The Raymer enterprise. (New Raymer, Weld County, Colo.) 1910-19??, 1919-08-07
CHAPTER XIV.
On the levee.

I1dIuiu uIu wv ~ Huluc tuHt hight.
He was feeling ~ the quick the Irony
Of his position; his duty now to pro-
tect the leyee 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.
He started the anxious ranchers at
sacklng sand. Bodefedt ran up to tell
him that there was q hill OF filled
sacks over In Mexicall. "Rickard had
n bunch OF Indians working for
week"
The confusion of the shy fellow did
not escape Hardin. Oh. he knew what
Bodefeldt was thinking. what every
one was saylngl They were all laugh
Ing al him. The coincidence OF this
extraordinary flood had upheld Rick.
ards Wild guess, haloed his judgment.
II was all piece OF his Internal luck.
Slckenlng, that's what II wasl His
orders scattered. He ran up and down
the leyee, giving orders; recalling
them when he found he was repeating
Richards.
This new humiliation. coming on the
heels OF the dredge tiasco, put him In
execrable temper. He shouted his or
ders over the noises Of the night. He
rated the men, bullied them. No one
did anything right! Lord, what he
had to put up with! The other men,
the ranchers and engineers, saw In
his excitement certainty Of the valleys
ionm.
The wind aid the darkness con-
T,buted to the confusion. Eager
shovels were tossing up earth before
anyone could tell where the danger
point would be. The water was not
frt high enough to determine the place
" battle. Sacked sand was being
brought over from Mexicall. Fifty
fnlr OF hands made short work Of
Richards hill" Lanterns were fash
ng through the darkness like restless
lrelles. The wind and rushing water
ieadened the sound Of the voices. 1t
was n battle of giants against pyg-
mics. In the darkness, the giants
threatened to conquer.
AT three In the morning. horseman
-ode in from Fassett's, one OF the big
ranches to the north, cnt by the New
liver.
''The river Is cutting back. he
'alled through the din. "cutting bac&
'oward the towns"
A turn In the gorge, careless
lumppit had pulled the river like a
mad horse back on Its launches. 1t
gas kicking back.
They are short-handed up there.
They need help"
Dynamite" cried Silent and Har.
Tin additionally. They happened to
% standing near.
I'VE mrst have dynamite" bawled
Hard!a. "Are the wires down between
here and Brawley? We must get a
wire somehow to Los Angeles. to rush
down here this morning."
"lts here. There is carload on
The siding" yelled Silent.
Hardin did not need TO ask BY
whose orders II was there. An angry
scowl spoiled his face.
Put some ON the machine" He
Has turning away.
silent called after him. Did Mr..
Hardin think 1t was safe? There was
no road between the towns and Fas-
seits. The night. the should
they not walt till morningl The ques-
ton threw his late chief into a rage.
did ask you to take ltf' 1t was
the opening for his fury. "Safel Win
he towns be safe If the river cuts back
aeref The channel has got to be
xidened, and You talk OF your own
srecious skin. Walt till ask you to
axe IT, Get out the machine. I'll take
to Fassetts myself"
Silent left the leyee. smarting. He
acked the machine out of the shed
nd sped through the darkness toward
aexicali. where the car OF explosives
eas isolated.
Hardin. buttoned up to the ears, his
soft hat pulled tight over his forehead,
sas waiting impatiently. Here was
something te - done; no coveted the
btMu.