soft, as if this were a secret between them. "Why, of course, anything you want, Mrs. Hardin." And, remembering her former position, he ndded, "The camp's yours as much as mine." A glad smile rewarded him. She went out, reluctantly. There was a new significance in MacLean's absence from the ramada. What could that woman have to say that MacLean must not hear? For the fl&st time the weak tenure on her old lover came to her. Not a sign had he yet given of their understanding, of the piquant situation. Themselves old sweethearts, thrown together In this wilderness. What had she built her hopes on? A word here, a translated phrase, or magnified glance. She would not hnr-bor hnr-bor the new worry. Why, It would bo all right. In the meantime she would show them all what a woman with executive ab(Uty could do. "Sit down, senora," said Rickard to the brown woman, Maldonndo's wife. "Dcrn't be frightened. We won't let him hurt you." Rickard vulgarized his Castillan to the reach of her rude m dialect. Familiar as was Rickard with the peons' speech in their own conn- A Woman Unbarred the Gate. try, he could not keep up with hen story. Lurid words ran past his ears. Out of the Jumble of abuse, of shamo and misery lie caught a new note. "Yon say Maldomido himself sells; liquor to the Indians?" "Ssh, senor!" Somvne might boar him ! She looked over a terrified, shoulder. That had slipped out, the selling of the liquor. She could huvo told her story without that ; she wanted want-ed to dcy It. Relentlessly Rickard "mile her repent It, acknowledging tho truth. "What makes you fell me now?" Riekanl hunted for the ulcer. He knew there was a pcrsonnl wrong. "What lias Muldonrido been doing to you? Has he left you?" (TO UK CONTINt'ron.) |