The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-01

 shall was saying. Hardin had to de- liver water to those colonists. It was then that he ran over into Mexico, so as to get better gradient for his canal, and made his cut there. You know the rest. It ran away from him. It made the Salton sea-"
 "Did he ever give you any reason" frowned Rlckard reminiscantly, "any reasonable reason why he made that cut without any head gate?"
 "NO money!" shrugged Marshall, getting out another cigar. q told you he's q raw dancer, always starts off too quick, begins on the wrong foot. Oh, yes, he has reasons, lots of them, that fellow, but, as you say, they're not reasonable. He never waits to get ready"
 Why was 1t that the face of the half-sister came to Rickard then, with that look of sensitive high breeding and guarded reserve? And she liar dini Sister to the loud-spilling mouth Queer cards nature deals! And pretty ca1lS Marshall was trying to deal out to him. Go down there and finish Hardin's job, show him up to be the fumbler he was, give him orders, give the husband of Gerty Holmes or ders-l
 ''It was Hardin who came to me, but not until he'd tried everything else. They'd worked for months try ing to dam the river with a fews lace handkerchiefs, and perhaps a chiffon veil," Marshall was twinkling over his own humor. Hardin did put up a good talk. It was true, as he said; we'd had to move our tracks three, no, four times at Salton. It was true that it ought to be one of the richest districts tapped by the o. P. But he . clenched me by a clever bait-tO put out q spur in Mexico which would keep any other railroad off by fifty mile parallel, and there the sandhills make a railroad impossible.
 ''The government must eventually come to the rescue. Their works at 1 Laguna hang on the control of the 1 river down at the heading. Once, he i told mel don't know how much truth there was in 1.-the service, rec lamation service, did try to buy up their plant for & paltry sum. He wouldn't sell. The short is, I recom- mended long-slghted assistance to i Faraday. l promised to turn that l river, save the district. We expected before the year was out to have the 1 government take the responsibility off ] our hands"
 Rickard, made an impatient shrug. i A nice problem Marshall had taken unto himself. He wanted none of it. Hardin-the thing was impossible.
 He met 1aggardIy Marshaus story. He heard him say: Agreed with Far aday. The Desert Reclamation com pany was as helpless as q swaddled infant We made the condition that we reorganize the company. l was put in Hardin's place as president c. the corporation. and he was made gen. eral manager. Of course we had to control the stock. We put up two hundred thousand dollars - Hardin had estimated it would cost us less than half thati It's cost us already a million. Things haven't been going right Faraday's temper burst out and Hardin a while back was asked to resign
 "And it is Hardin's position that you want me to fiIl2" His voice sounded queer to hfmself-dry, mock
 ing, as if anyone should know wha
 an absurd thing he was being asked
 to do. He felt Marshall's sharp In
 dian eyes on him, as if detecting a pet
 tiness. Well, he didn't care how Mar
 shall interpreted it. That place wasn'
 for him.
 q want you in control down there. Rickard knew he was being appraised ,, balanced all over again. It made nt difference
 ''Pm sorry" he was beginning, whel Marshall cut in.
 Good Lord, you are not going t turn it down?"
 7 He met Marshalrs incredulou } stare. 'Its a job I'd jump at unde . most circumstances. But I can't gC , sir''
 ] Tom Marshall leaned back the ful 5 swing of his swivel chair, blankl astounded. His eyes told Rlckar l that he had been found wanting-h l had white blood in his veins. , "It is good of you to think of me 2 pshawl it is absurd to say thes ;, things. You know that I know 1t l an honor to be picked out by you fo : such a piece of work. I'd like to- 8 but I can't.'
 oI The president of railroads, wh s knew men, had been watching tn = play of feature. ''Take your time," b
 said. Don't answer too hastily. Tax
 your time" |, He was playing the fool, or wors n before Marshall, whom he respecte, I whose partisanship meant so mucl
 But he couldn't help 1t. He couldn n tell that story-he knew that Marsha
 would brush it aside as a child's CD @ so6e. He couldn't make 1t clear t
 the man whose stare was balancin d him why he could not oust Tom Hal q din.
 r. 'Ts 1t a personal reason2'' Maj e shall's gaze had returned to his rin 8 making.
 r Rickard admitted it was personal.