The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1919-03-21

every three miles. Rock must be-
rushed; the trains must be pushed
through. He Itched to begin. 1t never
occurred to him that like Hardin, he
might fail.
Though it's no pink tea" he told
himself, "its no picnic" At Tucson
he knew that the situation was a
grave one, but his talk with Brandon,
who knew his river as does good In.
dian, made the year significant,
eyentful one. Mutt Hamlin. too, whose
shrewd eyes had grown rlver-wlse, he,
too had had tales to tell of the tricky
river. Maldonado, the half-breed, had
confirmed their portents while they sat
together under his oieander, famous
throughout that section of the coun-
try. And powerfully had Cornell, the
indian who had piloted Estrada's party
across the desert, whom Richard had
met at the Crossing, deeply had he i'm
pressed him. The river grew into a
malevolent, mocking personality; he
could see 1t dragon Of yellow waters,
dragging its slow, sluggish length
across the baked desert sands; deceiy-
ing men by its inertness; Turing the
explorer by mild mood to rise sud-
denly with it's wild fellow, the ella,
sending boat and boatmen to their
swift doom.
Richard was thinking of the half
breed, Maldonado, as he inspected the
new stretch of levee between the
towns. He had heard from others be-
sides Estrada of the river knowledge
of this descendant of trapper and
souaw, and had thought 1t worth while
0 to ride the twenty miles from down
T the river to talk with him. The mans
e suavity, his narrow Sits of eyes, the
/ lips thin and facile, deep lines of cru.
T city falling from them, had repealed
) his visitor. The mystery of the place
v followed him. Why the 'dobe wall
d which completely surrounded the
Q small, low dwellings? Why the eau
II tious admittanee, the atmosphere of
IS suspicion? Richard had seen the wife,
le a frightened shadow of a woman; had
Is seen her finch when the brute called
d for her. He had questioned Cor'nel
about the half-breed. He was remem-
A bering the wrinkles of contempt on the
old Indians face as he delivered him
es self of an oracular grunt.
rs white man? No. Indian? MOI
III Coyotep'
az Though he suspected Maldonado
lu would lie on principle, though it might
be that two-thirds of his glib tissue
faIcn x-nt -
TO incident with the others, Brandon and
es Hamlin and Cornell, might be pulled
AS out Of his romantic fabric.
IN ''When the waters of the ella run
an red look out for troubleln He doubt.
es' ed that they ever ran red. He would
as ask Cor'nel. He had also spoken OF
on a cycle, known to Indians, of hun.
lot dredth year, when the Dragon grows
restless; this he had declared was q
Tx, hundredth year.
ms Following his talk with Maldonadc
lie and the accidental happy chance meet
no ing with Coronel at the Crossing Rick
vas ard had written his first report to Too
the Marshall. Before he had come to the
Heading he had expected to advis,
on against the completion of the woodeI
vas headgate at the Crossing. Hamlil
the mad given him new viewpoint. Their
elf, was fighting chance. And he wantet
ant to be fair. Next to being successful
the he wanted to be fair.
ons Its time to be hearing from Mar
be shall" Richard was thinking, as h
wal walked back to the hotel. 81 wonde
at what he will say" He felt it ha
lila been fair to put it up to Marshall
he personally, he would like to begin wit
baf- a clean slate-begin right. Clums
of work had been done, it was true, ye
ELL there were urgent reasons now fo
Don, haste; and the gate was nearly hal
at's done! He had gone carefully owe
the situation. The heavy snowfall, III
, to pfecedented for years, hundred, a.
vast coraing to the Indians-on the Win
He rover mountains-the lakes swolle
veil win Ice the ella restless, the summt
call. moods yet to be met; perhaps, he no
not thought, he had been oyerfair in en-
lace phaslzlng the arguments for the hea
was gate. For the hundred feet were no
1t thousand feet-yet he had spoke
MIA OF that to MARSHALL Calculate fl
the yourself the difference in expen'
had since the flood widened the break.
he Is vastly different problem mo-
In disaster island, which they figured {
ools. Tor anchor, is a mere pit of corrodir
the sugar in the channel. An infant CC
men orado could wash it away. Howeve
nlng lot OF work has already been dor
mer- ana lot of money spent. There is
I'M nghtlng chance. Perhaps the bad ye
'wn- is all Indian talk"
ould A guess a+ hos+ ,.4o 49,, j,
ever 1t was nnra gonat," - A., s -. :.
,e Colorado would do. Anyway. he h
s spne given the whole situation to Marshe
nins In his box at the hotel was te
ne gram which had been sent over fro
80. the office-from Tod Marshall. "Ta
IoiA the fighting chance. But remember