The Ordway new era., 1919-05-16

ultimate failure the growing belief In
the 0mnipotence of the Great Yellow
Dragon as the Cocopahs visualized it.
Estrada's work was as intense as
though he were Fastening a sure vic
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 danger7" Gerty's
anxiety made the deep blue eyes look
black.
Innes looked up for Toms answer.
His face was ugly with passion.
"Dangerl It's a blum. 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
at Coulter's store; In the outer office
Of the D. r. company where the engi-
neers foregathered; among the chair
filters who idled In front of the Des-
ert hotel. 1.-THE man does not know
how to tackle his Job" A levee. and
the gate held upi What protection to
the towns would be that toy levee If
the river should return on one Of its
spectacular sprees7 A levee. and the
intake itself not guarded? He was
whispered Of as Incompetent; one Of
Marshall'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 a little heap of sand
stacked up to scare it on It's a
scream |"
Mrs. Hardin found 1t difficult to
meet with diplomacy the condolences
which inevitably came her way. As
Hardin's 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 superintending 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
excellentl Some emergency would be
cooked up to warrant the withdrawal
Of the hands. Chafe as he might al
the situation. 1t was to be guerrilla
warfare. Not a fight in the open. he
knew how to meet that. but that baf
fling resistance. .he 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
fat"
He was fretting to be at work, te
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 moi
need men, but there was no place
ready for them. The camp. that wal
another rub. There was no campl Il
was not equipped for sudden infia
tion of men. The inefficiency of the
projectors Of this desert scheme hat
never seemed SO criminal as when hi
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 meI
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 sllpshod habits. How coult
he be q good officer who had nevel
drilled as a soldier2 There was tht
gap at the intake, Hardin's grotesQut
folly, widened from one hundred fee
to ten times the original cut; widening
every day, with neither equipment mo-
camp adequate to push through a worl
Of half the original magnitude. Out
ting away, moreover, was the island
Disaster island; 1t had received ap
christening by the engineers. its bap
tismal water the Colorado. The las
floods had played with it as though i
were a bar of sugar. There was M
rock at hand no rock on the way, NJ
rock ordered. Could anyone piece to
, gether such recklessness7
| Rinlrard lnau xuhara ha yxnuld ge