The L'Anse sentinel., 1919-05-09
CHAPTER XIV.
On the Levec.

Hardin did rot go home that night.
ae was feeling to the quick the irony
Of his position; his duty now to pro-
tect the levce he'd ridiculed; now the
only hope of the towns! The integrity
Of the man never faltered, though his
thoughts ran wild. Like the relentless
hounds of Actaeon, they pursued him,
barking at his vanity.
lie started the anxious ranchers at
sGcking sand. Bodefcldt ran up to tell
MIN that there was hill Of filed
sacks over in Mexicali. "Rlckard had
a bunch Of Indians working for q
week"
The confusion of the shy fellow die
aot escape Hardin. Oh. he knew what
Bodefeldt was thinking, what every
onc was saying! They were all laugh
Ing ut him. The coincidence Of this
extraordinary flood had upheld Rick
ards wild guess, haloed his judgment.
II was all piece of his internal luck.
Slckening, that's what 1t was! His
orders scattered. He ran up and down
,he leyee, giving orders; recalling
thcm when he found he was repeating
Gickard's.
This new humiliation. coming on the
,eels Of the dredge fiasco, put him in
Xecrable temper. He shouted his or
iers over the noises of the night. He
!ated the men, bullied them. No one
lid anything right! Lord, what he
had to put up with! The other men,
he ranchers and engineers. saw in
hls excitement certainty Of the valleys
loom.
The wind and the darkness con-
trtbuted to the confusion. Eager
,hovels were tossing up earth before
anyone could tell where the danger
point would be. The water was not
yet high enough to determine the place
)f battle. Sacked sand was being
brought over from Mexicali. Fifty
pnir Of hands made short work of
Richards hill" Lanterns were fash
ing through the darkness like restless
areflles. The wind and rushing water
ieadened the sound of the voices. II
Tas battle Of giants against pyg-
niles. In the darkness, the giants
threatened TO conquer.
At three in the morning, horseman
rode in from Fassett's, one Of the big
ranches to the north, cnt by the New
river.
"The river Is cutting back" he
talled through the din, "cutting back
toward the towns"
A hi rn In hn
dump-pit had pulled the river like
mad horse back on its launches. It
was kicking back.
'They are short-handed up there.
They need help"
Dynamite" cried Silent and Har-
din antiphonally. They happened to
be standing near.
I'VE must have dynamite" bawled
Hardin. "Are the wires down between
here and Brawley? We must get a
wire somehow to Los Angeles, to rush
VI down here this morning."
ITS here. There is carload on
the siding" yelled Silent.
Hardin did not need to ask by
whose orders 1t was there. An angry
Scowl spoiled his face.
Put some on the machine" He
was turning away.
Silent called after him. Did Mr..
Hardin think 1t was safer There was
no road between the towns and Fas-
aett's. The night. the explosive-should
they not wait till morning? The ques.
don threw his late chief into rage.
"Dld / ask you to take itY II was
the opening for his fury. "Safei VIII
the towns be safe II the river cuts back
here? The channel has got to be
widened. and you talk of your own
precious skini Wait till I ask you to
take II. Get out the machine. I'll take
II to Fassett's myself"
Silent left the levee, smarting. He
backed the machine out Of the shed
and sped through the darkness toward
Aexicali, where the chr. Of explosives
was isolated.
Hardin. buttoned up to the ears, his
isoft hat pulled tight over his forehead,
was waiting tmpatiently. Here was
something tn Ds done: he coveted the
activity.