The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-07-09
STEALING WATER.


you'd go down and tell Peter Nordsen
that l want 20 get my bects in to-mor-
row, if he'll come up
"Yes'm,'' said Annie.
And ask INN if he can spare me that
slip from his rose geranium he prom
ised me last week"
"Yes'm.' Annie took her sunbonnst
and moved toward the door.
"And don't run, child--it's dreadful
hot. And don't bring LONE another
horn toad. simply can't abide the crit
ters." Mrs. Hart stood in the doorway
and looked out over the gray hillside.
"A dreadful dreary county" she NUT
tered. "If only the Lord could have
made it green to start with"
She caught sight of bent figure with
a rifle at right shoulder shift, plodding
slowly up the canyon road beneath her.
For the lands salke!" she calculated
"There he is now Mr.. Nordsen An
ME! Come back! Mr.. Nordsen, come
up here minute, wan: to speak to
you!"
Annie ran back along the hillside,
glad she had not gone beyond recall,
and Nordscn toiled slowly up the steep
path to the door of the little shanty.
Come right in and sit down." said
Mrs. Hart, ~ you have time
PLENTY of time said Aordsen, sit
ting down with his rifle between his
knees. Il was just going up to fix my
jack rabbit"
you're lucky to have a water gate to
fin, Mr.. Nor SEN" she replied. 81 can't
make out how Henry came to leave me
without any water right, Unless it was
that he was taken SO suddenly"
"Yes'm," assenteG Nordsen. "When
the Miners Delight caves in, she amt
likely to leave a man much time to fix
up water rights for his widder.'
Il said to Henry when,W first came
here Mrs. Hart went on, Henry l
said. IN not live in a country where
you have to buy your water. as if some
body owned it, | said. IT'S just like
supposing we had 10 buy ar, and if the
Lord don't ruin it down here on the just
and the unjust l want to stay in Yer
mont
"And what did he say to +hat?" asked
Morrison.
He said: we don't need water. Mil
". when we can have horn liver for the
digging of it up The upshOt of the
matter was that not drop of Rife
creek do | own, from one end to the
other"
"But you raise some pre@ty fine beets
Mrs. Hart" said Nordsen, seeing you
have no water"
"Only on account of Mr.. Seymour's
shiftlessnes%," she replied. at all
comes down from i leak in his big fume
1,C>tIiy nav! sald Nordsen. And
he never fix i that Aume? Well, that's
Que on him." He %rinneG with good
deal of hearth & he wired an mag
mary spccll of dust from tho front sight
of his rifle, "a regular good one he
repeated. Yes, yes"
''How SOP" asked Mrs Hart, with
some show OF interest.
WELL said NordSen, slowly, 'for a
man of his disposition, that's paid nigh
$4,000 for his water rights, and makes
every rarchor below here ! ny two dol
lars an acre Cor what water is left when
he gets through, it SEEM to me it's
queer of him to 1T YOU lave all you
want without paying for ii especially
as he never gave thing II living soul
before in his life. 50 far as ever heard -
Ten thousand dnllars!" echoed Mrs.
Hart.
''Yes'm, to this one, and hat one, and
the lawyers. But it won't hurt him to
give you little of It. tn stand him in
good stead n: the last. Hell need water
finally" ne Guded, with a chrckIc. And
you can dcp"nd on ME to keep my mouth
shut"
Mrs. Hart did not reply. Her lips
were Slut tight, and she was gazing
through the open door f1r out across
the valley gnmmering in ,hc afternoon
sunlight. The old man rose to go.
'What l wanted of you, Mr.. Nordsen,"
said Mrs. Hart, with an effort, was to
know if you can help me get my beets
in tomorrow morning"
81 gness so,' he replied, las far as
know now
"And if you'll let me have the use of
your wagon" she went on, III do your
washing for as much longer as you r,
fit"
You're freely welcome, Mis- Hart ~
he said, without any further trouble
about it, and I'll take you' bccts to the
sugar factory for you if you WISH
I'm ccrt'tnly greatly obliged. Mr..
Nordsen," she replied, but rather go
myself. I've one or two errands want
specially to DO"
LAS you please, ma am, ; he said, las
you please. I'll be here to-morrow with
it sure. Good day. Good by, Annie.
How's the kitten coming OH that l gave
you?"
Nicely, thank you, SIR said Annie,
shyiy.
"That's good" he said "Good-bv."
He went cautiously down the steep
slope again. Mrs. Hart sat down in her
splint- bottom rocker, and dropped her
hands in her lap as hough she were "all
beat out" as she would have expressed
it.
The water had meandered down the
hillside from a leak in The big fume