The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-02-21

&NtF* &HFhN HNh hSh y SNAt Wa At'N
powerful face.
@H1stradas business methods were
then not different from Sathers and
5ardln'sIT IL was a deep, rich organ.
"Oh, you can't class Hardin with
Sather," protested Richards compan-
ion. 'saiher used Hardin. Hardin's
honesty cannot be questioned. It's not
moneys he's after. Ills whole heart
IL In this reclamation scheme"
'IIariin's false ALARM" growled
the owner OF the massive head. .He
makes promises. He never keeps
them"
The older mans smile was tolerant.
Barton" he indicated. els the presi-
dent Of the water companies. And IL
you want TO hear about a rogue and a
scoundrel ask the water companies
their opinion OF Hardin"
"Weli, what sort OF a hole has he
got us intof" demanded the other with
heat.
"Hardin's In a hole himself.
"No one seems to remember that he
crucified himself TO save the valley.
i've great respect for Thomas Har-
dln.p
"Yes7" returned Richard. whose llk-
Ing had been captured by the speaker.
The impression OF distinction sharp
ened. The stranger wore Numbered
pongee silk shirt, open at the neck but
restricted by brown silk tie; and 1t
was trinity belted There were but
two necktles in the entire car, and
they occupied, Richard observed, the
same seat.
'The beginning Of the canal sys-
4 tenn"
1 Richard looked out upon a fiat, one
toned country, marked off In rec
tangles by plows and scrapers. Far
Their south these rectangles were edged
by young willows. He fancled he
could see, even at that distance, the
CLEAN OF water
II was the passing Of the desert. A
few miles bnck he had seen the desert
In its primitive nakedness, which not
even cactus relieved. He was passing
over the land which man and horses
were preparing for water And he
could see the land where water was.
"That was the way Riverside looked
when | first saw it, commented the
other man who wore tie. "Gome out
on the rear platform, We can see bet
ter
| Richard followed to the back Of the
dust-swept. sitting car. The glare on
the platform was intense. He stood
watching the newly made checkerboard
Of country slip past him. Recedine
were the two lines Of cleaning stee
rails which connected and separated
him from the world outside. He wa:
"golng in" Not in Mexico even haC
he such feeling of ultimate remote
ness, The mountains, conyerging per
spectively toward the throat Of tn,
valley, looked elusive and unreal II
their gauze draperies of rose and VIC
let. The tender hour OF day was cloth
ling them with mystery, softening theii
sharp outlines. They curtained tht
world beyond. Richard felt the sus
pense of the next act.
II was a torpid imagination, HI
thought. which would not quicken owe
/ this conquest of the desert. East o
the tract men and teams were prepar
ing the newly furrowed ground for tn
seed. The curved land knives wer,
breaking up the rich mold into ridge
OF soft soil as uncoheslve and feather.
as pulyerized chocolate. 1t was tn
dark color Of the chocolate OF com
merce, this silt which had been Pill
fered from the states through whlcl
the vagrant river wandered. The smel
Of the upturned earth. sweetly damn
struck against his nostrils. Rlckar
INDUCED a minute of whimsical fancy
this was California territory owe
i which his train was passing. but th
crumbllng. was 1t not the tribute o
other states, OF despoiling Wyoming
of ravishing Colorado and Arizona?
To the west new squares were beln
leveied and outlined. Shrubby rec
tangles were being cleared of their crs
osote bush and tough mesquite, Con
pared with other countries. the prepf
ration for planting was the simples
Horses we're dragging over the groun
railroad rail bent into V angle
which pulled the bushes by the root
and dragged them out of the way. 81
You'd, further west, could be seen Oh
untouched desert. The surface Il
many miles was cracked by waite
lines, broken and baked into irregula
"A sand cakes the mark of sand while
% has been imprisoned by water an
n branded by swift heat.
!" Close by men were putting In wit
ID care the seed that was 10 quicken II
rs river silt They were passing squni
where the green tips OF the graz
Al were piercing the ground. Now the
were abreast Of field of matured a
IA falfa over which the wind raced graf
n fully. Desert and grain field; deaf
L. and life The panorama embraced Il
Is whole cycle.