The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-03-14
frame looked at Rickard inquiringly.

frame looked at Rickard 1nquiringly.
"He wants to stay out another year.
I hope you will let him. It's not disin-
terested. shall have to take stenog.
rapher to the Heading this summer.
There Is a girl here; couldn't take
her, and then, too, I'm old-fashioned;
don't like women in Offices. My posi-
ton promises to be peculiar one. I'd
like to have your son to rely on for
emergencies a stenographer could not
cover" 90.
MacLean's grave features relaxed as
ne looked down on the engineer, who
was no small man himself, and sug-
gested that his son was not very we'll
up in stenography.
"That's the least Of it."
IT hope that he will make a good
stenographer !! Good morning, gentle
men,
At table, neither Estrada nor his
guest uncovered their active thought
which revolved around Hardin and his
hurt. Instead, Rickard had questions
to ask his host on river history. AS
they talked, it came to him that some
thing was amiss-Estrada was ac-
curate; he had all his facts. Was it
enthusiasm, sympathy, he lacked? Pres
emily he challenged him with it.
Estrada's eyes dreamed out of the
window, followed the gorge of the New
river, as though out there. somewhere.
the answer lowered.
"Do you mean, do you doubt it?" ex-
claimed 'Rickard, watching the melan-
choly in the beautiful eyes.
Estrada shook his head, but without
decision. Nothing you'd not laugh at.
I can laugh at it myself, sometimes"
Rickard waited, not sure that any
thing more was coming: The Mexi-
cans dark eyes were troubled; a puzzle
brooded in them. "It's a purely mega
tive sense that I've had, since I was q
child. Something falls between me
and q plan. If I said it was q veil, 1t
would be-something!" His voice fell
to O ghost of tunefulness. "And its
nothing. a blank-I know then it's
not going to happen. 1t is terribly
final! It's happened, often. Now.
wait for that-veil. When it falls, ]
know what it means"
"And you have had that-senst
about this river businessP
Estrada turned his pensive gaze on
the, American. @.Yes, often. I thought
after. fathers death, that, that was
what 1t meant. But it came again. II
kept coming. had it while you were
all talking, just now. I don't speak Of
this. 1t sounds chicken-hearted. AnG
I'm in this with all my soul-my IA
ther-I couldn't do 1t any other way
but"
"You think we are going to failr'
# can't see 1t finished" was Estra'
da's mournful answer. He turned
again to stare out of the window.
tS"Who are the river men in the val
ley2" demanded the newcomer. II
want to meet them. to talk to them"
"Cor'nel, he's an Indian. He's worth
talking to. He knows its history; its
legends. Perhaps some of It Is his
tory" -
where's he to be foundr'
you'll run across him! Whenever
anything's up, he is on hand. He senses
1t. And.then there's Matt Hamlin."
"I'll see him, Of course. Has he
been up the river?" -
"No, but I'll tell you two who have
Maldonado, a half-breed, who lives
some twenty miles down the river
from Hamlin's. He knows the Gila as
though he were pure Indian. The
Gila's tricky! Maldonado's GRANDPA.
ther was trapper, his great-grsndfa.
ther,. they say, a priest. The women
were all Indian. He's smart. Smart
and bad"
Estrada's Japanese servant came
back into the car to offer tea, freshly