The Ordway new era., 1919-05-02
to0pyrsas sonD'-Nsnin oonp.nn

I towns and the Crossing; director Of
the Desert Reclamation company, and
the head Of small subsidiary COM
pany which had been created to pro-
tect rights and keep harmonious rela-
tion with the sister country. Rickard
found him full Of meat, and heard. for
the first time consecutively. the story
of the rakish river. Particularly In
teresting to him was the relation OF
Hardin to the company.
"He has the bad luck. that man"
exclaimed Estrada's soft, musical
voice. Everything Is In his hands,
capital Is promised. and he goes to
New York to have the papers drawn
up. The day he gets there the Maine
is destroyed. OF course capital is shy.
He's had the devils own luck with
men: Clifford, honest but mulish; !;
Sather. mulish and not honest-oh,
there's a string of them. Once he
went to HermosIllo to get an option on
my fathers lands. They were already
covered by an option held BY some
men in Scotland. Another man would
have waited for the three months to
pass. Not Hardin. He went to Scot
land. thought he'd interest those men
with his maps and papers. He owned
all the data then. He'd made the sur
vey."
Estrada repeated the story Brandon
and Marshall had told, with little dis
crepancy. A friendly refrain followed
the narrative. "He has the bad luck.
thpt manw
aAod +ha coot,boJ opttor y, rauJnd-
ed Rickard. smiling at his own poor
joke.
sit was just that. A case of Hardin
luck again. He stopped Off in London
to interest some capital there; follow
ing up lead developed on the steam-
er. He wns never a man to neglect
chance. Nothing came of 1t, though,
and when he reached Glasgow he
found his man had died two days be-
fore-or been killed. I've forgotten
which. Three times Hardin's crossed
the ocean trying to corner the oppor-
tunity he thought he had found. 1t
Isn't laziness. is his trouble. It's just
Internal luck"
"Or over-astuteness, or procrastina-
tion," criticized his listener to himself.
He knew now what 1t was that had
so changed Hardin. A man cannot
travel, even though he be bounding
down a quick scent, without meeting
strong influences. He had been thrown
with hard men. strong men. 1t was
an Inevitable chlseling. not miracle.
IT want to hear more of this some
day. But this map. don't under
stand what you told me of this by
pass, Mr.. Estrada.
Their heads were still bending over
Estrada's rough work bench when the
Japanese cook announced that dinner
was waiting in the adjoining car.
MacLean and Bodefeldt and several
young engineers Joined them.
It had been outwardly a wasted day.
Rickard had lounged, socially and
physically. But before he turned in
that night he had learned the names
and dispositions of his force, and
some of their prejudices. Nothing. he
summed up. could be guessed from the
| gentleness of the Mexlcan's manner /;
Wooster's antagonlsm was open and
snappish. Silent was to be watched,
and Hardin had already shown his
hand.
The river. as he thought of 1t, ap-
peared the least formidable of his op-
ponents. He was imaging it as high
spirited horse. maddened by the fun
bling of Its would-be captors. His task
it was to lasso the proud stallion, lead
1t in bridled to the sterile land. No
wonder Hardin was sore; his moose
had slipped OFF one time too many !!
Hardin's luck!