Mexico Missouri message., 1917-07-12
CHAPTER IV--contlnued.

on his record little before we could
bring him In here. Badly as we're
needing a money man, we can hardly
afford to put John Smith into the
saddle-at least not without knowing
what his other name used to be-"
"No; of course not. l guess, after
all, he's only lame duck like a good
many of the rest of them. Day before
yesterday, Burdell, the deputy sheriff,
was out at the camp looking the gangs
over for the fellow who broke into
LannIgan's place last Saturday night.
When he came into the office Smith
was busy with an estimate, and Bur-
dell went up and touched him on the
shoulder, just to let him know that it
was time TO wake up. Suffering cats
It took three of us to keep him from
breaking Burdell in two and throwing
him out Of the Window"
''That looks rather bad" was the
presidents comment. Col. Dexter Bald
win had been the first regularly elect
ed sheriff of Timanyoni county in the
early days and he knew the symptoms.
WAS Burdell wearing his star where
1t could be SEEM"
The engineer nodded.
what explanation did Smith maker"
"oh, he apologized like gentleman,
and said he was subject to little nerv-
Gus attacks like that when anybody
touched him unexpectedly. He took
Burdell over to Pete Slmm's shack sa-
loon and bought him drink. Perkins,
the tihekeeper, says he's going to get
megaphone so he can give due notice
In advance when he wants to call
Smiths attention..
The colonel pulled out drawer in
the desk, found his box of diplomatic
cigars and passed it to the engineer,
saying: Light up sure-enough good
one, and tell me what you think Smith
has been doing back yonder in the
other country"
Williams took the cigar but he SHE'D
at the cOnundrum.
"AslS, me something easy" he said,
I've stacked up q few guesses. He's
from the middle West-as the Bible
says, his speech betrayeth' him-and
he's had good job of some kind; the
kind that required him to keep abreast
of things. If there's anything in looks,
you'd say he wasn't thief or an en-
bezzler, and yet it's pretty apparent
that he's been used to handling money
In chunks and making 1t work for it's
living. I've put 1t up that there's a
woman in it. Perhaps the other fell
low got In his way, or came up behind
him and touched him unexpectedly, or
something of that sort. Anyway, I'm
not going to believe he's a crooked
crook until have to-"
Colonel Baldwin helped himself to
one of his own cigars, and the talk
went back to business. In the irri-
cation project, Williams was a stock
holder as well as chief of construction,
and Baldwin had more than once
found him a safe adviser. There was
need for counsel. The Timanyoni
Ditch company was In rather hazard
Gus condition financially, and the presi-
dent and Williams rarely met without
coming sooner or later to a threshing
out Of the situation.
The difficulties were those which are
apt to confront small and local enter
prise when 1t is so unfortunate as to
get in the way of larger undertakings.
Colonel Baldwin, and a group of his
neighbcrs on the north side of the
stver, were reformed cattlemen and
h'Sse breeders. Instead of drifting
farther west in advance Of the incom-
i1g tide of population following the
coming of the railroad, they had
availed themselves of their homestead
rights and had taken up much of the
grass land in the favorable valleys, ir-
rigating 1t at first with water taken
out Of the river in private or neIghbor-
hood bitches.
Later on came the sheep-feedlng
period, and after that the utilization
OF larger crop-raising areas. The small
bitches proving inadequate for these
Colonel Baldwin had formed a stock
company among his neighbors in the
grass lands and his friends in Brewster
for the building of q substantial dan
In the eastern hills. The project haC
seemed simple enough In the beginning
The stock was sold for cash and eacf
stoclSholder would be participating
user Of the water. Williams, who hat
been United States reclamation mar
before he came to the TImanyoni, haC
made careful estimates, and the stool
subscription provided money enough
TO cover the cost OF the dam and tn,
| main ditch.