The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1919-07-25

" /. II
ne been looking at her. he would have
been left no illusions. Her blue eyes
flashed hate.
II did not know It until we got
here. There was message from Mac
Lean at the desk. waiting"
MacLean was not there. either!
"We are all ready" she cried.
Mrs. Hatfield and Mr.. Richard cannot
come" Not for worlds would she give
In to her desire to call the whole
grim affair OFF; let them think she
was disappointed, not, she. Though
the world blew away, she would go.
She found herself distributing slips
OF mangled quotations. The white
slips went to the women; the green
bits of pasteboard to the men. She
held certain green card In her
glove: Leads on to fortune" Rick
ard might come dashing in at the last
moment, the ideal mans way; spe-
ciai. perhaps; 1t did not seem credible
that he would deliberately stay away
without sending her word.
In burst Of laughter. the COM
pany discovered then that the guest
of honor was also absent. Mrs.
Hardin hurried them out to the wait
ing buggies.
Drearily, they drove down the fly
ing street. The wind was at their
backs, but It tore at their hats, pulled
at their tempers. Their eyes were
fun OF street dust.
A fash of light as they were leav-
Ing town frightened the thick dust
clouds. What was thatT cried Gerry.
She was ready for any calamity now.
mot lightning?" Again, the queer
light flashed across the obscured sky.
Tom reused himself to grOwl that he
hadn't seen anything. And the dreary
| farce went on.
lines partner was young Sutcliffe,
the English zanjero. He was In the
quicksand Of comparison between
English and American women, Innes
mischievously coaxing him into deeper
waters, when there was blockade
of buggies ahead of them.
''The A B G ranch" cried Innes,
peering through the veil Of dust at
the queer unreal outlines of fences
and trees. "It's our first STOP"
"Oh, say, that's too bad" began
Sutcliffe. Innes was already on the
road, her skirts whipped by the wind
into clinging drapery.
Gerty's party found itself disorgan-
lied. Partners were trying to find
or lose each other. sect In here r.
Innes heard the voice of Estrada be-
hind her. He had top buggy. She
hailed refuge.
Splendid" she cried. what a
reliefw Climbing in, she said: Il
hope this isn't upsetting Gerty's ar
rangement."
Arrangement Look at them r
The women were Fastening out of the
dust swirl into any haven that of
Tered. With little screams of dismay,
they ran like rabbits to cover.
Gerry found herself with Blinn. At
the next stop there was a block of
buggies. "No use changing again 20
She acknowledged herself beaten.
,, Lets go on. What are they stopping
for?" Dismal farce it all was!
She was pushing back her disheart-
ened curls when the beat of horses
hoofs back of them brought the blood
back into her wind-chilled cheeks.
"Rickardr' she thought. "He must
have come in special!" The gloom
suddenly disgorged MacLean.
Hardin! Where Is her"
whats up?" yelled Blinn. Els 1t
the Rivera" MacLean's face answered
him. His ranch secured again-"G God
Almighty"
"The riverr screamed the women.
The men were surrounding MacLean,
whose horse was prancing as If with
the importance of having carried a
Revere. "The levee!" called Mac
Lean. where's Hardin?" He spurred
his mare toward Hardin. who was
blacker than Napoleon at Austerlitz.
You're needed. They're all need
ed" The other voices broke In, the
men pressing up. This threatened
them all. Blinn's ranch lay In the
ravaged sixth district. Nothing would
save him. Youngberg belonged to
water company number one; their
bitches would go. HOLSTER and Will
son of the Palo Verde saw ruin ahead
Of them. Each man was visualizing
the mad onward sweep of that de-
stroying power. Like ghosts, the
women huddled in the dust-blowr
road.
.where is 1t now2" demanded Blinn.
.It's here, right on us. You're all
needed at the levee." bawled Mac
Lean.
The leveel There was dash for
buggies. scraping Of wheels. the
whinnying of frightened horses. Some
one recalled the flashes of light they
had seen on leaving town. "What
were those lights-signals?"
"From the water-tower." MacLean's
voice split the wind. 1.-THE wires are
all down between the Crossing and the
towns. Coronel was on the tower-he
got the signal from the Heading-he's
been there each night for a week I"
This was a great night--for his chief,
Richard
Gerry Hardin caught the thrill of
his hero-worship. How splendid. how
triumphant!
lines found herself In her brothers
buggy. His horse, under the whip,
dashed forward. Suddenly he pulled
"a A.1y- ~, Gee ba,,nohoe ,.o..~,-