Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-03-07
CHAPTER TX.
TIE Rivals.

From the window of the adobe Office
building of the company, Hardin saw
Richard jump from the rear platform
Of the train as it slowed into the sta
ton. He noticed that the new mana
ger carried no bag.
"Wonder what he's decided to do
about the headgate. He didn't waste
much time out there" Hardin was
fdgeting in his seat, his eyes on the
approaching figure.
Rickard passed through the room,
nodding to his Office force. The door
of the inner Office shut behind him.
Hardin stared at the blank surface. He
moved restlessly in his swivel chair.
| Did the fellow think a big thing like
that could hang on while he unpacked
his trunks and settled his bureau draw
ers2 He picked up pencil, jabbing at
the paper of his report. He covered
the sheet with figures-three hundred
six hundred. Six hundred feet.
Whose fault that the intake had
widened, doubling its width, trebling
it's problem? Whose but MarshalPs,
4
clerks to see what Hardin was doing?
Wouldn't any man in his senses know
that the way Maitland would distin-
| guish himself would be by discrediting
Hardin, by throwing bouquets to Mar
shall; praising his plan? They all go
at it the same sickening way! Office
clerks, bahi Sure, Maitland had ad-
vised against the completion of the
>gate. Said it would cost more in time
and money than Hardin's estimates.
"Thanks to Maitland it did," growled
Hardin, scrawling figures over the
page. "By the time Maitland finished
monkeying with that toy dam of his
the river had widened the break from
three hundred to six hundred feet. Fol-
that, they throw mud at me. Oh, it
! makes me sick" Hardin flung his
broken pencil out of the window.
Rickard re-entered the room. The
question leaped from Hardin.
'The headgate-are you going on
with it?"
Rickard looked curiously at the
flushed antagonistic face of the man
, he had supplanted. The thought
crossed his mind that perhaps Hardir
had taken to drinking. 1t made ms
answer curt.
, 81 don't know"
"You don't know!"
81 have no report to make, Mr.. Har
din, until I see the gate.'
"And you went to the Crossing with
out going down to the headgate" Har
din did not try to conceal his disgust.
t Il did not go to the Crossing"
Didn't go-!" Hardin's mouth was
= agape. Then he rudely swiveled his
! chair. The door slammed behind Rick
r ard.
? Hadn't been to the Crossfng2 Ther
where in Hades did he go? He halted
e MacLean who was passing him.
e "Are you going to the Crossing to
8 morrow" Hardin knew he should b,
too proud to betray his eagerness, bu
the words ran away with him.
mot tomorrow. Mr.. Rickard jus
told me he might not be able to get of
until next week"
Hardin's anger sputtered. "Nex
week. Why does he rush so? VIII
doesn't he go next year? The Colo
RADIOS so gentle, it'd wait for him, Pr
I sure. Next week! It's q put-up jot
y that's what It is. Oh, can see throug
a fence with knothole as big as you
> head. He doesn't want to finish tn
headgate. He wants to put off goin
until it's too late to go on with it;
, know him. He'd risk the whole thing
and all the money the o. P. ha
, chucked into it, just to start with
) clean slate; to get the glory of stoI
ping the river himself. 1t turns m
stomach; it's plot" The lower II
. shot out.
MacLean's attention was deferentia
He had always liked Hardin; all th
fellows did. But he was jumping O
wrong this time. He'd brought it a
on himself.
HE said something about levee fc
the towns. He's got to investigate tht
before he goes to the front"
"a levee? Well, wouldn't that js
your" Hardin addressed the stenol
rapher in the transparent shirtwais
''Does he think we're going to hay
= another flood this season? Thinks it
~ going to reach the hotel and wet h
clothes? Take the starch out of h
=, shirts" He flung out of his chat
no no throwing the papers back into ii
drawer.
+h He stamped ont of the office, mG
rv clear through. To this crisis they hf
10 sent down dandy, a bookman wi
wanted to build levee. Oh, hell!
ok They'll come crawling after me
help them after this fellows buriC
he himself under river mud, come callil
a to me as they did after Maitland faile
ng Please Mr.. Hardin, won't you con
back and finish your gater I'll S
ad them dead first No, I'll be fool enou,
in 10 do it. 1 can't help myself. I'm
Hardin. have to finish what I've b
20 gun"
ok It was not because this was a p