Show WATER B E A R E R 3 DUNN AUTHOR AUTI f A MAN TO HIS MATE RIMROCK TRAIL I 1 COPYRIGHT bf 0 DODO DODD MEAD MD and CO C WN U SERVICE CHAPTER VIII prospects cileli rm ared an nail tible scendy gaited horse for tits tile the next eliol lie ile carried tits ills creel nn an awkward thing to 0 o it rider of ills his lack of experience in it lie packed ills lunch and a kirvey instrument or two with notebook mid drawing materials in lils roil rod crise mother another cumbersome thins for litin to carry lie he included besides the joints of him pole a steer roil rod that lie lind had secured at a in the lie upper kniley a tempered probo probe to le be used for investigating depths of deposits ile ho lind had it n geologists linni hammer nier in one pocket in ili another pipe aal tobacco ohn cco ills camera was tied to the iddle es lAs he rodo rode down the valley diverging anti clini clinching hing a ridge probing with its ills steel rod till ing IHK photographs making it contour where the he enineva would not serve tits ills purpose marring closely the of the character clin of roe rock the general llo lie of tho country finally close to noon lie rode lown down a wash the aldef aldea of which were clothed in ili buckeye and and luti lunched ched liy by the side of boca creek where the two sycamores amores ninde tin till archway for its vaters lie ho the lie pendant from its packing puck and laid it in ili the fitlin of tits lila tienda the artificer had lone oil well the oily fl fla liefl glies united hy by the ribbon were dellen tely yet sharply cut two leli united A symbol of two living things that lived and moved in ili the saino medium water joined by a ribbon pisces and aquarius arlus A suggest suggestion lon came calme to him that tile tho bol might inight indicate more than lie ho aind intended when lie ho ordered tile the trin trinket het lie ile flashed n little na its lie wondered whether the girt girl might devise some boino intimate intention in the design then lio lie laughed at tits hla own presumption it wivi wit her sign its connection with tint lint on its ills own seal was waa fanciful farfetched far fetched 1 lip HP put tile the pendant brick got ii rolled ills blanket saddled and rol roe out into Cal ballente lente sink turning south mouth along the lic creek on oil through the canyon cannon to the lie suspension bridge there lie dismounted and led tits ills horse down the bauh to the lie edge of the creek lie he took off tits ills roll till and thrust tile blanket rind into the he hollow of a tree vint that wits mashed with ferns together with ills blis creel tint and rod case unencumbered cumb ellinb ered lie loped on to el EI aldo tills Is my party call lie announced to betty IU tty who carne came to meet jilin after Pit illila with it smile of greeting tin lind led away tits bis mount for a grain feed and a promised rubdown rub down nid maria had shown him film into the lie patio the girl looked grave seemed quiet lie fun fancied cled hut but she brightened at tile the gift wid accepted it without reserve Is IB this really my sign she asked ono would think hat tant I 1 was it a twin it was ans very ery thoughtful arid and original of you to choose chonge this ills I 1 shall like it best of all mv gifts something made tot for iw ine something that belongs if we are to credit the astrologers io do you know wo we have an old volume lint hat treats of such nonsense father will be pleased too tier her own pleasure ure was so open arid and earnest that caleb felt lili him satisfaction faction growl growing ti g ili HP glad slip ills fils taste they discussed the picnic arid and tier her in ili friendly fashion thurston lind had I 1 returned to ills his Fresn fi vineyards the it sec seemed ined hail had liked calph caleb arid and wanted to scle bee more of jilin him carmen mid bad reiterated tier her determination to insist upon a now new beret from him if it was only a souvenir of the occasion she had said betty appeared inclined to tease him a little about the impression lie he had made on carmen 1 I am ain afraid I 1 shall not see much of miss wilson lie said 1 I expect to be very busy shortly she did riot not inquire specifically what ho he meant and lie he did riot not volunteer it lie he did not mean to discuss tits his discovery with anyone until it was tin an accomplished complis hed fact unless it became necessary in the order of business later bater lie ho might have to broach the subject to hetty betty and tier her father at the end of an hour lip lie rose to go and nd the girl ordered ills his horse saddled she gitre him tier her hand cool and allin but with tile grip that told of efficiency lie rode oft off lie ile left the direct trall trail to the canyon anti anil mounted to n R low rolling ridge that paralleled the stream ills his eyes roved the v rilley looking again for the he had noted on tits ills first visit and then ben tic he saw from the height what khat hla his previous trails bad hidden front him blin the grove groe of cedars about it i iv aw white railing ral llna and within the fence P me white headstones tile the thrice cemetery of the aft pinion Us he frowd d it 0 little at the sight re nivin bering the girls declaration hut but lip ho did riot not forego tits his present purpose ie was irm firm in ili his belief that public service was greater than private sentiment dil find lio lie hoped that lie could overcome tho the feelings feeling of 0 the father faglier arid daughter when the time came if thiv this obstacle had to be surmounted it should be lie ile wits was strong in lits ills conviction that lie would mould overcome till oil hindrances to ills great project that already too much to be abandoned abandond it was nearing twilight when lie ho crime to the gorge ile ho considered it best riot not to risk a iro fire I 1 lie to did not wiant ills his operations observed until lie he lind come to it a conclusion concerning them ile he believed lelle bell eved cd outside the hounds bounds of the clinton property hut but lie he was not cert certain alti if tic ile was trespassing tres passing lip felt that clinton anti and tili its daughter r lit in their present moods of resolution regarding any disposition of Iler manos valley might resent what tie ho was about if they guessed its import its a reach breach of hospitality lie ile felt 11 little uneasy nebout ills his ethics what lie he wits was about was tor for the public woal weal it outweighed private considerations lie told himself linni limn mering home the argument hernia nos valley wits was it a private holding yet if public necessity demanded it for a dam am site public pressure leading perhaps to legislative procedure eilent insist upon condemnation proceedings iut but if clinton did tint not yield gracefully the affair would create quite n ster wid and caleb would appear to betty and tin tier her father in the light of it a treacherous guest who had taken advantage 1 I am not in love with her caleb said half aloud of their hospitality to spy out tile the land hind they would hot hold jilin him responsible for ultimate condemnation and the desecration of the little graveyard the face of betty clinton hurt indignant dign di ailt scornful rose up before him perhaps tie lie might inight be able to argue them to its his standpoint though lie he knew that lint idea was hardly tenable lie wanted tier good wilt will some instinct entirely foreign to what lie would liau have described as good bunkie common sense whispered that tits ills sen clment toward tier lier was deeper rooted than lie imagined that it might ripen into love A love loe that might be reciprocated und and that would be well viell worth while 1 I 1 ani am not in love loie wh her 1 I catch caleb said half aloud arid and ua its lie said it lie he knew that the girl could not be dropped out of ills is life without leaving a wound that would ache long after it had become ft a sear scar lie ile was in the grip of complex emotions drain pointed out the importance of tile tho project born of tits his own on talents made possible by his talents and the sex bex instinct the desire or 0 one woman wrestled with the offspring of his intellect brain and heart were at odds but two things had come plainly out of the muddle ile iio wanted to carry out the work that was a thing that should be done if lie he did not someone else would sooner or later make the same discovery and lie he wanted hetty betty clinton it was not that lie he merely did riot not want to lose lofie tier lier respect and friendship ho he wanted tier her the desire of tier her continually inhibited concentration on his project lie woke before dawn moved III ills horse to a better patch for browsing took tits his probe anti ami geologists har hammer niner and started to work resolutely dismissing any aftermath of the nights night problem lie ile had not brought waiting wading boots boot 9 with him arid and he took off shoes arid and socks arid and puttees put Iut tees turned up the incel ends of his riding breeches and atud waded out into the he gut gilt where the pent up lip waters of Ifer manos when the valley was it lake lind broken through tile sun was two hours high before lio ile crimp out of tile creek ills pockets tilled filled with rock samples wet tired dred lits ills purpose accomplished lie ile had still to refer to certain geological reports to analyze tits samples amples i but lie he was sure of the result ills jaw wits set and his him face gravo froin concentration but it shone with it a certain satisfaction that problem Is solved lie he belil aloud na as lie he mounted tits his horse at last and rode the willing steed down cnn ann yon toward the breakfast that both graved ile ho did not notice the man mall who canie came out on the suspension bridge and watched him until the foliage shut him from view it was padilla Iad llla the mexicans face was puzzled suspicious lie could not understand why el senor should have stayed tile the night at the h head e a 1 I of the canyon ile he descended to the creek ile bed readily finding evidence of what caleb had been doing evidence that a day or so would have erased lie ite saw where caleb had gone town down into the str stream eamand and hla his quick eyes noted where the alio rocks had been chipped A convulsion came over tits his face with the sudden conviction that the guest had been up to no good the flain dam gringo yankee sayi ha muttered kut but ills thoughts were wera twisted ile iio remembered calebs gallant action with the bull lie ile could not justify tile two affairs and it lie could collide not comprehend what caleb had been up to unless it was mining arid and there was no gold on no silver or cinnabar save that whatever lie had done one lie had accomplished secretly ecret ly deliberately giving out the impression that lie he had gone down tile the canyon tile tho night before lie decided to talk the matter over with marla maria for four days daya caleb worked day and night almost unceasingly every night lie ho practiced ills his qualities as water diviner lie ile cut film own hazel twigs and as soon its as the moon was up he went out on the desolate surface of the sink with results that justified ills first impressions there was water everywhere it hacked backed up tip to tho southern border anti and the lie presence of the water prove proved that clay lay iny under tinder it this lie verified by finding clay on oil the alio side hills lillas with tits ills boring probe ills hla cistern had walls ns as well as bottom a lining that was impervious it was a giant clay saucer hot holding water for the population of n whole city at the end of the n i ho he was worn lean and tired in I 1 y sleep had been snatched in chumps through tile day before the moon came up arid and in the early hours hour of lawn dawn ile he returned to the hotel gave up tip hla his hor horse seand and slept luxuriously for thirty hut but before lie he went to bod bed lie he dispatched a telegram it was to ills his lawyer in the east to whom lie had alven certain powers ot of attorney concerning the possible sale of lna his house in tile message lie ho urged an instant sale even nt at some slight sacrifice and asked for tile wired remittance of the price through ali rough ills his golden boink bank i quick with enthusiasm enthus lasin he went hack back to golden fully rested to corn com plans for subhi submission silon to cox the latter lie fount found was out of town towi find and not expected for two weeks this suited stilted caleb who had much t u to do ile he hired a small loftlee end and equipped cauli pod it with drafting table desk a small tiling filing cabinet and two stools ile he had to set tits his plans on pa paper to make inake drawings put together rough es tl ti matea mates and lie resolved to make a working model of the whole project lie he lid did not anticipate being able to do more than suggest tile alie magnitude tude of the affair and its ita cost coat what lie ha mainly hoped for wua wits to prove its practicability and the model would go tar far toward that TO UK CONTINUED i |