The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1919-03-29


"oh, you can't class Hardin with
Sather," protested Richards compnn-
ion. "Sather used Hardin. Hardn's
honesty cannot be questioned. It's not
moneys he's after. His whole heart
Is In this reclamation scheme"
"Hardlns false ALARM growled
the owner OF the massive head. "IIe
makes promises. He never keeps
them"
The older mans smile was tolerant.
Barton he indicated. ''ls the presI-
dent of the water companies. And II
you want to hear about rogue and a
scoundrel ask the water companies
their opinion Of Hardin"
swell. what sort of hole has he
got us into?" demanded the other with
heat.
"TIardln's In hole himself.
"No one seems to remember that he
cruclfed himself to save the valley.
I've great respect for Thomas HaI-
din.r
| .. .--.-s---
"Yes?" returned Richard. whose lik-
Ing had been cnptureG ny the speaker.
The impression OF distinction sharp
ened. The stranger wore a Numbered
pongee silk shirt, open at the neck but
restricted by brown silk tie; and Il
was trinity belted. There were but
two neckties In the entire car, and
they occupied, Rlckard observed, the
same seat.
"The beginning Of the canal sys-
tenn"
Richard looked out upon Tat. one
toned country, marked on IN rec
tangles by plows and scrapers. Far
ther south these rectangles were edged
by young willows. He fancled he
could see, even at that distance, the
CLEAN Of water.
1t was the passing of the desert. A
few miles back he had seen the desert
In Its primitive nakedness, which not
even cactus relieved. He was passing
over the land which man and horses
were preparing for water. And he
could see the land where water was.
THAT WAS the way Riverside rocked
when ! first saw H." commented the
other man who wore tie. "Come out
on the rear platform. We can see pet
ter"
Richard followed to the back OF the
dust-swept, sitting car. The glare on
the platform was intense. He stood
watching the newly made checkerboard
of country slip past him. Receding
were the two lines of cleaning steel
rails which connected and separated
him from the world outside. He was
'golng in." Not In Mexico even had
he such feeling of ultimate remote
ness. The mountains. converglng per-
spectively toward the throat OF the
valley, looked elusive and unreal In
their gauze draperies OF rose and vio-
let. The tender hour OF day was clDth-
Ing them with mystery. softening their
sharp outlines. They curtained the
world beyond. Rickard felt the sus-
pense OF the next.act.
1t was torpid Imagination, he
thought, which would not quicken over
this conquest of the desert. East OF
the tract men and teams were prepar-
ing the newly furrowed ground for the
seed. The curved land knives were
breaking up the rich mold into ridges
OF soft soil as uncoheslve and feathery
as pulverlzed chocolate. II was the
dark color of the chocolate of COM
merce, this silt which had been pill
fered from the states through which
the vagrant river wandered. The smell
of the upturned earth, sweetly damp
struck against his nostrlls. Richard
INDUCED n minute of whimsical fancy;
this was California territory over
which his train was passing. but the
soil, that dark earth those blades were
crumbling, was II not the tribute of
other states, of despoiling Wyoming,
of ravishIng Colorado and Arizona?
TO the west new squares were being
leveled and outlined. Shrubby rec
tangles were being cleared of their ere
osote bush and tough mesquite. Com
pared with other countries. the prcpa-
ration for planting was the simplest. |
Horses were dragging over the ground |
a railr0ad rail bent into V angle, |
which pulled the bushes by the roots |
and dragged them out of the way. Be !
yOnd, farther west, could be seen the |
untouched desert. The surface for |
many miles was cracked by water |
lines, broken and baked into irregular |
sand cakes; the mark of sand which |
has been imprisoned by water and |
branded by swift heat.
Close by men were putting in with |
care the seed that was to quicken the
river silt. They were passing square
where the green tips of the grain
were piercing the ground. Now they |
We're abreast of field of matured al
falfa over which the wind raced grnte-
fully. Desert and grain field; death |
and lifel. The panorama embraced the
whole cycle.
They went back TO their seats. After
n few minutes the other leaned over
his shoulder, his hand waving toward
the passing mountains. "Ihose are the
Superstition mountains you can see