Show tJ t 1 G E I WATER BEARE i F 1 Dj D DUNN U N N AUTHOR f of AMAN A MAN TO HIS MAT MATE E 1 II 1 RIMROCK TRAIL TRAI L i in iv n v t f ti COPYRIGHT b by c. c DODD MEAD and nd CO SERVICE THE POWER SYNOPSIS Idly Idly fishing Hermanos Hermanos Hermanos Her- Her manos creek In California Caleb Warner Varner civil engineer and a aNew aNew aNew New Englander Is witness of or the tho end of ot a coyote pulled down b by two wolfhounds urged on by a girl rider Admiring the houn hounds s he Introduces himself and ana learns her name is Clinton With western western western west west- ern hospitality she Invites him to the ranch to meet her father tather At Atthe Atthe Atthe the Clinton home Warner Varner learns his new friends friend's name Is Betty Betly Ho lIe Is la welcomed by her father Southern Civil war veteran and owner of Hermanos valley He lie tells them something of his ambitions ambitions am am- and his feeling that he is destined to be a Water Vater In the tho town of Golden Warner Varner shares an apartment with his old Columbia college chum Ted Baxter Baxter Baxter Bax Bax- ter carefree 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 leading business businessman man and president of the water company which supplies tho needs of Golden Ho He gives Cox an nn Inkling of his ambitions and Cox Impressed Invites him to dinner that night During During- dinner Cox asks Caleb to call at his ounce office next day He does so and Cox arranges a n meeting between Caleb and HInckley the water company's chief engineer Baxter tells Caleb he Is In difficulties with a a. girl Irl Mary l Morgan Coxs Cox's stenographer who Insists he must marr marry her With HInckley Caleb looks over the water company's company's company's com com- pany's source of ot supply the Crystal springs In Hermanos Hermano valley Prospecting In Hermanos valley Caleb meets a man Evans E who boasts of his a ability through divining rods rode to locate water without boring Caleb c comes mes upon a picnic party part the festivities festivities ties being being- In honor of ot Betty Clinton's Clinton's Clinton's Clin Clin- tons ton's birthday and Is welcomed Betty tells him Hermanos valley containing the burial places of three generations of ot is sacred for all time Caleb with Carmen Wilson and Betty are threatened by a bull Warner Varner bravely protects the girls and andIs andis andis is himself rescued by Padilla ClIn Clinton's tons ton's man CHAPTER VII VII Continued Continued 10 10 He believed that the lower end of the plain the portion that the diviner termed the Sink was composed of gravel retained In clay but hut without t the clay day capping In It was held the sunken waters of the five creeks the same water that furnished the wells of ot the territory north of the creek creel And this water should hold the same level If It his theory was correct It should lie He some forty feet below the surface In normal times times less less during the water storm-water season It would be absolutely pure pure filtered filtered through the gravel If It this was true true and and he lie believed believed be be- it U was was was-he he had found a water mine a mine with an Inexhaustible ever renewed commodity that was as commercial as any mineral mineraI that conveyed conveyed conveyed con con- to Golden meant the assured progress of that city He knew that t the le city of ot Berlin at enormous expense had manufactured beds of gravel for the filtering of Its is civic supply but here at hand he had the filter built hullt by nature a cistern waiting to be tapped And this had laid unsuspected under the very noses of Cox and his engineers and the water water water wa wa- wa- wa ter experts of Oakville lie had to proceed cautiously It was imperative to cloak his Intentions and his methods If h he made the discovery dis dig covery It was his to engineer and to tos s sell He could not bore In the Sink to prove out his hope that cia clay bottomed bottomed bottomed bot bot- tomed all aU the gravel and held the waI wa wa- I ter He meant to use the diviner for that I keeping him In Ignorance of what the experiments ml might ht mean f He stocked himself wI with h d cigars ars and after supper crossed th the bridge and walked alon along alone the creek and up the road toad tp the pit There was a wisp of smoke coming from the rust rusty pipe 1 t and arid a light lIgh burning back Dack of the soll- soll 1 tar tary wind window w. w A A smell of crude cookery cooler blent bleat of ot cheap coffee and half cured bacon hacon r. r tinctured with the acrid odor of beans burned In a pot came out 4 through the door wl which opened port part partway way to Calebs Caleb's knock d disclosing the lean figure of the Welshman L. L r cUed against lamplight there asked Evans The IThe fisherman Dont Don't you ou t her ber You u told me about your F v. v ing the other day The Welshman o opened ened the door 1 wider and peered curiously at Caleb In the broader ray of ot light Then he stepped o outside Kind of stuffy l Inside sIde the the shack he said A great night Look at ut them fiern stars Ah I l llie He lie took toole the cigar Caleb proffered and puffed putTed It It to a glow exhaling the emoke smoke with a Ii gratified sigh MI I brought a 1 few along sad Caleb thinking hl you ou might like them Ive I've got ot plenty Toe The other otheY held out his hand for th the DroWn rolls eagerly That's Wn kind of oi ye If you ou dOlt doat shack No mind Ill I'll put em In the pockets handy that wont won't mush em cm He lie disappeared In the shack and came out again bearing a n bundle Id like to even up UI with you ou on them he lie said How about an ex- ex The powers power's In me The suggestion had co come come as ns Caleb would have ve wished It spontaneously from the man hi himself That will be bull bully he answered simply I should like ver very much to see you In n action The Welshman Welshman led the wa way to the top of the gravel Choose your place he said ald Ive re Ivea rea a notion theres there's water most an anywhere here here heie The prove pro It Pick one of the rods he went on with the air all of a conjurer asking for the choice of or any card in the deck uThe re hazel he said Some ISome sn say hazels hazel's a an n tragic magic agic wood but the mn magic lc aint In Inthe Inthe inthe the rod Its It's In me do or peach but I like hazel Now where d' d dye e say Caleb chose a spot clear of ot sage sage- brush It was almost a circle and he stood on the edge of It a strange tingling tingling tingling tin tin- gling In his veins The spare figure of the Welshman looking up to the stars the rod that Caleb had chosen In his hands breast hi high h a fork to I I V r v V Q nu Asked ina Ina in ina Can You See Plain He a Whisper each hand the fingers uppermost took on something of the dignity of ofa a Druid priest about to perform a mystic rite Can you see plain he asked In a whisper Im going to walk ye Watch the stem stein of the rod He lowered It to the full length of ot his hig arms stalking slowly the twig horizontal right angled angled midway of his thighs His Ills eyes glittered littered upturned upturned up up- turned to the sky Suddenly he lie stopped and Caleb held his breath gazing Intently at the rod It seemed to tw twitch twitch surel surely It vibrated vi vI- up UI up and down Caleb watchIng watchIng watchIng watch- watch Ing closely closel half fearing he lie might uncover uncover uncover un un- cover a trick yet et wI wishing hin to do so RO if it trickery was forward could detect n no flexing of ot the bony wrists The fin- fin rP rn Sn n ill li l grip the forks that his knuckles showed like Ivory knobs against the darker skin Then he gave a sigh and the end of the rod tipped violently downwards Caleb Calel caught the distinct creak creal of bending twisting wood In the silence that toll followed owed the sigh The dowser stood braced rigid while the twig Its Us end a n frantic pointer seemed as its suddenly Imbued with life as Mo Moses es rod Motion ceased as he stood within with with- in ten feet of Caleb Galeb so close that the latter plainly saw the pulses beating violently In E wrists the veins eins prominent as cords And the stem of the rod pointed steadily downward at ut atan atan utan an angle of more than 45 degrees from frou the horizontally held forks Dig there bore there there forty forty feet murmured the dowser speaking like a medium In i trance and you'll find water I r He relaxed and the rod full foil to the ground Ue lie stooped and picked it itlie nj lIe He rubbed hl his eyes eye as one awakening from a spell Theres all fresh rods In the bundle bun dIe dle he Ile said I cut em the day before before before be be- fore yesterday Look where she forks Well We'll try her agen The powers power's strong Then you can tackle le It it Me Calebs Caleb's surprise was unforced un un- forced Aye you ou might have the power Youre You're sympathetic way Lets Let's walk out a bit hIt farther Away from froni the crick It dont don't make malte no difference where Theres There's a water table under us This end end of the valley aint so much a sink as a n cistern Calebs Caleb's heart pounded at nt this confirmation confirmation confirmation con con- jf it his belief He lie was in a n curious state of excitation But he wild wait nothing They tried a again aln a quarter quarter quarter ter of a n mile away The same phenomenon phenomenon phe phe- occurred with so much greater emphasis that the forks forles crossed each other No juggling with hands apart could have ha managed this Try It 11 it said Evans wiping sweat from flom his forehead Twice Is enough f r. r or n T I i t 1 1 In r o f n n t i tn t n v I ie i UL s sye UL as un as a U w s er JU JUe ye e say you had lint another r cigar with ye e I left all nil mine In the shack Now Nowthen then then choose choose yore ore twig We Ve know lenow theres there's water here If youve you've got the thc power power It'll show Dont Don't be In a hurry Dont Don't think of Make lake yore mind a blank Hold It level level fingers fingers up up-so up so 1 lIe He arranged ed Calebs Caleb's hands to his liking with his own bony clammy fingers fingers fingers fin fin- gers and ancI stepped back Caleb stood alone fixing his eyes ees on the glow of the dowsers dowser's cigar In a species of hypnosis hypnosis hyp hyp- i i waiting trying trIng to eliminate all thought In this he succeeded Motionless he waited gazing at the spark of fire lire and the dark arl pillar of or the Welshmans Welshman's body The spark seemed to grow lar larger larger and el larger and er-and and then he lie felt si sl simultaneously sl- sl a a distinct tremor run up hl his forearms a sinking sensation in the pit of or his stomach a quiver of diaphragmatic ganglia gang The rod twitched He gripped the H forks lons hard naru naru They iney began Degan to vibrate The tremor Increased In his wrists The forks strangely seemed to be a part of him sensitive alive aUve Then there seemed to be a tug at the end of ot the stem like the swift strike of a fish at the lure And the straight stem stein bent as ns he might have bent his finger In a a pointer straight to water He TIe had no doubt of ot It now The thing had happened to himself It was marvelous as It was mysterious this sense of power And he thrilled to It It was an Indorsement of his title as Vater Water Bearer Bearer surely an nn augur augury augury au au- au- au gury gur of success It filled him not with pride but with reverence for his gift Glory be I cried the dowser Youve Youe got It pardner Youve You've got the power By gosh you'll be akin m my Job from me he added with a short laugh that ended In u a a cough Ill see that you are no loser by It it said Caleb smiling back And he lie meant the promise e. e For now he lie was certain of the fulfillment of his Idea much as yet et remained to be proven and accomplished The hunch was born for he had In his hand the key that lint would unlock for him the secret of the Sink With the lie power power was was It his birthright a gift from Aquarius glittering on the hill hilly horizon horizon horizon-he he he could working at night cover er the whole area of f the lower alle valley and exploit without boring the extent of ot the water table Under the gravel ia mY he was convinced none convinced none the less by bythe bythe bythe the occult manner of Its determination tion water Hon water for the lie thousands who would make Golden mighty amon among cities water clUes water for incoming families for factories for fields and gardens for civic use I A mammoth cistern read ready to be tapped Before he lie left him to walk back to the hotel exultant Caleb got some worthwhile worth Information from Evans ans He had the name of the man who owned most most most-If If not all all of of the Sink The land was was valueless valueless for farming It could be acquired cheaply That was an Important factor Even Een at the thelow thelow thelow low price the big acreage would mean an amount far beyond Calebs Caleb's compass com com- pass That hat end of it with the other big expenses he must leave to Cox for financing finn But the secret was his He found a small parcel awaiting him him at nt the hotel that had hind come cone by the evening elling mall On It was the return address of Goldens Golden's best Jest jeweler He opened It and anti took tool from a bed of at cotton cotton cot cot- ton ohi wool a jade pendant On It was en engraved engra ra In Intaglio the lie zodiac s sign ign of Pisces Two fishes Joined b by a ribbon lie had hud ordered It on his return return return re re- turn from El Nl Nido o after the picnic lIe He Intended it as n u belated birthday gift to nett Betty Detty Clinton Well Caleb has found his water water water wa wa- ter all right Now what will he do with it I TO BE nE CONTINUED ED |