The Elbert County tribune., 1919-04-11
CHAPTER XIV.
On the Levee,

On the Levee.
Hardin did not go home that night.
He was feeling 80 the quick the irony
of his position; hin duty now to pro-
tect the levee 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
sacking sand. Bodefeldt ran up to tell
him that there was a hill of filed
sacks over in Mexicali. "Rickard had
bunch of Indians working for q
week"
The confusion of the shy fellow did
not escape Hardin. Oh, he knew what
Bodefeldt was thinking, what every
one was saying They were all laugh
ing at him. The coincidence of this
extraordinary flood bad upheld Rick
ards wild guess, haloed his judgment.
1t was all a piece of his Internal luck.
Sickening, that's what it wasI His
orders scattered. BE ran up and down
the levee, giving orders; recalling
them when he found he was repeating
Richards.
This new humiliation, coming on the
heels of the dredge fiasco. 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 rightl Lord, what he
had to put up withl The other men,
tho ranchers and engineers, saw in
his excitement certainty Of the valleys
doom.
The wind and the darkness con-
tr;buted to the confusion. Eager
shovels were tossing up earth before
anyone could tell where the danger
point would be. The water was not
yrt high enough to determine the place
Of, battle. Sacked sand was being
brought over from Mexicali. Fifty
pair of hands made short work of
richards "hIll." Lanterns were flash
ing through the darkness like restless
areflies. The wind and rushing water
1eadened the sound of the voices. 1t
was a battle of giants against pyg-
mics In the darkness, the giants
threatened to conquer.
At three in the morning, horseman
rode IN from Fassett's. one of the big
uanches to the north, cut by the New
liver.
"The river Is cutting back" he
called through the din. cutting back
toward the towns"
A turn in the gorge, careless
dump-pit had pulled the river like a
mad horse back on its launches. 1t
was kicking back.
"They are short-handed up there.
They need help"
'Dynamits," cried Silent and Har-
Ain antiphOnally. They happened to
oe standing near.
1--WE must have dynamite" bawled
Hardin. "Are the wires down between
here and Brawley? We must get a
wire somehow to Los Angeles, to rush
u down here this morning."
"It's here. There is a carload on
the siding" yelled Silent.
Hardin did not need to ask by
whose orders it 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 safe? There was
no road between the towns and Fas-
sett's. The night, the explosive-sbould
they not wait till morning? The ques-
tlon threw his late chief into a rage.
Did ask you to take it?" 1t was
the opening for his fury. "Safel VIII
the towns be safe If the river cuts back
mere? The channel has got to be
widened, and you talk of your own
precious skin Wait till ask you to
:ake it, Get out the machine. I'll take
Z to Fassett's myself"
Silent left the levee, smartlng. He
lacked the machine out of the shed
md sped through the darkness toward
Iexicali, where the car of explosives
was isolated.
Hardin, buttoned up to the ears, his
soft hat pulled tight over his forehead.
was waiting impatiently. Here was
something tc os done. he coveted the
setivity.