Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-07-06

| the very real foundation for the attain
ment Of his vision. Deep and strong
| and carefully graded it must be be-
fore he cleared the sand barrier to the
rivers surge. The ditch was slow Of
growth but there was something about
it which held MS faith. 1t was rugged
and elemental. 1t was the ugly source
| of coming resurrection.
When it was all but done he took
Margarita and showed her his handI-
work. He pointed out the little sluice-
ways, each with its primitive gate, a
heavy log hinged on thoIe-pin with
a prop to hold it up and a stone to
weight it when down. On the Fazenda
side were innumerable little trenches
that stretched down into the valley.
But not until he led her to the cleft
in the river gorge and showed her that
half an hours work on the sand bar
rier would let the river into the great
ditch did she understand And then
she caught his arm and burst into vio-
lent protest and pleading mo, no."
she cried, you shall not do it. You
shall not let in the river. The river is
terrible. You must not play with it.
1t does not understand. You think it
will do as you wish but it will not. Oh.
If you must, please, please play with
1t below the rapids. There it is kinder
1t lets one battle. It lets one wash
clothes"
Gerry got over his establishment and
laughed. Then he soothed her. AL
ready the simpler phrases of her
tongue came easily from his lips. He
told her that she was foolish and a
little coward. She must watch and
see how tame the river would be.
The next morning Gerry was up
early. He was excited. From this day
the ditch, the parched slope, the val
ley would know thirst no more With
the long dry season even the green
bottoms had begun to wilt He called
BOnifacfo and they started off to their
work
Under direction Bonifacio was dig
ging a great hole just at the back Of
the sand-bank. Gerry measured its
t"pd'4lg duu uuiIIy Cd4leu Tie ul0
darkey out He Jumped down on to
the sand-bank himself and dug a small
trench to the water. The river surged
through it gently. Gerry climbed out.
With each pulse of the come-and-go
a wave rushed through the little
trench, widening it and occasionally
carrying away a block of the sand
bank into the hole. Gradually, then
in rapid progression, the barrier was
legeled. The hole filled with water
that rose till it began to trickle down
the long length of the ditch. They
followed the tiny stream Soon it came
in rushing surges. Hours passed. Boni-
facio slept, but Gerry had forgotten
time. The ditch filed. The water
started to flow back into the river.
Along all its length the ditch held.
Gerry started opening the sluice
gates, the lowest first. The water CUR
gled out into the main trench and from
there was distributed. At first the
thirsty soil swallowed it greedily but
gradually the rills stretched farther
and farther down into the valley I'm
der the blazing sun they looked like
streams OF molten silver and gold
Margarita came running up to them
from the house. Gerry put his arm
around her and made her face the val
ley. Then he looked at the girl and
smiled. She smiled back at him but
trouble was still in her eyes.
Gerry left her to start on the work
of fitting the pOnderous sluice-g gate of
heWn logs that he had prepared for
the mouth of the great ditch. 1t was a
triumph of ingenuity. He never could
have evolved it without the aid of a
giant irOnwood wOrmscrew taken from
the wreck of a cotton press. The screw
was SO heavy that he and Bonifacio
could hardly carry it.
At the end Of three days the great
gate was installed He and Bonifacio
toiled like sailors at a capstan. They
drove the heavy barrier down into the
sand with a last turn of the screw and
shut out the river Margarita came
and saw and was pleased