The Elbert County tribune., 1919-04-04
CHAPTER XII.
Hardin's Luck.


Two days later there was a shock of
earthquake, so slight that the tapping
of the water In Richards bath was his
tntimation of the earth's uneasiness.
In the dining room later he found ev-
eryone discussing 1t. "Who could re-
member an earthquake In that desert3'
''The first shaker
During the morning, unfathered, as
rumors are born, the whisper of dis
aster somewhere spread Their own
slight shock was the edge of the con-
vulsion which had been serious else
where, no one knew quite where, or
why they knew 1t at all The men
who were shoveling earth on the leyee
begHn to talk of San Francisco Some
one said that morning that the city
Eas badly hurt No one could confirm
che rumor, but 1t grew with the day
Rickard met it at the office late In
the afternoon He went direct to the
telegraph operator's desk
-NGet Los Angeles, the o. p. ofIice
And be quick about IT"
In ten minutes he was talking to
Rabcock- Babcock said that the dam
age by the earthquake to that city was
not known but it was afire San Jose
had confirmed it Oakland had report
ed the flames creeping up the resi-
dence hills OF that gay Western city.
Cinders were already falling in the
transbay town
Rickard dropped the receiver.
where's HarriinY'
Tom Hardin emerged from a knot
of men who were talking In a corner
by the door.
Where's that machinery
what machinery
Rickard saw the answer to bis ques-
ttion in the others face.
THE dredge machinery. Did you
attend to that7 Did you send for 1t r
"Oh, yes, that's all right. It's all
right"
''Is 1t here7"
Hardin attempted Jocularity. 81
didn't know as you wanted it here.
ordered 1t sent to Yuma"
rs it at Yuma?"
Hardin admitted that 1t was not yet
at Yuma it would be there soon; he
ihad written; oh, it was all right.
-"When did you writer"
Hardin Redeemed under the cate
schism of questions. He resented be-
ing held up before his men The 9TH
-ers felt the electricity in the air. Har-
din and his successor were glaring at
each other like belligerents.
II asked when did you writer"
Yesterday"
Yesterday Rickard ripped out
an oath. yesterday. Why at all. I'd
like to know? Did you understand
that you were ordered to get that
here? Now. it's gone"
"Gone?" The others crowded up.
'San Francsico's burning" He
walked into his inner office, mad clear
through. He was not thinking of the
ruin of the gay young city; not a
Thought yet did he have of the human
tragedies enacting there; of homes,
lives. fortunes swept into that huge
bonfire. As it affected the work at the
river, the first block to his campaign.
the catastrophe came home to him. He
had a picture of tortured, twisted
iron, of ruined machinery, the ma
-chinery for his dredge. He saw 1t lying
like spent LAGOON, writhing in its
last struggle. He blamed himself for
leaving even such a small detail as the
fastening of the parts to Hardin's
care. for Hardin wasn't fit to be trust.
ed for anything. No one could tell
him now the man was unlucky; he
was fool. A month wasted. and
days were precious. A month? Months
Hardin's luck. Oh, hell
Then he began to speculate as he
cooled over the trouble up yonder. A
whole city burning? They would sure
ly get it under control. He began to
think of the isolation; the telegraph
wires all down. That might happen
.anywherei He walked to the door
and looked thoughtfully at the "om-
panys big water tower. That wasn't
such a bad idea! He picked up his
hat, and went out.
HIADTEH