The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1917-06-22

bitches proving inadequate for these,
Colonel Baldwin had formed . stock
company among his neighbors in the
grass lands and his friends In Brewster
for the building Of q substantial dam
in the eastern hills. The project had
seemed simple enough In the beginning.
The stock was sold for cash and each
stockholdsr would be a participating
user Of the water. Williams. who had
been United States reclamation man
before he came to the Timanyoni, had
made careful estimates. and the stock
subscription provided money enough
to cover the cost Of the dam and the
main ditch.
After some little bargaining, the
dam site and the overflow land for the
reservoir lake had been secured, and
the work was begun. Out Of a clear
sky, however came trouble and harass-
ment. Alien holders of mining claims
In the reservoir area turned up and
demanded damages. Some few home
steaders who had promised to sign
quitclaims changed their minds and
sued for relief, and after the work was
well under way 1t appeared that there
was a cloud on the title of the dam site
itself. All of these clashings were car
ried into court. and the rancher pro-
moters found themselves confronting
invisible enemies and obstacle-raisers
at every turn.
| We've got to go In deeper, colonel !;
there is nothing else to do" was the
engineers summing up of the matter at
the close Of the conference 1.-THE snow
is melting pretty rapidly on the range
now. and when we get the June rise
we'll stand to lose everything we have
If we can't keep every wheel turning
to get ready for the high water"
Baldwin was holding his cigar be-
tween his fingers and scOwling at 1t as
II 1t had mortally offended him.
Assessments on the stock, you
2" he said. "I'm afraid our crowd
won't stand for that. A good part Of 1t
Is ready to lie down in the harness
right now"
"How about a bond issuef" asked
the engineer.
what do we, sr any of us, know
| hDUuL BOuu lSSuC6L why, We AueW
barely enough about the business at
the start to chip in together and buy us
charter and go to work on a plan a
little bit bigger than the neighborhood
ditch idea. You couldn't float bonds in
Timanyoni Park, and we're none of us
foxy enough to go East and float EN-"
81 guess that's right. too," admitted
Williams. Besides, with the stock
gone of the way 1t has, it would take
a mighty fine-haired financial sharp to
sell bonds"
whats that7" demanded the presi.
dent. "Who's been selling any stock p
Buck Gardner. for one; and that
man Boiling, up at the head Of Little
creek, for another. Maxwell, the rail.
road superintendent, told me about It,
and he says that the price offered, and
accepted. was thirty-nine."
dad burn a cuss with yellow
streak In himl" rasped the Missouri
colonel. 1--WE had a fair and square
agreement among ourselves that II any.
body got scared he was to give the rest
Of us chance to buy him out. Who
bought from these welshers?"
| maxwell didn't know that. He said
1t was done through Kinzie's bank.
From what I've heard on the outside,
I'm Inclined to suspect that Crawford
Stanton was the buyer"
stanton, the real-estate mani"
"The same"
Again the president stared thought
fully at the glowing end Of his cigar.
There's another Of the confounded
mysteries" he growled. "Who is Craw-
ford Stanton, and what is he here for 7
I know what he advertises, but every
body in Brewster knows that he hasn't
made living dollar In real estate
since he came here last summer. Will
| liams, do you know, I'm beginning to
suspect that there is a mighty big
nigger in our little wood pile?"
"You mean that all these stubborn
holdups have been bought and paid