Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-05-19
CHAPTER lI-ContInued.

was JUST telllnB van Bruce tnaC |
his laundering fish cartridge would |
raise the neighbors," the'trail climber |
went on with a stout mans chuckle. |
And then You're one Of the reclama- |
ton engineers? Great work the gov
eminent is undertaking here. You
are connected with it, aren't you?"
Brouillard's nod was for the man,
but his words were for the young
woman whose beauty refused to be
quenched by the touring handicaps.
Yes, am in charge of 1t" he said.
Hal" said the stout man, and this
time the exclamation was purely ap-
probative. Chief engineer, Ell? That's
fine, fne My name is Cartwright
J. Wesley Cartwright of Chicago. And
yours is"
Brouillard named himself in one
word. Strangers usually found him
bluntly unresponsive to anything like
effusiveness, but he was finding 1t Gu
riously difficult to resist the good
natured heartiness which seemed to
exude from the laxative gentleman,
OVERLAPPING him like the honeydew on
the leaves in a droughty forest.
II Mr.. j. Wesley Cortwright's sur
prise on hearing the Brouillard sur
name was not genuine it was at least
an excellent imitation.
well, well, well-you don't say!
Not of the Brouillards of Knox county,
Indiana but, Of course, you must be"
Yes" said Brouillard. "Our branch
of the family settled near Vincennes,
and my father was on the bench, when
he wasn't in politics."
What? Not Judge Antoine! Why,
my dear young man! Do you know
that once had the pleasure of intro
ducing your good father to my bank
ers in Chicago? 1t was years ago, at
time when he was interested in float
ing bond issue for some growing in
dustry down on the Wabash. And to
think that away out here in this howl
ing wilderness, a thousand miles from
nowhere, as you might say, | should
meet his son!"
Brouillard laughed and fell headlong
into the pit of triteness.
The world isn't so very big when
you come to surround 1t properly, Mr.
Cartwright" he asserted.
You are wondering what fool no
ton chased US away out here In the
desert when we had comfortable no
tel to stop at" he ratified on. "Tl
tell you, Mr.. Brouillard-in confidence
1t was curiosity-raw, country curios
ity. The papers and magazines have
been full of this Buckskin reclamation
scheme, and we wanted to see the
place where all the wonderful miracles
were going to get themselves wrought
out. Have you got time to put III
next?"
Brouillard, as the son of the maj
who had been introduced to the Chi
cago money gods in his hour of need
could scarcely do less than to take thu
time. The project, he explained, con
templated the building of a high dan
across the upper end of the Niquoij
canyon and the converting of the in
land valley above into a great storag
reservoir. From this reservoir a serie
of distributing canals would lead tn
water out upon the arid lands of tn
Buckskin and the miracle would be
fact accomplished.
Sure, sure!" said the cheerful quel
list, feeling in the pockets Of the al
tomobile coat for a cigar. At tn
match-striking instant he remembers
a thing neglected. by George! you
have to pardon me, Mr.. Brouillard; II
always forgetting the little social deV
dabs. Let me present you to N
daughter Genevieve. Gene, shak
hands with the son of my good oil
friend, Judge Antoine Brouillard {
Vincennes."
1t was rather awkwardly done, an
somehow Brouillard could not hel
fancying that Mr.. Cartwright coul
have done it better But when tn
unquenchable beauty stripped hi
gauntlet and gave him her hand, wit
a dazzling smile and a word of a
Acknowledgement which was not DO
rowed from her fathers ELUSIVE v
cabulary, he straightway fell into a
other pit of triteness and his savir
first impressions of Mr., ]. Wesley Coz
wright's character began to fade.
I'm immensely interested" wi
Miss Cortwrights comment on the OF
lining of the reclamation project. II
you mean to say that real farms wi
green things growing on them can
made out of that frightful desert
drove over yesterday afternoon
Brouillard smiled and plunged fat