The Ordway new era., 1919-05-30
CHAPTER XIV.
on the Levee.

Hardin did not go home that night.
He was feeling tr the quick the irony
of his position; hla duty now to pro-
tect the levee he'd ridiculed; now the
only hope of the townsi The Integrity
of the man never faltered, though his
thoughts ran wild. Like the relentless
hounds of Actaeon. they pursued him,
Barking at his vanity.
He started the anxious ranchers at
sacklng sand. Bodefeldt ran up to tell
him that there was a hill of filed
sacks oeer in Mexlcali. "Rickard had
"a bunch of Indians working for a
week"
The confusion of the shy fellow did
not escape Hardin. Oh he knew what
BOdefeldt was thinking. what every
one was sayingl They were all laugh
sng at him. The coincidence of this
extraordinary flood bad upheld Rick
ards wild guess, haloed his judgment.
1t was all piece of his Internal luck.
Sickening, that's what 1t wasl His
orders scattered. He ran up and down
she levee, giving orders; recalling
them when he found he was repeating
Rttckard's.
This new humiliation. coming on the
heels of the dredge fiasco, put him In
execrable temper. He shouted his or
ders over the noises of the night. He
rated the men. bullied them. No one
did anything right Lord, what he
had to put up with The other men,
tho ranchers and engineers, saw in
his excitement certainty Of the valleys
doom.
The wind and the darkness con-
tributed to the confusion. Eager
shovels were tossing up earth before
anyone could tell where the danger
point would be. The water was not
yet high enough to determine the place
of battle. Sacked sand was being
brought over from MexIcali. Fifty
pair of hands made short work of
Richards "hill" Lanterns were flash
ing through the dnrknessslike restless
hreilles. The wind and rushing water
1eadened the sound of the voices. 1t
was battle Of giants against pyg-
nies. In the darkness. the giants
threatened to conquer.
Az three in the morning. horseman
code in from Fassett's, one of the big
canches to the north, cnt by the New
iver.
"The river is cutting back" he
ealled through the din. "cutting back
toward the towns"
A turn in the gorge. careless
dump-pit had pulled the river like
mad horse back on its launches. 1t
was kicking back.
"They are short-handed up there.
They need help"
Dynamite" cried Silent and Har-
Tin antiphonally. They happened to
oe standing near.
1--WE mnst have dynamite" bawled
Hnrd.a. Are the wires down between
here and Brawley? We must get a
wire somehow to Los Angeles. to rush
down here this morning."
"It's here. There is carload on
the siding" yelled Silent.
Hardin did not need to ask by
whose orders it was there. An angry
scOwl spoiled his face.
"Put some on the machine" He
was turning away.
Silent called after him. Did Mr..
Hardin think it was safe? There was
no road between the towns and Fas-
sett's. The night. the explosive-should
they not wait til! morning? The ques-
tfon threw his late chief into rage.
-'Did ask you to take it?" 1t was
the opening for his fury. Safe! VIII
the towns be safe If the river cuts back
mere? The channel has got to be
videned. and you talk of your own
1sreclous skin Wait till ! ask you to
sske it. Get out the machine. I'll take
< to Fassett's myself"
Silent left the levee. smarting. He
sacked the machine out of the shed
md sped through the darkness toward
Aexicali. where the car of explosives
gas isolated.
Hardin. buttoned up to the ears. his
aOft hat pulled tight over his forehead.
vas waiting impatiently. Here was
something te - done; he coveted the
eetivity.