The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-04-04

lence, as the two women, 1olloWeu Wy
Sam. yawning and stretching, made
their way down the shrieking street.
at was true" Innes was thinking. she
had at last stumbled on the rout, but
It was not a matter Of personal, but
moral untldiness; not carelessness
Of pins or plates, of tapes or dishes. 1t
was far worse; a slackness OF ethics.
It meant more unhappiness for Tom.
Her aching muscles told her that
she could not have slept four hours
when the darby was back, knocking at
her door.
Innes' horse Hoped through the
silent streets.
an run past the levee; perhaps
Tom has come back" 1t occurred to
her that there might be message at
the hotel. She pulled on her left rein,
and swept past the deserted adobe.
As she refined in her horse, Richard
stepped out on the sidewalk. He, too,
was heayy-eyed from a snatched nap.
"Were you looking for me?"
The scorn in the girls face told him
that his question was stupid. For
him!
"Has my brother come backp
He said he did not know. "You can
see have been dreamingI" She would
not smile back at him, but rode off
toward the levee.
Was this the river? West of the
leyee, a sea of muddy water spread
over the land. There was yet a chance
to save the towns, the town, she cor
rected herself, as her eye fell on the
Mexican village across the ditch. For
Mexlcali was doomed. Some of the
mud huts had already fallen; the wa
ter was running close to the station
| house.
She saw Wooster standing near, cal
culating the distance, the time, per-
haps, before the new station would go.
She hailed Wooster. Ruin was pre-
saged in the lines of his forehead.
'Pretty bad?" she cried.
He shook his head.
ais Tom back?"
"He's over there, now. Fighting like
all possessed. He'll work till he
drops" Wooster was proud of that
method.
I'VE all know Toni" Her pride
sprang up. "But he's got to stop for
while. I'm going up after him."
mot if my names Wooster. I'll 90.
He'll mind me-"
She watched the flowing river, swol.
len with wreckage. She saw, with
comprehension, a section of a fence
somebody's crop gone. There was a
railway tie, another! The river was
eating up Estrada's new roadbed? A
cry broke from her as a mesquit on
the cotfee-colored tide caught on a
buried snag. The current swirled dan.
gerously around it. Instantly, the wa.
ter rose toward the top of the leyee
Men came running to pry ayay the
tree. A minute later, it was dancino
down the stream. They raised the
bank against the pressing lappinp
waves. There, the tree had strucl;
again. They ran down the levee with
their long poles. Each time that han.
pened, unless the obstruction were
swiftly dislodged, she knew il meant
an artificial fall somewhere a nuicr
securing out of the channel. Tho mon
We're working like silent parts of a hio
machine; the confusion of the frsi
night was gone. From their faces ons
would not guess that their fortunes
their homes, hung on the subdning ~
that indomitable force which bod -,
yet known defeat, which had tnrn az
PACK explorer and conquistador An
there was the lurking fear of ~ W.
tory still lay to its credit. the o+ho,
column Yves blank.
She saw Wooster coming touo -
her' Ills swapping black eyes shot ort
sparks OF anger. N'lO' gu
lie won't let me co.
VINO won't let your But she knovr
SeS' says hell send some ont
else said as nobody else'd moii'
Hardin stop. He said as that WINS '' ny
to Hardin" '''''' was III
gol 'e' wooster
orders me to bed" spat woos.,,
wonder why he didn't order ' or,,,,
100 It's spite, antagonlsm = Ha enue.
mats what 1t isw She believed i'' tp pati
700 Tom was right. Richard did ta1.
auSahtage Of his authority. ~ ''N'
she did not see Richard rrtn
stood by her side. "ii''' NJ
I'm sorry not to spars w..
Sl'Ss Hardin, But there's st' woUs.eT ,
ahead He's got to be ready g For , wo ,Il
= Hardin insists on spelling ono . . ea,'
, soldier that's his affair. C cnp,t goo
! MIN spoil two.o can't lie
J as wooster shrugged, and left tb,,,,
: SpolIlng good soldiers =, ''eu
I've taken Bodefeldt ar Az.
! lOlu him IN rnit,,. =, ~ Nuly.