| Show a 1 river j 0 hen lien the colorado j is i ret rat it ita a banks ard oded the imperial illey tf f california is a EDNAH AIKEN 8 i idease moose a moos a covy SYNOPSIS pile lk I l IC K C rickard an net 1 iier e tr of the overland Pact pacific fic to called to he office of or president ellent Pr marshall in tuc lon bon ariz cay casey I 1 Is an to the file row force he wean wears dude clothes ut t tr be had resigned reec ned a chair of engineer ac C in the halt vast to go on the toa road as a a roman and hit his promotion had been cular white while waiting for Marela machall 11 me nick k ltd rd read roads a report on the th ravages of the th f hondo despite th effort of thoma thomas dorado dt bardin of the h dart or reclamation company thie this hardin had been a tany inder rickard and had married getty imes with whom had fancied colm to k ax in love CHAPT FIl IrIt marshall II 11 tells Ille Ric kani kari the overland pad pact ic 1 haa kot to tep step in eo to av save the Im pill at val valley fot oy 1 and endi mends elm to the break bichard decline be dauie li he e doe does not want to supplant up plant liar lauso in it bu but t to I 1 won over I 1 stop the th river lamn the expense I 1 ay says marshall Uart halL III jour nitya to eal beltico seen ee th the a 3 ert sort an b arni r tie m nuch u ch abbit alardin and his til work v 1 tn m im wi mei mr and n 1 M rs I 1 aarti in a and nd innes re bardln acif a half disappointed in her husband and an incorrigible co coquette quett awra hardin ete sets hr cap for her former 1 him t in dint r C E V kara the comby puny a office and takes control ile II 11 finds aha ne loyal to hardin and hor hoe all to im estrada a mexican on non ot ria father of the th imperial vally valley I 1 tell tells rim in of the central Itu atlon VI nickard attends a Intia biotin of the h 01 rectors and asserts his hi vot hority datuin rages rac tell tells ickard of his hi foreboding that hie his work drill will fah fall 1 I 1 can t 8 it finished I 1 CHAPTER VIT Is discovered to O 0 her r carden don sms fibs trie tries to cher cheer up hardin ll ardin w rha b rin to nickard luckard artar brits lita ot 01 the which throve on them IX lAH araia discovers t is t planning a levee to protect calexico Cal exico and put puts him down as bar lord 1 tt 11 n the to t rickard discloses further the family cliart chart I 1 tics alardin to I 1 turly burly and sulky inn t hardly polite gaily plan plans a progressive 91 ride 1 in nickard rickard A honor ali ban han leco ie in do stroud troyd by oar earthquake and bra and dredge nac anery w which h I 1 rickard had ord ardred trod bardln to have hipped shipped to 1 burned through ardan a negle lt ii luckard rickard secretly equip quips ur the biff water tt er r ae as a signal aft loi ani bertyl hardin lall lc ll at nickard rickard till still lovi her or and plane plans a Uni that misso trouble in the liall hall of the tile desert hotel the party wn in as sirs urn hardin roving eye scoured the boil ricaard rickard was wa not there patton balleu her from rom the de dek detic tic bome one her at the it was as hillard alli lard of 0 course at the to say he lie had been detained d the fear aich which had bita chilling her passed by it was not rickard on the wire but mrs bits hatfield loquacious and c ehluct fH lUCt tish bite urged a frightful neu agla and hoped that fhe he ans as not putting her bet hoiness to any at this lisi 1 tac moment Inow elit blie anted to prolong the had the kuete all come comet vre they really then ele she roust must be getting old for A night ille like thie this od arl felt her good night vas mas rudely abrupt hut but mas as eho sho to stand there gobbling gabbling all night her guest guests waiting falie prayed 1 that It ickard would mould be there when ehe she returned 1 hat bat a travesty it if the guest of honor disappoint hert herl though he was not among the dienna dien nt groups her confidence in hia his punctiliousness reassured ared her she must hold them a little longer she flitted gaily from one standing group to another her eye eyes constantly questioned the clock now how long are aro you going to w wilt it for mrs hatfield burnand bur jand came up protesting lira mrs ehe she explained dl dis bantly Is not coming ie e aia are ai a waiting tor for mr didn dian t come in on that train hee hes r the heading hardin added so meWing about trouble at the intake but ut gerty did not heed tom bad had known ami arai bad had not told her when there wa att v tt time to call it off A pretty time to tell me I 1 had tie been looking at her he le would have been left no illusions ner b bauo buo cica hate 1 I did ud not know it until we cot got here there was a me aga from froin maclean at the desk uniting walt lne mad unclean can nini not there eatherl we ie tire all ready sh she e cried mrs hatfield an annl mr It Ickard cannot come not ot for worlds would she ghe gle in to her destri to call the tho whole prim frim affair off let them think ehe she aas a ted not she the moril away elic she would go she found herself distribute distri but ing slips slip bf mangled the white blips slips mint to the tile women the green bits of ati deboard to the men sha hald in id a certain arven art cari in her leada leads on to fortune it rick ici ird ard might coux dashing 11 in nt tit the last Ino moment ment tho the ideal man a way a special perli perhaps tips it did not seem credible that he be would deliberately stay away without sending lier her word in a burst of laughter tho tile rom pany discovered then that the guest ct of honor was uns also absent mrs hardin burd hurl them out to tha the wait ing buggies bugg Drear lh liv they drove down the fly ing the wind mind was nt at their back backa but it tore at their bats hats pulled 69 7 at kneir their eyes were full of street tree tu aufa A flash of light an they were leav 1 ing in town brightened the thick dur clouds IN what hat wan was that I 1 cried gerty she was itan ready for any calamity now wot vot t lightning again the queer debt light flashed across the obscured baky tom roused himself to growl that he been seen anything aad the dreary furce farce went on innes partner wae was young sutcliffe the I 1 inglish he was in tin the quicksand quick rand of a comparison between english and american vic women imen innes mischievously coaxing him into deeper when hen there UK re wae was a blockade of buggies ahead of thew tie 1 e A B 0 ranch cried inne 4 peering deering through the veil of duit at the queer unreal outlines of fence fences and Ite our arst stop oh olt I 1 eay say too tod bad 11 began fe inn innie m wae wac already on the road mad hr skirts whipped by the wind into clinging drapery gertys party found itself iced partners were kere tryl trying ig to und ind or lose each other get in here I 1 innes heard the voice of estrada behind her he ile bad had a top buggy she balled hailed a refuge she he cried what a rel left climbing in she he eald said 1 41 I hope this lint isn t upsetting gerty a ar or rai rat gement arrangement I 1 look at them I 1 tl TI e women were nas out of the dui dut sirl into any nay haven that ot of alred anith V ath little screams of dismay illg may they ran like rabbits to cover gerty found herself with at the next stop there wan atom a blok blo k ot of buggies no use again bhe acknowledged herself beaten let t a go on no what are they stopping f tor or dismal farce it all wasi wasl she wa as pushing back her enad curie curls when the beat of horses hoofs back of them brought the blood back into her wind chilled cheeks ehe thought he must hae come in a special alf I 1 the gloom suddenly dis disgorge gorgO Macl duclau Mu cLau xau I lardin I 1 where ie Is he hel 11 bats upil felled selled blinn la in it the cherl I 1 jacl ena eills face answered him ilia ills ranch aaen caln god alful ehtyl tho diverl 11 ei str reamed amed the women the men were surrounding rounding eur maclean whose hose horse was pran prancing chig aa as if with the importance of having carried t be ile ere the levee I t called maclean macleon where e hardin ue he spurred his mare toward hardin ardin ll who was blacker than napoleon at austerlitz toure you re needed they re all needed the other voices broke in the men pressing up thia this threatened them all blinas ranch lay in the ral liged sixth district nothing would laae him youngberg belonged to water company number one their ditches would go hollister and wll will son a of the palo verde saw ruin ahead of them ilal km lt man was visualizing the mad onward ewed of that destroying ying power like ghosts tho women huddled in the dust blown road al here Is it now I 1 demanded blinn it a here right on us you re all needed at tho the levee bawled bowled marlean the levee I 1 there was a dash for buggies bUK elea a scraping of wheels heels the whinnying jilin nying of frightened horses some one recalled the flushes flashes of light had seen on leaving town what were those lights signals sl I 1 the water tois tower er macmeans SIa Ma cLeans voice split the wind ind the tile wires are nil dou down n I 1 1 betm een the crossing and the towns coronel was on the toner he got the ignal signal from the heading b in 4 a been there each night for a week I 1 this mas a great night tor for bis his chief luckardt rickard I 1 gerty hardin caught the thrill of 0 ills his hero worship how splendid bow how triumphant I 1 innes found herself in her brothers br othere buggy ills horse burder the whip dashed forward suddenly he pulled it back on its haunches narrowly averting a jam ft IN heres mac the boy rode back whoa whom catling calling me mel ghe me your norse florse demanded 3 ardla fou take my alster sister home gerty hardins party was as torn like a bow of us less fenery facing the wind now no toe ine t oe could talk no one wanted to talk loch was as threshing out his own thought though loi personal ruin stared them in me face every man was aa remembering that reckless em e posed ed cut of pinning thel their hope to that ridiculed levee the horses broke into a reckless gallop the buggies lurching wildly a as they dodged one another th the axles creaked and strained the wind tore away avay the hats hat of the women nomen real ren their pretty chiffon veils the dusty roal uns as peopled with darts dark formless the signals had lind spread the alarm the desert world N was as flocking to t tie io gorge of the rf ral r to the levee the women were dumped without ceremony on the el dewalk under mhd bird cage df of the desert hotel shivering her pretty teeth chattering gerty hardin ushered them into the ho deserted hal lint the thu Cb chinese lne cook snored away his fits vigil i igei la ira an armchair by the tile open fire the men had r ight d away to the levee IN omen m mist NN wait sit 11 gerty s laish was hysterical na can do no good down donn there she threw herself con of into the tha ordeal of het lift entertainment it was always an incoherent dream to innes hardin that wild wili rido homeward ard the lurching sc raring bv biggles ggles the apprehensive hence silence this huddling of women like ilke car scar d 1 rabbits around a table that had rise been gay the tho teeth shivered over the lets mic ir races looka gai chantly ahtty bv br the light abt hed shed by gertys green eh ides she wished ha she were at the levee she imply simply mast must in to the levei 1 in going to ret get a wrap she chri w to gerty as ehe she passed 1 I left it in the hall she stole through the deserted of fire ace post the white and silver soda sods fountain and out into the speeding blur of the night Forit formless iless shapes soft footed paused passed her As ehe she sped the french ve of the dining room she could get a view of the shattered party innes made a dive into the darkness there unit a dim outline of innes made a dive into the darkness figures in front of her F bhe fhe he could hear somo some one breathing heavily by her side thoy kept apace stumbling occasionally the moi ing gloom betraying their feet A wan caira caire ruining twining bak balk toward the town its cutting back I 1 he ile cried tried Iso thing but the levee will save the towns I 1 the levee I 1 the harsh breathing followed her aa As they passed the wretched hut of a mexican gambler a sputtering light shone out innes looked back she saw 6 9 wrinkled face t f coronel corone who iad tad left his water tower ills his black carse hair was streaming la in the wind his mouth ajar was expressionless si sl though the fulfilment fulfillment of the great prophecy WAS at hand beneath the cheek splotches of green and red paint rested a curious dignity the indian m was as to come again into his own what was lili own she questioned as hr lur feet tumbled over loosened boarding a ditch crossing she had not seen more corn perhaps more fiery stuff to wash mash down the corni coral more white bite man s money in the brown trans pocket that his happiness aby by should he not thank tho ports ills eods gods were nere speak speaking ingi 1 foi rot when the waters of the great river ran back to the de desert detert the long ago outraged god gods v were ere no longe angry the towns might go but the great indian godf were N ere a blowing aoi ing their good I 1 she joinvil a group at the levee winding her veil yell oe mer mouth and forehead dark park shapes swayed near her the vind was mas making of the mad waters rushing down from the tile channel the noise of wind mind aud and waters was as strange loud voices came through the din of indian mexicans guttural gut sounds sound i men ran past her carrying hovels shovels pul pulling ing sacks of sand lanterns blown blon dim flashed their pale light on her chilled cheeks checks not even the leee le 1 ee ithe knew then weald eave save the towns was the end CHAPTER XV on the le lee e hardin did not go home that night lie ile was feeling to the quick tha tho irony of his his duty now to protect t ct the leee he hed d ridiculed ng nov V the anly hope of the towns I 1 the integrity of the man never faltered though his thoughts wild like the relentless relent lei lesi bounds hounds of Act neon they pursued him parking at his vanity lie ile started the anxious ranchers dt at tacking lacking sand bodea idt ran up to tell ln irn that there waa was a hill of filled lacks acks over in mexicali call cali rickard had it 1 bunch of indians working for a wee the con confusion fulon of the villy fellow did abot escape hardin oh he lie knew what Bode feldt wai wan thinking think ng what every one was baying t they were all laughing at him 11 coincidence of this extraordinary flood had upheld rickard 9 wild guelf haloed his jud judgment ment it was nl till a piece of his infernal luck sickening thaes what it wail nant ilia ills orders scattered scatter pd he ile ran up and down the levee giving orders recalling recal llna them when he found bo he was repeating repenting rickard 8 this now new humiliation coming on the heels of the dredge fiasco put him la execrable temper he lie shouted his orders over the of the night lie ile arted the men bullied them iso no one did anything right I 1 loro lora what he hj to put up with I 1 the other men the ranchers ad and engineers saw la in his excitement certainty of the valley a doom the wind and the birkness dir kness contributed tri buted to the con confusion fuMon eager shoves were up earth before anyone could tell inhere the danger point would be the water mater was not yet high enough to determine the place of battle sacked fand sand was being brought over from mexican cali fifty pair of 0 handa bands made short work ork of a hill lanterns were naming through the darkness like restless fireflies the wind and rushing water deadened the sound of the voices it z vi j 1 bafile ot ol elmila als alast awil risT py pygmies in la the darkness daTkO the giants threatened to conquer at three in the morning a horseman rode in from fassett S one of tle big |
