Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-03-07

it is all planted. The wind is not
bad when it blows over grain or al
falfa. It is the desert dust that nags
one" He coughed again. "Going in?'
Rickard said he was going in.
care you going to settle in the val
ley?" The inquisitor was a man of
about fifty, Richard decided, with a
desert tan of apparent health. His
face was clear cut and intelligent.
II don't know"
Gust looking the country over?"
"You might call it that"
"Go Slow" admonished his compan-
ion. Don't let yourself be carried
away. 1t is wonderful country. But
go slow. It's the ones who expect to
make millions the first year that be-
come the worst knockers. Go slow,
I always tell them. Go slow"
ITS not good time to buy, then?'
mot so good as it was ten years
ago! But land is cheaper than it was
q year back. In some districts you
can buy a good farm for ticket back
home, the farmers are so discouraged.
Cold feet" The slang sounded oddly
somehow. The mans voice had the
cultivated precision of the purist.
"C0d feet. The rivers chilled them.
The valleys losing faith III the com
pany."
'What company?" inquired Richard
again.
There's but one company to the
valley, the one that brought them
here, the D. r. They don't call the
railroad the company. They won't rec
ogniZe that problem! It's had hard
luck from the first, the D. Il. At the
very start the wrong man got hold of
it. Sather, the first promoter, was q
faker-a pretty thorough faker. The
company reOrganiZed, but it's been in
bad OdOr with the public ever since.
richards eyes left the deep cuts in
the land made by the ravening waters
and looked at his companion.
81 thought Estrada was the original
prolnoter?' he inquired.
"Estrada's a recent comer-oh, you
mean the general. He started the ball
rolling; that was all. Bad health, fol-
lowing the Bliss complication, tied his
hands,"
The man in the seat ahead was lis
tening. His head was leonine, his
body shriveled. Richard could see on
the neck the ancient burns that had
spared the magnificent head. The rest
of the man had been shriveled and
twisted into terrible defomnity. Rick
ard found himself puzzling over the
incident with it's accompanying mir
acle. There was not scar on the
powerful face.
"Estrada's business methods were
then not different from Sather's and
Hardin'sl" 1t was deep, rich organ.
ooh, you can't class Hardin with
Sather," protested Richards compan-
ion. "Sather used Hardin. Hardin's
honesty cannot be questioned. It's not
moneys he's after. His whole heart
is in this reclamation scheme"
"Hardin's a false ALARM" growled
the owner of the massive head. HE
makes promises. He never keeps
them"
The older mans smile was tolerant.
Barton" he indicated, sis the presi-
dent of the water companies. And if
you want to hear about rogue and a
scoundrel ask the water companies
their opinion of Hardin
"Well, what sort of hole has he
got us into?" demanded the other with
heat.
"Hardin's in hole himself.
"NO one seems to remember that he
crucified himself to save the valley.
I've a great respect for Thomas FLAIR.
din"
"Yes?" returned Richard, whose, liz
ing had been captured by the speaker.
The impression of distinction sharp
ened. The stranger wore a Numbered
pongee silk shirt, open at the neck but
restricted by a brown silk tie; and i!
was trinity belted. There were BID
two necktics in the entire car. and