New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-05-02
CHAPTER xvui-continued.

His eyes glued to the lurching sta
tion-hOuse, BabcOck took II brown
paper-rOlled cigarette from the prof
Tered box.
Look" he cried. "There. she'll go
See that"
There was a splash of splinterinf
timber; a Niagara Of spray as thu
building fell into the food. A minute
later, n wreckage of painted bonrds
was floating downstream.
At table Babcock resumed his cam
Enlsh. "The trouble with you all
o have cold feet. You're all scared
or too sOon."
Wooster, up from his nap. looked
across the table. "Cold feet? Sc
SOu'd have If you had been up fol
niShts, wetting your feet on the Ievee,
as some Of us have. as Hardin has
Mine are cold all right" He lifted IN
amazed foot. "COld! Look here,
boys. they're wet" The men looked
&" ind the water creeping ln-Bab'
cock climbed on his chair.
This means the station" cried
Wooster. Every man jumped. If the
waters had got to them. It wouldn't
ne long before they were reaching the
q. T.. depot! The tracks would 90
They were pillng out of the door
when the telephone caught them. II
was n message from Richard. A car
was to be rugged up. papers, tickets
ana express matter taken from the
station. The river was cutting close
10 the track. The car would be the
terminal, II half-mile from town.
The situation looked black. COul.
ter, Egg"rs, began to pnck their stock.
The lev"e. ii was snid. would not hold
hall of Mexicali was gone. CalexicO
would 20 next Richards Indians
were kept stolidly piling brush and
stuffed sacks on the levee. This, the
word ran, would be the fierce night
no n expected to sleep.
They were preparing for the big
battle. the final struggle, when the
grade recession passed the town.
spectacular ns was its coming, there
was an nnticllmax In rs retreat. The
water reached the platform of the
depot. and halted. The town held its
Breath. There was some sleep that
night.
The next ch.E, the nerves of the val.
fey feinxeh. The river was not cut.
anS hacI The men at the levee
'ifoppcG their shovels, and went back
10 tbs discussion cf their lawsuits,
'Ihei5 crops were ruined; too much
w't'r, or too little. Whatever way
they had been hurt, the
would have to pay for it!
A small Shift guarded the river.
Richard, in his room at the Desert
Motel, and Hardin up the river, slept n
day and n night without waking. The
cilnir-tilters picked up their argument
where they had left it; was the rail.
road reapinS a harvest of damace
suits when they should be thanked
inStend' Flraday, the newspapers
reported, was trying to shift his re-
sponSibIity; he had appealed to the
pr"side2t. Their correspondence was
published. The government was In no
hurry to take the burden. A tele-
graphic sermon, preaching duty, dis.
Irritating blame, was Sent from WASH
fnSt0n. Perhaps not Faraday himself
was more disturbed than the debaters
of the Desert hotel.
"The railroads no infant I'm arms
1t wasn't asleep when it took over
rhe affairs of the d. r." Here spoke
the majority. "a benefaction! II
self-interest When the river ia
who'll profit the most from
the valley prosperity? 1t can afford
TO pay the obligations; that Is. II
1t will find n way" the ravens
rroaked, "of shaking the Desert Re
company's debts; of eyad-
eng the damage suits. Look how
was treated"
The feeling ran higher. For nan
Of the ranchers were ruined; there
was no money to put In the next
crop unless the promises of the
irrigation company were kept. A
few landowners. and others who had
not completed their contracts, dis
trusting the good faith of the com.
pany. or irs ability to pay, had quit"
i'm disgust, to begin again some
else. Parrish, and Dowker.
and others Of the "Sixth" secured dis
trict had secured the promise of EN-.
Dloyment AT the Heading. Work, IL
was expected. would be begun ut once
that the danger to Calexico had