Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-06-01
cAAPrER4xvll.
The Crawling stone Rise.

% S00oou Wa6 t00 Oub0t OF inc TlVeY
that. the trained riders OF the big
ranch were taken completely aback.
and hundreds Of head Of Dunning cat
tie were swept away before they could
be removed to points of safety. Fresh
alarms came with every hour Of the
day and night, and the telephones up
and down the valley rang necessarily
with appeals from neighbor to neigh
Dor: Lance Dunning, calling out tho
reserves of his vocabulary, swore tre-
mendously and directed the operations
against the river. These seemed, IN
deed, to consist mainly Of hard riding
and hard language on the part Of
everybody. Murray Sinclair. although
he had sold his ranch ON the Crawling
Stone and was concentrating his hold
ings on the Frenchman, was every.
where In evidence. He was the first
at a point OF danger and the last to
ride away from the slipping acres
where the muddy flood undercut; but
no defiance seemed to disturb the
Crawling Stone, which kept alarming
ly at work.
Above the alfalfa lands ON the long
bench north Of the house the river. in
changing its course many years earli-
er, had left depression known az
Mud lake. It had become separated
from the main channel of the Crawling
Stone by high, narrow barrier in the
form of bench deposited by the re-
ceding waters of some earlier flood.
and added to by sandstorms sweeping
among the willows that overspread it,
Without an effective head or definite
system of work the efforts of the men
at the Stone ranch were of no more
consequence than if they had spent
their time in waving blankets at the
river. Twenty men riding in together
to tell Lance Dunning that the river
was washing out the tree claims above
Mud lake made no perceptible differ
ence in the event. Dicksie, though an
inexperienced girl, saw with helpless
clearness the futility of it all.
Terror seized Dicksie. She tele-
phoned in her distress for Marion.
begging her to come up before they
should all be swept away; and Marion.
turning the shop over to Katie Dam
cling, got into the ranch-wagon that
Dicksie had sent and started for the
Crawling Stone.
At noon Marion arrived. The ranch
house was deserted, and the men were
all at the river. Puss stuck her head
out Of the kitchen window, and Dick
sie ran out and threw herself into
Aarion's arms. Late news from the
front had been the worst; the cutting
above Mud lake had weakened the last
barrier that held off the river, and
every available man was fighting the
current at that point.
Marion heard 1t all while eating al
luncheon. Dicksie, beset with anxiety,
could not stay in the house. The man
that had driven Marion over, saddled
horses in the afternoon and the two,
women rode up above Mud lake, now
become through rainfall and seepage,
from the river long, shallow lagoon.
For an hour they watched the shovel.l
Ing and carrying of sand-bags, and,
rode toward the river to the very edge
of the disappearing willows, where
the bank was melting away before the
undercut of the resistless current.
They rode away with common feel
ing-a conviction that the fight was a
losing one, and that another day would
see the ruin complete.
"Dicksie," exclaimed Marion-they
were riding to the house as she spoke
TIL tell you what we can dol" She
hesitated a moment. II will tell you
what we can do! Axe you plucky?"
Dicksie looked at Marion pathet-
ically.
IF you are plucky enough to do 1t,
We can keep the river off yet. have
IN idea. / will go, but you must come
along"
Marion. what do you mean? Don't;
you think I would go anywhere to,
save the ranch? should like to know
where you dare go in this country
that dare mott" !,
Then ride with me over to the, rail
road camp by the new bridge. We will
ask Mr.. McCloud to bring some4of his
men over. He can stop the river: he
knows how"
Dicksie caught her breath. "Oh.
Marion! that would do no good. even
] could do 1t. Why. the railroad has
been all swept away In the lowersyal
Icy"
"How do you knowl. !
$50 every one says"
'Who is every one?''
J Cousin Lance. Mr.. sinclaifa.all the
men. heard that q week. ago." |
"Dicksie, don't believe It. You don't;
know these RAILROAD men. They under.
stand this kind Of thing: cattlemen,
you know. don't. If-you will. 80 With!
me we can get help. Isfeel justs e.
sure that those men can control the
river AZ do that am looking at you
THAT is. II anybody can. The question!
u do you want to make the eifortr',
They talked until they left the
horses and entered the house. When
they sat down, Dicksie put her hands
70 her face. "Oh,SI wish you had said
nothing about It! How can I 60 TO
him and ask for help now-after Cous-
IN Lance has gone ihto court about tho
line and everything? And Of course
my name Is In 1t all.''
"Dicksie. don't raise specters that
have nothing to do with the case. II
we 80 to him and ask him for help he
viii give 1t to us II he can; Il he
lcan't. what harm Is done? He has
been mp and down the river tor three
weeks, and he has an army Of men
camped over by the bridge. / know
that, hacauss Mr.. Smith rode In from