White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-13

Tor vas securing Zacatecas for men;
n. himself had offered, as bait, free
ronsnortation the u. Z. he knew
would back him. lie was going to
throw out n spur-track from the Head
touching Mt the quarry and gravel
,,t on 10 the main road at Yuma,
Donble track most OF the way sidings
.yerv three miles. Rock must bel
rus,,cd the trains must be pushed
through. lie ltched to begin. II never
occurred to him that, like Hardin. hsI
might fail.
aThouph It's no pink tea he told
himself. eif's no picnic Al Iucsonl
bc knew that the situation was al I.
crave one. but his talk with Brandon.
who knew his river as does q goou in-
dian. mule the year a signincaht.
eyeptful one. Matt Hamlin. too. whose
shrcwd eyes had grown riyer-wise. ne,
loo. had had tales to tell or the tricky
river. Maldonado, the half-breed, hao
confirmed their portents while they sat
together under his %olcander. famous
throughout that section OF the U
try. And powerfully had Cornei. the
Indian who had piloted Estrada party
across the desert. whom RickaSd had
met Mt the Crossing, deeply had he I'M
pressed him. The river grew into a
maleyolent, knocking personality; he
could see 1t q dragon of yellow waters.
dragging its slow. sluggish length
across the baked desert sands; deceiv-
Ing men by its lncrtness; Turing the
explorer by n mild mood TO rise sud
denly with It's Wild fellow, the ella,
sending boat and boatmen 10 their
swift doom.
Richard was thinking Of the half
breed. Maldonado. n he inspected the
new stretch Of leyee between the
towns. lie had heard from others be-
sides Estrada Of the river knowledge
of this descendant Of trappcr and
sauaw. and had thought 1t worth while
to ride the twenty miles from down
the river to talk with him. The mans
s%navify. his narrow Sits Of eyes. the
lips thin and faeile. deep lines Of eru-
city falling from them. had repealed
his visitor. The mystery Of the place
followed him. Why The 'dobe wall
which completely surrounded the
small. low dwellinesf Why The eau
tlous admlttance. The atmosphere of
suspiclonf Richard had seen the wife.
n frightened shadow Of n woman had
seen her finch when the brute called
for her. lie Ind questioned Cornell
about the hnlf-brced. lie was remem-
herring the wrinkles of contempt on the
old Indians face as he delivered him.
self of an oraculnr srunt.
"white man; No. Indian? MOI
Coyotef"
Though h. suspected MaliOnado
would lie on principle. though IL might
be that two-thirds Of his glib tissue
were false. yet n thread of truth co.
incident with the others, Brandon aud
IIamlin and cor'nel. might be pulled
cut OF his romantic fabric.
"When the waters Of the ella run
red look out for trouble >" lie doubt
ed that thcy ever ran red. lie would
ask Cor'nel. lie had also spoken of
a cycle. known to Indians. Of n hun,
dredth year. when the Dragon grows
restless: this he had declared Wa a
hundredth year.
/, Following his talk with Maldonado
and the accidental happy chance meet,
Ing with Coronel nj the Crossing Rick
ard had written his first report To Tod
Marshall. Before he had come TO the
Heading he had expected n advises
against the completion Of the wooden
headgate nj the Crossing. Hamlin
had given him n new viewpoint. There
was u fighting chance. And be wanted
10 be fair. Next to being successful
he wanted to be fair.
TITS time 10 be hessiag from Mar
shall" Richard was thinking. as he
walked back 10 the hotel. II wonder
what he Will say" He felt II had
been fair 10 put It mp 10 Marshall (:
personally. he would like 10 begin with
a clean slate-begln right. Clumsy
work had been done. IL was true. yet
there were urgent reasons now for
haste: and the gate vas nearly half
Done lie had zone carefully over
~ SAhali'hs inf htNN9 NnbNIhhs uh
~preeedentcd for years. a hundred. &C
cording 10 the Indians-on the Wind
Rover mountalns-the lakes swollen
with Ice, the ella restless. the summer
Hoods yet to be met; perhaps. he now
thought, he had been overfalr In en-
phasizing the arguments for the head.
gate. For tho hundred feet were now
a thousand feet-yet he had spoken
oil that To Marshall Calculate for
yourself the difference In expense
since the flood wldened the break. II
Is q vastly different problem now.
Disaster island, which they figured on
Tor anchor. Is n mere pit of c%orroding
sugar In the channel. An infant Coli
orado could wash 1t away. However.
n lot OF work has already been done.
and A LOT of monav anoat Tha.a IL +.