Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-08-19
THE TREASURE OF THE STREAM.

iho lNo hhen LACeu one announcer oVb
eide the stone Offices, OF the Land Co;
the one stout, overdressed, flushed
with prosperity; the other. hat In
hand. as one who pleads.
My good man, you're wasting my
time" said the president OF the COM
pany affably. lie could anord to be
afable. Il can't help 1t IL you've no
water on your farm. Take my price
two hundred and fifty--and Il isn't
worth the fifty alone-oE, stay here
and rot" -, -.
The lands-iITigated lands, they
called them, with. fine irony-had been
first settled by miners. wboshad come
there attracted by ImNyeless stories
OF lost gold mine They had labor
iously scraped the tbiA' fllyylal from
the banks OF the stream and then de-
parted: Afterward the settlers GANG.
Homesteads sprang up beside the
stream which made oil tho land fer
Tile for seven miles on either side OF
1t. But they were outwitted by cap
.talistsVfrom the east. John BascoTn
Tad scene with the ego OF an expert.
tho marvellous possibilities of the dry
soil two miles eastward where once
the river had been. before the courses
OF the stream changed Ho had &c
quired rights on the hillside and be-
gun TO build the great dam which
was to divert the river into its ancient
bed and irrigate thousands OF acres
now nothing but a sandy desert
Meanwhile the settlers, finding their
water supply gradually diminishing.
had one by one sold out to the Land
Co. till only Gregson aud his wife
remained.
IL was not Bascom's Intention to
divert the entire stream. lie calcu-
lated, by leaving the end OF the dam
open. ne could divide the flow, and
thus acquire possession of two tracts
Of fertile soil. one along either tribu-
tary But first he must Brighten Greg
son away. Thus II was that. as the
dam drew to completion, the river
shrank daily until IL was nothing but
a rivulet
God help us, Mary, wen have to
GO" Gregson muttered, staring out
over his Rarched acres. Ten years
a homestead built and prosperity fac
ing us-and now
1t had been worth twelve thousand
the preceding year. Now the desert
had crept in, and where the broad riv-
or had been man could wade across.
The stream had been diverted and the
Land Co. was growing rich.
We'll, GregsOn are you ready to
move?" asked Bascom pleasantly the
following week, as he rode by
Curse you. no." Gregson cried TO
him. IN rot first. Yoq'n never get
this place-never. -
Wait till next month" said Bas-
com pleasantly.
Well, there was nothing .Sbut TO
complete the dam and shut Oft the
entire stream. It would cost q cool
thousand to tear down the masonry
again, but Gregson's farm was worth
II times that--would be worth forty
thousand when properly divided up
into settlers lots. So, in due course
Of time. Gregson and his wife were
left high and dry upon the face Of
the desert -
Gregs0nJ drew his lest Ipenug sfrens
the banitH He had $500 lse3pi 4 me,
world, beside his worthless Bmesteid
1t was too little to take them east,
oven
wen fight him while we are
uliUp caid xuIpa or 49,,
member what that travelling surveyor
said two years ago, that there might
be an underground stre4m3 Sink a
well. dear"
by God, will" creIdI Gregson.
1t cost all that he had 20 run down
to rock level and board the sides
against the sand. And. when this
was done. there was no water.
"Gregson, I'll give you seyenty-hve
for your house, to use for lumber"
said Bascom. Como, I'll make IL a
couple Of hundred. so that you can
get away. Don't be a fool. man.
Think of your wife You've, got to
20; mouse couldn't earn a living
here Or, III sell you FIVE lots in the
comDany's land, fifty down and FIVE a
month"
And Gregson flung back his defiance
at him and still remained
Now they had only food for week
remaining They scooped up water
for drinking ont OF the wet sand with
difficulty. And even that failed them.
We've got 10 CO." said Gregson at
last Bot Wen leave them nothing.
Let US fiji I'm the well, at any rate,
before we leave"
For three days they worked inces-
sanity. shOveling sand from the bed
Of the stream and filling mp the we'll
On the fourth day Gregson tripped in
tho excavation and sat up with cry.
holding his. foot He had stubbed Il
against a boulder. His wife ran UP to
him She saw his face freeze sud
denly, saw his features distorted.
heard the laugh Of a madman como
from his throat he POINTED into the