Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-08-19

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CHAPTER XVI CONTINUErJ

(CHAPTER XVI CONIlN l ELL
TO NcCloud the news came. in spite
Of himself. as blew. The results he
had attained in building through the
lower valley had given him name
among the engineers OF the whole line.
The splendid showing OF the winter
construction, on which he had de-
pended to enable him to finish the
whole work within the year. was by
this news brought 70 naught Those
Of the railroad men who said he could
not deliver q completed limo within
che year could never be answered now.
And there was some slight bitterness
IN tho reflection that the very stun
)ling.block to hold him back, to rob
aim OF his chance for a reputation
with men like Glover and Bucks,
should be the lands OF Dicllsie Dun
ming
He made no complaint. On the d.
vision he took hold with new en-
ergy and bent his faculties on the OPP
Grating problems. At Marion's he
saw Dicksie at intervals, and only to
fall more hopelessly under her spell
each time. She could be serious and
she could be volatile and she could be
something between which he could
never quite make out. She could be
serious with him when he was serious,
and totally irresponsible the next min
ute with Marion. On the other hand.
, whom McCloud attempted to be flip
Dant, Dicksie could be confusingle
grave Once when he was banterins
.xith her at Marions she tried TO say
lomething about her regret that com
;)lications over the right OF way
3hould have arisen; but McCloud made
3iGht Of It, and waved the matter aside
As II he were a cavalier. Dicksie did
not like II, but It was only that he
was afraid she would realize he was
mere railroad superintendent with
hopes Of a record for promotion quite
blasted. And as II this obstacle to q
greater reputation were not enough, q
Wilier enemy threatened in the spring
% leave only shreds and patches OF
what he had already earned
The Crawling Stone river is said to
Smbody, historically, all OF the de-
eeits known to mountain streams. Be-
low the Box Canyon It plows through
. great bed OF yielding silt. Its own
deposit between the two imposing
tines Of bluffs that resist its wander
Ngs from side to side of the wide val
,ey. This fertile soil makes up the
Sich lands that are the envy Of less
fortunate regions in the Great Basin
>ut the Crawling Stone is not river
20 give quiet title to one acre Of its
>wn making The toll Of its centuries
spreads beautifully green under the
Juno skies, and the unsuspecting set
tier, lulled into security by many
years Of the rivers repose, settles or
It's level bench land and lays out his
long lines OF possession but the Sioux
will tell you In their own talk that this
man Is but a tenant at will; that IN
another time and at another place the
Dtranger will inherit his fields; and
that the Crawling Stone always comes
back for its own.
The winter had been an unusual one
even In a land of winters. The sea
sons fall OF snow had not been above
an average. but 1t had fallen in the
spring and had been followed by ex
cessively low temperatures throughout
the mountains June came again. but
Q strange June. The first rise OF the
Crawling Stone had not moved out
she winter frost. and the stream lay
bound from bank TO bank and for hun
lreds Of miles. under three feet OF ice
When June opened, backward and
cold, there had been no spring Heavy
frosts lasting until the middle Of the
month gave sudden way to summer
heat, and the Indians on the upper.
valley reservation began moving back
into the hills. Then came the rise
Creek after creek In the higher noun
tains, icebound for six months, burst
without warning into food. Soft windG
struck with the sun and stripped the
mountain walls OF their snow Rains
Set In on the desert. and far in the
Aigh northwest the Crawling Stone
Sfting its four-foot cap OF ice like q
bod OF feathers began rolling it enc
ever end down the valley. In the Box
10 feet Of water struck the canyon
walls and ice.hoes were hurled like
torpedoes against the granite spurs
the Crawling Stone was starting aftel
Its own.
Whom the river rose. the earlier tall
Of Dunning's men had been that tn
\Crawling Stone would put an end t.
che railroad pretensions by washin'
vhe $50 miles OF track back to tn
Pesce river. where 1t had started. Thi
much In the beginning was easy 4
predict; but the railroad men ha
turned out in force to fight for thei
holdings, and while the ranchers wer
laughing. the river was flowing owe
the bench lands in the upper valley
CHAPTER XVII.