Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-03-05

'YOu don't know!
Il have no report to make, Mr.. Har-
din, until | see the gate"
"And you went To the Crossing with
out going down to the headgateT' Iiar-
lin did not try to conceal his disgust.
Il did not go TO the Crossing"
"Didn't GO" IIardin's mouth was
agape. Then he rudely swiyelcd his
chair. The door slammed behind Rick
ard.
Hadn't been to the Crossing? Then
where In Hades did he go? He halted
WacLean who was passing him.
"Are you going to the Crossing to-
morrow" Hardin knew he should be
too proud to betray his eagerness, but
the WORDS ran away with hin.
Not tomorrow. Mr.. Richard just
told me he might not be able to get off
until next week"
slq:dlp's anger sput;erei Next
week Why does he rush so? Why
doesn't he 90 next year? The Colo
RADIOS so gentle, it'd wait for him, I'm
sure. Next week IFS put-up job,
| that's what it IL. Oh, L can see through
fence with a knOthole as big as your
head. He doesn't want TO finish the
/ headgate. lie wants 10 put off going
until it's TOO late to go on with it; |
know him. He'd risk the whole thing,
/ and all the money the O. =. has
chucked into il, just 10 start with IA
clean slate; to get the glory of stop
ping the river himself. 1t turns my
stomach; it's plot The lower lip
Shot out.
NacLean's attention was defercntial.
He had always liked Hardin; all the
fellows did. But he was jumping off
wrong this time. He'd brought it all
Oh himself
He said something about levee for
the towns. He's got to investigate that
before he goes to the front"
"a leycc? WcII wouldn't that jar
your Hardin addressed the Stcaog-
raphor in the transparent shirtwaist.
Docs he think we're going to have
ano,Ecr llood this season?s Thinks it's
going 70 reach tho hotel and wet his
clothes? Take the starch out Of his
, shirts" lie flung out Of his chair,
throwing the papers back into the
drawer.
lie stamped out of the office, mad
clear through. To this crisis thcy had
sent down a dandy, Il bookman who
wanted 10 build lcyee. Oh, he'll
"Theyll come crawling after me TO
help them after this fellows buried
himself under river mud, come calling
to me as they did after Maitland failed.
please, Mr.. Hardin, won't you come
back and finish your gate!' I'll see
them dead first. NO I'll be fool enough
to do it. | can't help myself. I'm a
Hardin. | have to finish what I've be-
gun"
IT was not because this was pet
enterprise, the great work of his life,
that he must eagerly eat humble pie,
! take the Bullets, the falls, and come
whining back when they whistled to
him. He told himself it was because Of
his debt To The valley, to the ranchers,
The co'~alsts We're about desperate.
/ VIZ .ouId blame them? The last years
foods had worked havoc with their
/ crops; this year had been a horror.
The district they called No. 6 was a
screaming irony of ruin. The last de-
bauch of the river had made great
gasheS through the ranches, had
secured deep gorges which had under
mined the canals on which the water
supply for No. G depended. The suits
were piling up against the y. r., dam
age suits, ana they hold up his gate,
while he gets the curses of the val
ley. And Mr. Richard thinks he'll
build a leyee!
He flung himself on the couch in the
tent. Gerry was laying a careful
cloth for supper. A brave, determined
smile was arranged on her lips. The
noon storm had passed. She hummed
gay little tune If there was anything
Hardin hated it was humming.
"You1l have your dude to dinner all
right her husband announced. Hes
in town"
Eyes, | know" reioued his spouse.
81 had a letter from him yesterday.
From Imperial
Tom sat up glarng. "He wrote to
you from lmperial?
His wife misplaced the accent. She
misunderstood Toms scowl. 1t was
the old story over again. Whenever
those two men came together the old
feeling of jealousy must be revived
again! 1t was unpleasant, of course,
very unpleasant. to have men care like
that, but it made life exciting. Life
had been getting a little stale lately
like a book Of obvious, even plot.
Richards entrance into the story gave
Il new interest, a new twist. She
hummed an air from a new opera that
had set the world WaltzinG.
Hardin's thoughts did not touch her
at the hem. He was ut the headgatc,
his gate. What the deuce had Richard
gone TO Imperial for? If he wasn't the
larncdest ass! Imperial, And the
gate hung up!
''For Gods sake stop that buzzing :"
The happy little noise was qucnchcd.
fnncs, entering at that moment, heard
he rough order. She looked implor-
ngly at her sistor-in-aw.