The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-18
(Continued)

-.N &2 ,.sS S-7:NS!AHN>A
 (Continued)
 came up, protesting.
 sAIrs. Hatfeld," she explained dis. Santly, ''is not coming. We are wait- ing for Mir. Rickard."
 "He didn't come in on that train; he's at the Heading" Hardin added something about trouble at the intake but Gerty did not heed. Tom had known and had not told her when ? there was yet time to call it off!
 GA pretty time to tell mel" Had he been looking at her, he would have been left no illusions. Her blue eyes flashed hate.
 'T did not know it until we got here. There was message from Mac Lean at the desk, waiting" MacLean was not there, either!
 "We are all ready" she cried. ''Mrs. Hatfield and MT. Rickard cannot come" Not for worlds would she give in to her desire to call the whole grim affair off; let them think she was disappointed, not she. Though the world blew away, she would go. She found herself distributing slips of mangled quotations. The white slips went to the women; the green bits of pasteboard to the men, She held a certain green card ill her glove: Leads on to fortune" Rick ard might come dashing in at the last moment, the ideal mans way; spe- cial, perhaps; it did not seem credible that he would deliberately stay away without sending her word.
 In burst of laughter, the com pany discovered then that the guest of honor was also absent. Mrs. Hardin hurried them out to the wait iag buggies.
 Drearily, they drove down the fly ing street. The wind was at their backs, but it tore at their hats. pulled at their tempers. Their eyes were full of street dust.
 A flash of light as they were leav- ing town frightened the thick dust clouds. "What was that?" cried Gerty. ? She was ready for any calamity now. "Not lightning?' Again, the queer light flashed across the obscured sky. Tom reused himself to growl that he hadn't seen anything. And the dreary farce went on.
 1nneS' partner was young Sutcliffe, the English zanjero. He was in the quicksand of a comparison between English and American women, Innes mischievously coaxing him into deeper waters, when there was a blockade of buggies ahead of them.
 'Thc A B c ranch" cried Innes peering through the veil of dust al the queer unreal outlines of fences and trees. Its our first stop"
 "Oh, say, that's too bad" begar Sutcliffe. Innes was already on the A, road, her skirts whipped by the wint into clinsing drapery.
 / Gerty's party found itself disorgan ized. Partners were trying to fnt or lose each other. Get in here ? InRes heard the voice of Estrada be hind her. He had a top buggy. Sh' hailed a refuge.
 "Splendid!" she cried. "What reliefI'' Climbing in, she said: '' hope this isn't upsetting Gerty's or engagement"
 Arrangement Look at them The women were hastening out of tn dust swirl into any haven that ot fered. With little screams of dismay they ran like rabbits to cover.
 Gerty found herself with Blinn. A the next stop there was a block o buggies. "No use changing again She acknowledged herself beate1 Lets go on. What are they stoppin for?7 Dismal farce it all was!
 She was pushing back her dishear ened curls when the beat of horse hoofs back of them brought the bloc back into her wind-chilled cheek "Rickard! v she thought. He mus have come in a special!' The glool suddenly disgorged MacLean.
 "Hardinl Where is he?"
 "Whats up?" yelled Blinn. '1s the river?" MacLean's face answere him. His ranch secured again-"GC Almighty"
 "The riverl" screamed the wome The men were surrounding MacLea whose horse was prancing as if vii the importance of having carried Revere. "The leveei' called Ma Lean. "where's Hardin?" He spurr' his mare toward Hardin. who w blacker than Napoleon at Austerlit
 You're needed. They're all nee ed" The other voices broke in, Il men pressing up. This threaten them all. Blinn's ranch lay in t ravaged sixth district. Nothing wou save him. Youngberg belonged water company number one; the ditches would go. Hollister and W son of tho Palo Verde saw ruin ahei of them. Each man was visualizil the mad onward sweep of that ( stroying power. Like ghosts, [ women huddled in the dust-blo, road.
 "Where is it now?" demanded Blir
 "It's here, right on us. You're needed at the levee," bawled Ms Lean.
 The levee! There was a dash buggies, a scraping of wheels. whinnying of frightened horses. Sol one recalled the flashes of light tn had seen on leaving town. WI were those lights-signalsT "From the water-tower." MacLea voice split the wind. '.The wires [