The Raymer enterprise., 1917-11-01

Tort You'll remember that 70 what
Billy Starbuck tried to tell % when
the FIRST Of the missing mining-claim
owners began to shout at u.s."
"Starbuck has q long head, and what
he doesn't know about mining claims in
this part Of the country wouldn't ali a
very big book. I remember he said
there had never been any prospecting
done In the upper Timanyoni gulches,
and now you'd think half the people 10
the United States had been nosing
around up there with pick and shovel
at one time or another. But II was
thing that Starbuck told me no longer
ago than yesterday that set me to
thinking" Baldwin went on. As you
know. the old Escalante Spanish grant
corners over In the western part of this
park. When the old grants were made,
they were ruled of on the map with
out reference to mountain ranges or
other natural barriers"
Williams nodded.
swell. as ! say, one corner OF the Es-
calante reaches over the Hophras and
out into the park. covering about eight
or ten square miles Of the territory
just beyond US on our side Of the river.
Starbuck told me yesterday that big
Eastern colonization company had got
a bill through congress alternating that
tract"
The chief Of construction bounded
out OF his chair and began to walk the
floor. by Georgel" he said; and
again: by George, That's what
we're up against. COLONEL Where will
those fellows get the water for their
landl There is no site for dam lower
down than ours, and, anyway, that land
lies too high to be watered by any
thing but n nighttime ditch!"
mice little brace game. Isn't itY
growled Baldwin. III we hadn't been
a lot Of hayseed amateurs. we might
have found out long ago that someone
was running in u cold deck on US.
WHAT'S your notion? Are We done up.
world without end7"
Williams laugh was grim
What we need. colonel. Ii to 90 out
on the street and yell for DOCTOR" be
said. ITS beginning to look as II we
had acquired pretty bad case Of ma
llgnant strangle-itis."
Baldwin ran his fingers through his
hair and admitted that he had lost his
sense Of humor.
This Eastern crowd Is trying to
freeze US out, to get our dam and reser-
volr and ditch rights for their Esca-
lante scheme. When they do. they'll
turn around and sell US water-at ffty
dollars an Inch. or something like
that"
"What breaks my heart Is that we
haven't been able to surround the sure
enough fact while there was still time
to do something" lamented the ex-
reclamation man. 1.-THE first thing we
know, Stanton will own majority Of
the stock and be voting US oil out of
Job. You'll have to come around to
my suggestion. after all. and advertise
for DOCTOR" II was said Of the chief
Of construction that he would have
joked on his death-bed. and. rs fol.
lower for the Joke, he added: "Why
don't you call Smith In and give him
the jobT"
"You don't really mean that. VIII
liams. do your growled the colonel.
mo, I didn't mean II when ! said It."
was the engineers admission; Il was
only trying to get rise out Of you. But
really. colonel, on second thought. !
don't know but II 10 worth considering.
As I say, Smith seems to know the
money game from start to finish. What
is better still, he Is fighter from the
word go-what you might call Joyous
fighter. Suppose you drive out tomor-
row or next day and pry into him a
little"
The rnncher-presldent had relapsed
once more into the slough Of discour-
agement.
"You are merely grabbing for hand
holds, Bartley-as was a minute ago.
We are In bad row Of stumps when
we can sit here and talk seriously
about roping down a young hobo and
putting him into the financial harness.
Let's 20 around to Frascatl's and eat
before you go back to camp. It's bread
time. anyway"
The chief Of construction said no
more about his joking suggestion at the
moment. but when they were walking
around the square to the Brewster Del
monico's he went back to the dropped
subject In all seriousness, saying:
"Just the same. wish you could know
Smith and size him up as ! have. I
can't help believing. some way. that
he's all to the good"
CHAPTER v.