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

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| slipped this way and that, sometimes
! joining in a momentary illusion OF
amalgamation. then ,e.--aing away
again Soundlessly. Tb-. glare was
terrible. the heat horrli~e, and the
silence that of something strangline
in the choking stiffness or the air.
The man was standing by the water
hole, grim figure, listening to
another man, who had slipped in
furtively A stolid patient burro
fiicked it's ears lazily as it waited.
Your names Scarsdale, amt it?''
the stranger began timidly. They
told he down in Prentice that you'd
bought this place"
The bearded man nodded, staring at
the shallow pool of water.
Il bought it," he said harshly
Why"
The other put out his hand in an
appealing gesture.
You bought it from that-from Mr..
Blake. He The stranger looked
about. and lowered his voice. He
swindled you. didn't he?"
He lied to me- said the broad
man, his voice full of queer muf-
fed fury. Yes, he swindled me-"
'He-swindled me too" the visitor
said pathetically. II bought 200 acres
from him. For dryfarming. And
1
I've been down in Prentice after sup
plies"
What did you do?" demanded the
other, his voice booming. What did
you do TO him when he'd swindled
you?"
The stranger seemed to shrink a
little.
There wasn't anything to do. He'd
been careful. The law was on his side.
l couldn't do anything at all
why didn't YOU kill him."
Again the stranger looked cautious
ly about before replying.
II thought of it," he said con-
fidentally, but he carries two re-
volvers. And he shoots straight. |
thought of it after my wife died. She
sort of dropped when she saw how
we'd been swindled. And 1 went down
to Prentice. But it wouldn't have been
any use.
The big man moved. His eyes held
a certain something that made the
other shift uneasily from one foot to
the other.
1T wouldn't have been any USE" he
repeated. He had the law on his side.
He was careful about that"
What do you know about this
placer" demanded the other harshly.
What about this water hole? Isn't
it ever any bigger than this"
Sometimes" the stranger admitted.
1T gets a little larger. I've been here
three years. and I've seen it half as
big again. I've wished 1 had it on my
place. That's when the snow melts
on the mountains They tell me
there's an underground drainage.
And it gets smaller, too"
Yes. 1t does get smaller. It's a
sort of artesian spring. Somebody
told me that hole there goes on down
like an artesian we'll and taps the
water maybe 500 feet down. But it
got stopped up. mostly; after an
earthquake, somebody told me-
x x X 4
HAD they known of such things
II the two men could have proved
the fact easily enough. The surface
rocks were sandstone, all sandstone.
But tiny pebbles in the pool, brought
up by the current when it was a rush
ing stream, were granite, and even a
little black lava, and here and there
quartz. No man could tell
but that somewhere down in darkness
there was a mighty stream pouring
a channel forever unvisited
of men. deep down in the bowels of
the earth, full of cool melted snow
"
where, all moisture and GOODNESS. while
above 1t the earth gasped in heat and
perpetual drought.
"It got stopped up" repeated the
stranger timidly. Maybe some rocks
got loosened. way down there, and
plugged it up. Or maybe just little
pebbles gathered, or something. But
ii don't flow now"
The big man stared at the placid
pool. His face was set in harsh lines.
Ample water" he quoted again.
his chance to make good, I'll give it
to him, but if he don't"
The stranger stared, uneaSily.
You amt thinkin' of tryin' to do
about it, are you?" he asked
He's got the law on
his side"
He said" growled the big man.
that If he were a beef-critter he'd
ask nothing better than to be pas
tured on the banks of this stream"
His hands twisted, as if aching to be
heaven he cried suddenly, his voice
rising in pitch, when I get to
The stranger looked. and blinked.
and moved uneasily. He turned his
head and looked all about him, at the
parched and thirsty earth. at the hot
rocks, leaping and ripping in the
glare. at the starveling trees and the
silent blistering cliffs all about.
Hes goin' to be by" he said con
fidentially, 'in two or three days
more. He's got a big place 40 miles
away. A wonderful place. He's
building a dam. He'll go by, down
there-and most likely alone"
He pointed, and waited
II amt the sort to do any
thing" he said timidly, yet eagerly.
But I thought I'd tell you"
The stranger caught at his burro's