| Show I I I The WATER I BEARER BARR I i By J. J ALLAN DUNN I Author of 0 o j A MAN TO HIS ms MATE rt i L RIMROCK TRAIL n By y noM Dodd I Mean Mead eo W NU Sc Sn Service THE RESCUE SYNOPSIS Idly SYNOPSIS Idly fishing Hermanos Hermanos Her- Her manos maDOS creek in California Caleb Calc Warner Varner civil engineer and a no aNew Now New Englander Is s witness of the tho end of oc a a. coyote pulled down by two wolfhounds urged on by a girl rider Admiring the hounds he Introduces himself and learns her name Is Clinton With western western west west- ern hospitality she Invites him to toj j the ranch to meet her father At Atthe tho the Clinton home Warner Varner learns his new f friends friend's name Is Betty Ho He Is welcomed b by her father Southern Civil war val veteran and ando o owner of Hermanos vae valley He Hetes tells tes them something of his ambitions ambitions ambitions am am- and his feeling that he is destined to be a Water ater In the town of Golden Warner Varner shares an nn apartment with his old Columbia college chum Ted Baxter Baxter Baxter Bax Bax- ter carefree an and somewhat dissipated dissipated dissipated youth only child of his widowed mother who controls the family fortune At a club luncheon Baxter Introduces Caleb to Wilbur Cox Coc leading business businessman man and president of the water company compan which supplies the needs of or Golden He gives Cox an Inkling of his ambitions and Cox Coc impressed invites him to dinner that night During dinner Cox asks Caleb to call caB at his office next da day He docs does so 80 and Cox arranges a meeting bet between Caleb and Hinckley the water company's compans chief engineer Baxter tells Caleb Calob ho he Is in difficulties with a girl Mary Morgan Coxs Cox's stenographer who Insists he must marr marry her With ey 3 Caleb looks over the water c company's company's com com- m- m pany's pans source of supply the Crystal springs spring's in Hermanos valley vaHey Prospecting in Hermanos valley Caleb meets a man Evans who boasts of his ability through divining rods to locate water without boring Caleb comes upon a picnic party the festivities festivities festivities ties being in honor o of Betty ClInton's Clinton's Cllnton's Clin ClIn- tons ton's birthday and Is welcomed L I CHAPTER VI Continued VI-Continued Continued 9 9 I dont don't know he answered I have heen been given ghen a chance to go 10 up to Beaver Hea lal lake e on a new project but I Ida Ido Ido do da not have to accept just yet et Meantime Meantime Mean Mean- time I am looking around I went over oyer the Cr Crystal stal Springs property yes yes- Did you ou broke In the other girl I Ive uI been there Isn't It an nn Ideal place for a picnic picnic picnic-or or a hone honeymoon moon 7 Caleb laughed I am afraid I T was more practical In m my Imagination he said I suppose suppose sup sup- pose ose being heIng from New En England land I cant can't help that I was chiefly interested In Inthe Inthe inthe the water writer supply But nut It was beautiful ful lie gave them a n little description of the trip and amI of of how the dams had withstood the tho earthquake And he added what II In e had told him of Crystal Springs s valley valle before It had been turned Into a great Teat artificial lake I cant can't help feeling sorry for the farms that had to he be abandoned said nett Betty N Clinton It seems a shame when you think of the fertile fields beIn being turned to silt the schoolhouse and nd the little church that had stood so lon long being torn down Think of what the reservoir meant to Golden It made a cIt city possible returned Caleb There Is sentiment on both sides of ot the matter Where a dozen families were displaced the wa- wa u t li l er Jan gage opportunity to IU LU I Public utility must be the first coni conf con- con i f s I r 1 suppose S e so o. o Just the same If It I had owned n a farm there I would not lIa have sol sold d. d If It the rest were willing the they ml might ht have hn compelled you to Yon You mean h by condemnation proceedings pro s Well Vell the they'll ll never do nn anything any any- thing like that to Hermanos valle valley for we own the whole of It Not even for tor th the tho good 00 1 of the many If It was tuns necessary asked Caleb Carmen looked at him curiously curIously curi curl struck by a sudden change e In his voice lie He took thin things s concerning h his profession very ery seriously did this young oun engineer she fhe decided Bett Betty Clinton shook hook her hI head hend determinedly determinedly determinedly deter deter- in answer to Calebs Caleb's query Not while m my father fattier lives ives Nor Kor while I do We might alight ht soil sell a u part of the alle valley We have talked of doln doing I H u u I U 1 I r Fo IU u H a V C do nu not liui use unc much mum of i II it lu And the land has advanced nd In value But nothing must touch El NIdo You did not see the little cemetery In the cedar cedar ce ceo dar grove gro There are three generations generations generations genera genera- of burled buried there My I mothers mother's grave rave among them They must never be disturbed d Carmen sus' sus the muscles bunch bUllch In Calebs Caleb's Jaws and wondered For n u moment he was silent For a part of his vision Islon had seen Hermanos Hermanns valley restored to a 11 lake Jake dammed und and holdIng hold hold- Ing storm waters utere Bett Betty Clinton sat quietly und and Caleb gazed at nothing through half closed eyes ees Carmen regarded re re- them with willi a pout pont Youre a n cheerful couple for a n birthday picnic she observed Asfor Asfor As Asfor for Thurton Thurston he must be making that camera or gone to 0 town for fot a 11 film She got ot up and stretched lithely Then she nhe screamed led suddenly and shrilly turning to cling to Betty etty ClInton Clinton Clin- Clin ton tonA A bl big bull had come into his pasture pasture pasture pas pas- ture tue upland t that he lie ret rev ret re- re t t v k yarded as Ms Ills his own a magnificent Hereford zed a d of boat oat and white of face He lie stood wind down from the group and It was plain that he resented resented re re- their presence The rhe great head was raised and lowered uncertainly uncertainly the wide curving cUr horns tossed menacingly l y There was no shelter If It the gulf bun meant mischief To run was to court disaster Carmen clung to her friend trembling trem trem- bling her e eyes cs big with fear Betty Clinton was pale but she faced facell the bull and not a muscle had quivered I III dont don't know Just What w we a had better do o she said quietly to Caleb lies Hes working himself up Into n a rage rape If we the could make Padilla hear and understand Caleb Caleb- resented this a little He ITe did not realize that the girl Irl was thinking of Padilla mounted acting as vaquero Perhaps the resentment quickened hl his wits to action Carmen screamed a again just as the Jie bull lowered his head and charged ed straight for them Caleb snatched at Gormen's Carmen's hair and grabbed the scarlet beret Its your our hat that bothers him he cried Ill handle him both Run Run both bothof of you Ill I'll hold him Run Hun lIe He waved them off with a shout aRthe as aR the bull came on lIe He saw Raw Carmen her black hair streaming from his careless tug tu for the hat lint snatch at Bettys Betty's hand and start to run swiftly toward the wall He lie saw sm for a split split- second Thurstons Thurston's startled face appearing appearing ap ap- ap over the stones as he ascended ascend ascend- ed cd heard the girls cr cry out and Thurston Thurston Thurs- Thurs to ton shout I He e faced tho the bull the I flaming beret in his bis hand prepared to pla play toreador unarmed The bull roared ns us his glaring eyes ees cau caught tile the flare nare of the scarlet taunt waved ed b by the man Blind to everything everything every ever thing eIRe else centered In the desire to to glut lut his rn rage e on the offending color he raced over the turf leaving lea a little trail cloud of dust shaking the ground with his weight as he pounded It with his hoofs Caleb waited not quite as coolly as ashe ashe ashe he had wished warily judging dis dis- tance As the sharp horns swept up scooping for the cloth he held out at arms arm's length th Caleb sprang to one side and ran forward as the battled brute snorting and maddened plowed past him front le legs s stiffened in the attempt attempt at nt- tempt to stop and wheel the great greathead greathead greathead head clumsily turned toward the red beret and Cal Caleb b who halted ed twenty yards ards away and provokingly displayed displayed displayed dis dis- played the bait The girls hind had hot got ot safely be beyond ond the wall In a second or so they would be he out of sight lie had now only himself to look out for The bull hull turned and came caIne racing Caleb knew that he could not dod dodge e forever He lie could distinguish nett Bettys Betty's s clear high voice calling for The words were In Spanish He lIe recognized recognized a few of them Toro foro I Uinta Y Cavallio Ca Y I Then the bull took tool up all his attention It came on with In Incredible incredible In in- credible speed the lumbering gait seemed freed treed b by rn rage e. e As Caleb leaped aside the brute swerved so swiftly that a horn grazed Calebs Caleb's arm ripping cloth doth This time he lie had harl to turn and run rundown rundown rundown down hill awa away from the trees Ills foot cau caught ht In the hole of a ground round squirrel and his ankle was wrenched as as he stumbled and jerked It clear It was not a bad sprain but It handicapped handicapped handi handl- capped him and would not get Jet better with exertion The bull hull hud hind halted more easily going up op hill It was chasing him before he had haa got well Into his stride lIe He had to sprint to get Jet the chance to dod dodge e. e And this time he ran for all he was worth He lIe had almost won the trees when the bull caught up the distance between them Caleb glanced over his shoulder lIe He could hear the snorts of the crazed brute lIe He saw the massive head shift sideways s 's for the toss saw the roll of the blood rimmed blood e eyes es and unit he leaped sideways s 's with the last lust of at his bis en energy en his lun lungs s straining and his heart henrt pounding And Arid as he Jumped In- In made the sacrifice of the beret dropping dropping drop ping It fairly in the bulls bull's course while he felt feH the sweep of ot air as the beasts beast's head was teas flung up UI backed bucked h by bythe bythe the force orce of ml mighty ht shoulders one horn hurn Impaling the beret that dun clung there driving ln liI the tile bull hull to frenzied fur fury while hile Caleb punting panting dodged among I I Itne tae aspens nu timid and saw Padilla mounted swinging his rope top the rise and tear In at top speed yelling as he Ca carne came e The fhe bull got ot rid of the offending atTending o Tarn ter lie He ground It t Into o the turf stamping on It and bellow bellow- ing lie He tore it to ru rugs rags and tram trampled p led them An And 1 then he flung up his head to see what had become of Caleb He lie heard the tile yell ell of ot Padilla a vigorous Yahoo I 1 that seemed to revive memo mem- ogles odes none non too pleasant He De wheeled and surveyed ed the rider uneasily To chuse chase a two legged creature was one thing a man mounted swinging a n loop the sight of or which also stirred his sluggish brain was quite another Before the lariat was flung he turned and trotted off disappearing at the far end of the plateau before Padilla reined up and offered to take Caleb back behind his saddle I d Ion don n senor that he weel weer come back lIe He has been brand that brand that toro an toro an ho hI remember is bueno that he tie does Eef r I rope an nn tie heem heern I r mus' mus let heem go again But nut weel be bettor better eef you ou ride senor Me I lIl like e better for foi myself lIe He laughed and Caleb essa essayed ed to retrieve what was left of the beret He lIe gave ga It up as a hopeless Job and mounted behind Padilla liSen Senor or said said- the Mexican you ou hav hay save la senoritas senorita's life She an her padre weel thank you I T thank you ou too Luis Padilla weel weer not for z het t. t 1 CHAPTER VII The Water Mine They were all In the patio talking In the dusk The conversation con had become general Caleb was a listener 1 He lIe had found to his relief that after the earnestly expressed thanks s of Clinton of his daughter and of ot Carmen Carmen Carmen Car Car- men he was not regarded in the light of a hero It seemed to be generally generall granted ranted that an any of them would have done done or or tried to do do exactly exactly as he had done and he lie was grateful for the way they took It Carmen mana managed ed to Infuse something personal Into her thanks a warmth that hinted that the tho exploit had nad been all for her sake with Betty a more or less Incidental sor sory Caleb was a listener from prefer prefer- ence He lie wanted to analyze If he could something of the stirrings of these Westerners The talk was mainly of Brompton's historic series of ot panels the subject Introduced b by nett Petty Betty Clinton with the Idea ilea Caleb thought of covering him from Carmen's sallies It was very plain that lint the artist was head over oyer heels in love loye with the vivacious brunette brunette bru bru- nette who kept him dangling Caleb smoking pondered over o nett Betty Clinton's Clinton's Clin Clin- tons ton's attitude Did she Intend to marry Thurston he wondered The rancher was on eminently Intimate terms with the family She called him by his first name Wendell Vendell I He lie W went earl early the next morning I returning to Golden There he packed I In a n grip rIp with clothing and some of ot his I Instruments and left a n note for Baxter Baxter Bax nn ter tel sa saying ln that he would be away for tor several days das lie no took up his quarters quarters quarters at a country hotel near the tale station station station sta sta- tion In Co Coyote ote canyon and hired a rig determined to make a n thorough h Investigation investigation of ot Caliente plain With his Ills pocket Instruments he managed ed to get Jet unnoticed tolerable sune surveys s 's of ot elevations ele and distances lIe He had hind proven pro to his own satisfaction satisfaction tion that lint the lie upper end o of the plain was furnished with a basin of water at uniform level a great reat supply bottomed bottomed bot bot- tomed and sided with cia clay and cupped capped with the same through which capping capping cap cap- ping the artesian water spouted wherever wherever wherever ever It was lIS bored for The fhe Welsh Water Tinder did not have to be a great wizard to score hits hilts In this region re re- re- re gion glon Ion he tie decided But nut he lie hud had a further further further fur fur- ther use in mind for the man Caleb is evidently up against I I a hard alternative water alternative water or orL I girl Which way will he decide L TO BE nE CONTINUED |
