Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-17

no longer. The continual slow seep
age from the pool left an underlayer
of moisture for a little distance. 1t
was upon that moisture that the viii
lows lived, and to which the man had
dug. But the sun, striking tiercely,
sucked up the dampness almost as
soon as the mans hands cleared it.
He seized compacted mass OF moist
sand in his hand that his skin might
soak in refreshment, and as he held
II it dried. from compactness became
powdery, and presently trickled in a
stream Of fine grains through his
fingers.
He lifted blood shot infiamed eyes
to the man he had swindled.
i've been reading over paper.
said the big man slowly. It's the
abstract Of title to this ground. II
tells who's owned this place before
me-"
The man in the sand pit swallowed.
croaked something unintelligible.
You've owned 1T three times the
beaded man went on, in his voice all
the memorable quality of fate itself.
Twice you've sold il, and twice
you've bought 1t back again. And
there are two graves up yonder."
The man in the sand pit croaked
again. digging for moisture in the
powdery stuff below him.
II don't know what happened, but
didn't you sell It for a good price and
then buy 1t back for next to nothing
when they'd gotten discouraged, or
died?"
From the pit tortured eyes looked
up. The man there licked his lips
with a dry and swollen tongue.
I'm buy 1t back" he articulated.
with difficulty. You amt like the
others. III buy 1t back
The big man shook his head DELHI
erately.
II don't go back on my bargains
or lie when ! make them. You said
there was ample water here You
swfndled me, and there are two graves
up yonder. Where is that water"
Blake's eyes went TO the pool with
infinite longing. The pool was no
ticeabiy smaller than II had been.
III buy 1t back; he mumbled. I'm
pay you profit"
The bearded man heard him and
turned away
Come back" shrilled Blake sud
denly. Look, Look
He held out his cupped hands. full
and brimming with gold pieces.
MY pay money for the blasting
gang" he shrilled. IF you're afraid
of my giving YOU check and then
stopping it. I'll pay you in gold, III
pay you gold just to give me back the
place and let me go. Ill pay YOU a
profit
The big mans voice was grating
and full of rage.
You sold me land to TILL" he cried
hoarsely, and you sold me ample
water. What do | care for profits?
~
water for the land you've sold me
Ample water
He strobe away his great hands
closing and Enclosing convuIsively.
x x \ *
a ND then there was silence. while
the sun rose higher, and the heat
grew greater. and the red cliffs re-.
nected the heat into the valley. 1t
grew ovenlike. all dry earth and sand
with a drying pool to taunt the eve
Inc rabbit came early that night
and Was driven away. And it came
again and yet again, and each time a
shower of stones from a frantic. raw
ing man drove 1t back from the water.
FOR hours the rabbit tried to Green
to the waters edge unobserved and
each time failed. The man in the
sand-pit was watching with a strange,
insane ferocity. While he thirsted, no
other creature should drink.
toward morning strange sounds
came from the pit the man had
dug Much of it was unintelligi-
Bile, but the rest was a succession of
cunningly contrived. phrases, put to-
gether with mad, specious clever
ness. 1t was a rehearsal of arey
ments why his captor should go to the
other side of the pool and throw
rocks into 1t, so that the splashes
would reach the man in the sand pit
Merely the splashes, nothing more.
He could not drink them, he repeated
cunningly. They would be dirty wa
ter, unfit to. drink. But it would
prove that the whole farm could be
irrigated from the pool. There was
ample water, only one should stand
and throw rocks into it, so it would
splash.N
And then. at sunrise the babbling
suddenly stopped. The mans eyes
were very bright. An expression of
eaGernesS came over his face.
Dynamite" he said raptly. "Dyna-
mite. 1t would splash"
He lay quite still, watching the pool.
In broad day the rabbit crept down to
the water, driven by intolerable thirst.
And stones and small rocks fell all
about 1t, in the chained mans child
ish rage.
The bearded man stopped outside the
door of his house and brushed absent
~ at some small glistening drops upon
his shirt. He was trembling, and in
revolt. The droplets were salt. They
might have been tears, only certainly
they had not come from his eyes.
His face set grimly. then softened
and then he spoke without turning his
head.
"All right, then. Pack up. But"
his voice rose to the heights. OF re-
bellion, "he lied to me-!
, Slowly he went toward his prisoner
The flecked beard rested on his chest.
Grimness undated, hatred unap-
peased. he stalked toward the man
who had swindled him. He carried
huge pair of wire-cutters in one of
his great hands.
His prisoner raised his head joyfully
at sight of him, and began to speak
The big man gazed at him somberly
I'm going to turn you loose, he
said harshly. You can thank wom-
an for 1t, II you like"
Blake continued to make uncouth
sounds His eyes were bright and ne
waved and gesticulated. He was all
eagerness, all plausibility. Then he
seemed to make superhuman effort
to articulate. despite his rouShened.
swollen tongue. He was horrible to
.yv,, ~. J.lsi1;,, sh, 1lea- eyed, H.