Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-07-07


IF you don't promise I'll never tell,
that's all" she declared, firmly.
Bedding deliberated a little longer.
He knew the girl.
"Well, promise not to tell moth
err" he said, presently; land seeing
! you're here safe and well, guess l
won't go packing a gun down there,
wherever that is. But 1 won't promise
to keep anything from Dick that per-
haps he ought to know"
Nell, regaining her composure, wiped
her eyes and smoothed back her hair
"The other day, Wednesday," she
began, 81 was coming home, and in
front Of that mescal drinking place
there was crowd. 1t was a noisy
crowd. 1 didn't want to walk out into
the street or seem afraid. But / had
to do both. There were several young
men, and If they weren't drunk they
certainly were rude. I never saw
them before, but I think they must
belong to the mining company that
was run out of Sonora by rebels. Any
way, these young fellows were Amer
lCduS. 4u6y SlIGlIliGu lllClnStlhNS
across the walk and smiled at me. I
had to go out in the road. One of
them, the rudest, followed me. He
was big fellow, red-faced, with prom
inent eyes and q bold look. He came
up beside me and spoke to me. l ran
home. And as ran heard his COM
panions jeering
4Yrck NH I r-oS
riding up the valley road came upon
the same fellows. They had instru-
ments and were surveying. Remem-
bering Dick, and how he always
wished for an instrument to help work
out his plan for irrigation, 1 was GER
tainly surprised to see these strangers
surveying-and surveying upon Lad
road there, and Jose happened to be
walking. So l refined Ia and asked
these engineers what they were do
ing The leader who was that same
bold fellow who had followed me,
seemed much pleased at being adj
dressed. He said he was glad to tell
me he was going to run water all over
AtldI fdl1cJ- OduS gOu Ihn btl lAut
made me wild. That was Dicks plan,
his discovery, and here were surveyors
on Laddy's claim.
"Then I told him that he was work
ing on private land and he'd better
get off. He said something about not
seeing any squatters on the land, and
then he shut up tight on that score.
rl,,k ~ 10 hn gr%xy In
got hold of Jose's bride, and before
I could catch my breath he said
was a peach, that he wanted to make
a date with me, that his name was
Chase, that he owned a gold mine in
Mexico He said lot more I didn't
gather, but when he called me
'Dearie' well. I lost my temper.
81 jerked on the bride and told him
to LET go. He held on and rolled his
eyes at me. He seemed sure of con-
quest. One thing was certain, he
didn't know the least bit about horses.
It scared me the way he got in front /
of Jose. I thanked my stars I wasn't
up on Blanco Diable. Well, Dad, I'm /
a little ashamed now but ! was mad
slashed him across the face with my
quirt. Jose jumped and knocked Mr..
Chase into the sand. / didn't get the
horse under control till l was out of
sight of those surveyors, and then I
let him run home"
''Nell, I guess you punished the fell
low enough. Maybe he's only a con-
ceited softly. But don't like that sort
of thing. It isn't western"
'Tm sorry now, Dad. Perhaps the
fellow was hurt. But what could I
do? Let's forget all about It. and I'll
be careful where ride In the future.
+, Dad, what does it mean, this
surveying around Forlorn River7'
81 don't know, Nell" replied Beld-
ing, thoughtfully. 1T worries me. 1t
looks good for Forlorn River, but bad
for Dicks plan to irrigate the valley.
Lord, I'd hate to have some one fore
stall Dick on thatl"
mo, no. we won't let anybody have
Dicks rights" declared Nell.
"Where have l been keeping myself
not to know about these surveyorsT
muttered Belding "They must have
just come"
Bedding discovered that he was, in
deed, the last man of consequence in
Forlorn River to learn Of the arrival
of Ben Chase and son, mine owners
and operators in Sonora. They, with
a force of miners, had been besieged
by rebels and finally driven off their
This property was not de-
stroyed, but held for ransom. And the
Chases, pending developments, had
packed outfits and struck for the Dor
der. Casita had been their objective
point, but for some reason which
Beldlng did not learn, they had ar
rived instead at Forlorn River. II
had taken Ben Chase just one day to
see the possibilities of Altar valley,
and in three days he had men at work.
Bedding returned home without 60
ng to see the Chases and their Qper-