The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1919-05-10

neer of the Overland Pacific. is called L
the office of President Marshall in Tue
son. Ariz Casey" Is an enigma 70 tn,
but he had resigned a chair of engineer
ing in the East 10 go on the road as
fireman and his promotion had been spec
taeular, While waiting for Marshall Rick lex
Colorado. despite the efforts OF Thoma,
Hardin OF the Desert Reclamation com
pany. This Hardin had been a studen
under Rickard and had married Cert,
Holmes. with whom Rickard had fanciet
s he was in love.
CHAPTER II--Marshall tells Rickart
the Overland Pacific has got to step ir
TO save the Imperial Valley and send'
him to the break. Rickard declines be-
cause he does not want to supplant Har'
damn the expense" @ says Marshail. river
CHAPTER III-Rickard journeys &c
Calexico, sees the irrigated desert and
ieasns much about Hardin and his work
CHAPTER Iv-At the hotel he meets
Mr.. and Mrs. Hardin and Innes Hardin,
Hardin's half sister. Disappointed In her
husband and an incorrigible coquette,
Mrs. Hardin sets her cap for her former
lover and invites him to dinner.
CHAPTER V-Rickard visits the COM
pany's offices and takes control. He finds
the engineers loyal TO Hardin and hos
he s Father Of ths Imperial sf1Sfa Vsey s0a tells
him OF the general situation.
CHAPTER vI-Rickard attends a
meeting OF the directors and asserts his
authority. Hardin RACES. Estrada tells
Rickard OF his foreboding that his work
will fail. II can't see 1t finished"
CHAPTER vII-Innes is discovered in
her garden. She tries to cheer up Hardin,
who Is furious against Richard.
CHAPTER villa family luncheon of
the Hardins which throws light on them.
CHAPTER Ix-Hardin discovers that
Rckard Is planning levee to protect
CaleXico and puts him down as incom-
petent. Gerty thinks her lord jealous.
CHAPTER x--The. Hardin dianer to
Rickard discloses further the family char
lnnes is hardly polite. Gerty plans
progressive ride" In Richards honor.
Innes looked up for Toms answer.
His face was ugly with passion.
Danger! It's n bluff, big show
OF activity here because he's buffa-
loed; he doesn't know how to tackle
the Job out there"
1t had begun to look that way to
more than one. 1t was talked over
Mt Coulter's store; In the outer office
of the ID. r. company where the engi-
neers foregathered; among the. chair
filters who idled in front of the Des-
ert hotel. "The man does not know
how to tackle his job A levee, and
the gate held upl What protection to
the towns would be that toy levee II
the river should return on one Of its
spectacular sprees? A levee, and the
intake itself not guarded? He was
whispered Of as incompetent; one of
Marshall's clerks. He was given
short time to blow himself out. A
bookman, a theorist.
"As well put sentlnels few miles
from prison and leave the jail doors
open" This was Wooster's gibe. All
saw the Colorado as marauder ut
large. "And little heap of sand
stacked up TO scare II off! It's q
scream"
Mrs. Hardin found It difficult to
meet with diplomacy the condolences
which inevitably came her way. AS
IIardin's wife she was expected to en-
joy the universal censure the new man
was acquiring. Gerty's light touches
too slight for championship passed as
a sweet charity. Her own position
those days was trying. She did not
yet know her diplomatic lesson.
Apparently unaware of the talk,
Rickard spent the greater part of his
time experimenting the levec, He
could trust no one else to do II, no
InI gctr ia.
rushing his steel rails through to the
front and was needed there.
Things were moving under his con-
slant goading. The extra pay was
showing results. He should be at the
Heading now, he kept telling himself,
but he was convinced that the instant
he turned his back, the work on the
Ievee would stop; and all the reasons
excellent Some emergency would be
cooked up TO warrant the withdrawal
Of the hands. Chafe as he might at
The situation, it was TO be guerrilla
warfare. Not fight In the open, he
knew how to meet that, but that baf- |
ling resistance, the polite silence of |
the office when he entered-"WelI.
heyll be doing my way pretty soon.
,r my name isn't Rlckard. That's
lat"
He was frettlng 10 be at work, to
start the wheels of the o. T., its vast
machinery toward his problem. He
snew that that organization, like we'll
lrllled militia, was ready for his call.
The call Jagged, not that he did not
need men, but there was no place
'eady for them. The camp, that was
mother rub. There was no camp! 1t
vas not equipped for sudden inila-
lon OF men. The inehlciency of the
of this desert scheme had
leyer seemed so criminal as when he
lad surveyed tho equipment at the in
AXE. "Get ready first; your tools.
'our stoves, your beds" That was the
raining OF the good executive, of men
Ike Marshall ana MacLean. Nothing
o be left TO chance; to fOresee emer.
Ieneles, not to be taken by them un-