The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-07-10
STEALING WATER.
BY RoBERT b. UTTER.

.Annie," said Mrs. Hart \ wisn
you'd go down and tell Peter Noroseii
that | want 20 get my bects IN to-nlor'
row, if he'll come up.
"Yes'm," said Annie.
Sand ask HIM if he can spare me thhl
slip from his rose geranium ne pioin
ised me last week"
.Yes'm." Annie took her sunbonnet
and moved t. ward the dooc.
.And don't run, ,rhild-'t's dreadful
hot. And don't bring Aome another
horn toad. J. simply can't abide the crit
+erso Mrs. Iart stood in the doorway
and looked out over the gray HILLSIDE.
"A dreadful oreary county sic NUT
tered. IF only TIE Lord could nave
made it green to start with
She caught sight of ben. figuse with
a rifle at right shoulder SHIFT, psoualng
slowly up the canyon road beneath her.
.For the lands sake!" she calculated.
4.There he is now Mr.. Nordsen! An
ME, Come back! Mr.. Nordsen, come
IN here a minute. wan: to speak 10
you!"
Annie ran back along The hillside
glad she had not gone beyond recall
and Nordsen toiled slowly up the steep
path to the door of the 1.-THE sbanty'
"Come right in and sit dowa,' sald
Mrs. Hart, II you have time
..Plenty OF time said Aordsen, sit
ting down with his rifle between his
knees. Il was just going ZIP to nix my
xxater gate. and see If l could shoot a
jack rabbit"
you're lucky to have water gate to
fix. Mr.. Nor sen," she replied. i can
make out how Henry came to leave me
without any water right, unless it was
that he was taken SO suddenly
.Yes'm." assented Nordsen. when
the Miners Delight caves in, she amt
likely to leave man much time to Tx
nm water rights for his wilder"
Il said to Henry when we first came
here" Mrs. Hart went on, Henry,
said. I'll not live in a country where
you have to BUY your water, as If some
body owned it, / said. It's just IKE
supposing we had 10 buy ar, and il the
Lord don't rlin it down here on the JUS
and the unjust want to stay in Yer
mont
"And what did he say to +hat2' asked
Nordsen.
"TIe said: we don't mead water, Mil
Iy. when we can have horn silver Tor tn
digging of it up The upshot of tn
matter was that not dlop OF Mn
creek do I own, from one end to tn
other"
But you raise some pretty fine beets
Mrs. Hart" said Nordsen, seeing yo
have no water"
"only on account of Mr.. Seymour
shiftlessness" she replied. ut a.
comes down from ! leak in his big fun
above here
"Really now!" said Nordsen. IAN
he never fixed that fume? Well, that
one on him." He grinned with goo
deal of hear mess as he wired an imat
inary speck of dust from the front sigh
of his rifle. "A regular good one" b
repeated. 'Yes, yes!" ..
"How SOP asked Mrs. Hart, wit
some show OF interest.
w ell, sdIu NOi"oSh, 10Y
man of his disposition, that's paid mig
$4,000 for his water rights, and make
every ranchor below here lay two do
liars an acre Cor what water is left whe
he gets through, it seems to me it
uueer of him to let you have all yo
want without paying for it-especialI
as he never pave a thing tn living sol
before in his life, SO far as ! ever heard
"Ten thousand dnllarsi" echoed Mr.
Hart.
"Yes'm, to this one, and that one, an
the lawyers. But it won't hurt him
give YOU little of It. It'll stand him
good stead a. the last. Hell need wat
finally,v he ADDED, with chuckle. "Ar
YOU can depend on me to keep my mou'
shut"
Mrs. Har. did not reply. Her III
were shut tight, and She was gazir
through the open door f1r out aero
the valley gnmmer'ng in he afternoc
sunlight. The old man rose togo.
~what 1 wanted Of you. Mr. Nordsen
sAid Mrs. Hart. with an effort, was