Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-04-25

waters, when there was blockade
of buggies ahead of them.
"The A B c ranch,' cried Innes,
peering through the veil of dust at
the queer unreal outlines of fences
and trees. Its our first STOP"
"Oh, / say, that's too bad" began
Sutcliffe. Innes was already on the
road, her skirts whipped by the wind
into clinging drapery.
Gerty's party found itself disorgan-
lied. Partners were trying to find
or lose each other. Get in here!''
InneS heard the voice of Estrada be-
hind her. He had a top buggy. She
hailed refuge.
"Splendid." she cried. "What a
relief" Climbing in, she said: II
hope this isn't upsetting Gerty's ar
rangement."
Arrangement! Look at them! y
The women were Fastening out of the
dust swirl into any haven that Of
fered. With little screams of dismay,
they ran like rabbits to cover.
Gerty found herself with BliRn. At
the next stop there was block of
buggies. mo use changing again !"
She acknowledged herself beaten.
Lets go on. What are they stopping
for?" Dismal farce it all was!
She was pushing back her disheart-
ened curls when the beat of horses
hoofs back of them brought the blood
back into her wind-chilled cheeks.
"Rickard ~ she thought. "He must
have come in a special!" The gloom
suddenly disgorged MacLean.
Hardin! Where is he?"
whats up?" yelled Blinn. "Is it
the river?" MacLean's face answered
him. His ranch secured again--"God
Almighty"
"The river!" screamed the women.
The men were surrounding MacLean,
whose horse was prancing as ii with
the Importance of having carried
Revere. "The levee!" called Mac
Lean. "Where's Hardin?" He spurred
his mare toward Hardin, who was
blacker than Napoleon at AusterlitZ.
ed." The other voices broke in, the
men pressing up. This threatened
them all. Blinns ranch lay in the
ravaged sixth district. Nothing would
save him. YOungberg belonged to
water company number one; their
bitches would go. HOLSTER and Will
son of the Palo Verde saw ruin ahead
of them. Each man was visualizing
the mad onward sweep of that de-
stroying power. Like ghosts, the
women huddled in the dust-blowr
road
"Where is it nOw" demanded Blinn.
''It's here, right on us. You're all
needed at the levee," bawled Mac
Lean.
The levee! There was a dash for
buggies, a scraping of wheels, the
whinnying of frightened horses. Some
one recalled the flashes of light they
had seen on leaving town. 'What
were those lights--signals?"
''From the water-tower." MacLean's
voice split the wind. "The wires are
all down between the Crossing and the
towns. COronel was on the tOwer-he
got the signal from the Heading-he's
been there each night for a week !'
This was a great night-fOr his chief,
Richard!
Gerty Hardin caught the thrill of
his hero-worship. How splendid, how
triumphant!
Innes found herself in her brothers
buggy. His horse, under the whip,
dashed forward. Suddenly he pulled
it back on it's launches, narrowly
averting jam. 'Where's Mac
Learn"
The boy rode back. "Who's call
ing me?"
"Give me your horse" demanded
Hardin. You take my sister home"
Gerty Eardin's party was torn like
O bow of useless fnery. Facing the
wind now, no one could talk !; no one
wanted to talk. Each was threshing
out his own thoughts; personal ruin
stared them In the face. Every man
was remembering that reckless ex.
posed cut of Hardin's; pinning their
hope to that ridiculed l2vee. The
horses broke into a reckless galiop.
the buggies iurching wildly as they
lodged One another. The axle5
creaked and strained. The wind tore
away the hats of the women, rent
their pretty chiffon wells.
The dusty road was peopled with
dark fOrmless shapes. The signals
had spread the alarm; the desert
world was flocking to the gorge of the
New river, to the levee.
The women were dumped without
ceremony on the sidewalk, under the
screened bird cage of the Desert
hotel. Shivering, her pretty teeth
chattering, Gerty Hardin ushered
them into the deserted hall. The
Chinese cook snored away his vigil in
an armchair by the open fire. The
men had rushed away to the levee.
"WOmen must wait" Gerty's laugh
was hysterical. eve can do no good