The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-05-15

ultimate failure the growing belief in
the omnipotence of the Great Yellow
Dragon as the Cocopahs visualized It,
Estrada's work was as intense as
though he were Fastening q sure vic
tory. The dauntless spirit of the elder
Estrada pushed the track over the hot
sands where he must dance at times
to keep his feet from burning. Many
Of the rails they laid at night.
| richards gone hog-wild," Hardin
told his family the next morning.
Building levee between the towns |
The mans of his head"
"There isn't any danger" Gerty's
anxiety made the deep blue eyes look
black. tf"
Innes looked up for Toms answer.
His face was ugly with passion.
Danger! It's n bluff, a big show
of activity here because he's buffa-
loed; he doesn't know how to tackle
the Job out there"
1t had begun to look that way to
more than one. 1t was talked over
ut Coulter's stores In the outer office
Of the ID. r. company where the engi-
neers foregathered; among the chair
filters who idled in front Of the Des-
ert hotel. "The man does not know
how to tackle his jobl" A levee. and
the gate held up! What protection to
the towns would be that toy levee II
the river should return on one of its
spectacular sprees7 A levee. and the
intake itself not guardedf He was
whispered Of as incompetent; one Of
Mafshall's clerks. He was given a
short time to blow himself out. A
bookman, a theorist.
"As well put sentinels a few miles
from prison and leave the Jail doors
open!" This was Wooster's gibe. All
saw the Colorado as a marauder at
large. "And little heap of sand
stacked up 20 scare 1t offi It's a
screamw
Mrs. Hardin found 1t difficult to
meet with diplomacy the condolences
which inevitably came her way. As
Hardins wife she was expected to en-
JOY the universal censure the new man
was acquiring. Gerty's light touches,
too slight for championship. passed as
a sweet charity. Her own position
those days was trying. She did not
yet know her diplomatic lesson.
Apparently unaware Of the talk,
Rickard spent the greater part of his
time experimenting the levee. He
could trust no one else to do It, no
one unless 1t were Estrada, who was
rushing his steel rails through to the
front and was needed there.
Things were moving under his con.
stant goading. The extra pay was
showing results. He should be at the
Heading now. he kept telling himself,
but he was convinced that the instant
he turned his back, the work on the
levee would stop; and all the reasons
excellent! Some emergency would be
cooked up to warrant the withdrawal
Of the hands. Chafe as he might at
th,, situation, 1t was to be guerrilla
warfare. Not fight In the open, he
knew how to meet that. but that baf.
fling resistance, the polite silence OF
the office when he entered-"Well,
they'll be doing my way pretty soon
or my name isn't Rickard. That's
fiat"
He was frettlng to be ut work, tc
start the wheels Of the o. p, its vast
machinery toward his problem. He
knew that that organization. like well
drilled militia. was ready for his call
The call Jagged, not that he did no,
need men. but there was no place
ready for them. The camp, that was
another rub. There was no camp! Il
was not equipped for sudden infia
ton of men. The inefiiciency of tn,
projectors of this desert scheme hat
never seemed SO criminal as when h,
had surveyed the equipment at the In
take. "Get ready first; your tools
your stoves. your BEDS" That was tn,
/. training Of the good executive, of mel
like Marshall and MacLean. Nothing
to be left to chance; to foresee emer
gencies, not to be taken by them un
: aware. The reason of Hardin's down
: fall was his slipshod habits. How coul,
. he be good officer who had neve
: drilled as q soldiera There was tn
4 gap at the intake. Hardin's grotesQu
r folly, widened from one hundred fee
y to ten times the original cut: widening
n every day. with neither equipment no
camp adequate to push through worl
Q of half the original magnitude. Cut
J. ting away. moreover, was the island
$ Disaster island; It had received ap
christening by the engineers. Its bar
J. tismal water the Colorado. The las
d floods had played with 1t as though !
e were bar of sugar. There was n
n rock ut hand; no rock on the way. n
e rock ordered. Could anyone pisce to
Q gether such recklessness2
Rickard knew where he would &c