Arizona state miner., 1926-11-13

| turned OH TO WlnQ Den1n0 q k0w
ridge. 1t was deep-rutted and Caleb
traced it. He found that it ended at
a gravel pit, dug into the side of the
ridge, used probably for roadmaking
purposes. The pit had been bitten
out in the shape of a horseshoe and
standing where one of the calks would
come, he saw q dilapidated shed from
the roof Of which smoke was rising
through a rusty stove pipe. A man,
leaning against the open door, sur
veyed him curiOusly.
Caleb nodded to him as he walked
over to the shack, crunching through
the gravel. The man was lank and
tail, stopped of shoulder and construct
ed of chest. A hooked nose stuck out
boldly from the peaked and sunken
face between eyes that glittered
strangely. Long hair fell below his
shirt collar.
AS he rested against the door jamb
a fit of coughing attacked him and he
shook with it like a reed In the wind.
He was so helpless in the grip Of the
attack that Caleb hurried to support
him, thinking him about TO fall.
But the violent efforts ceased and
the man rallied, smiling wanly, with
a grimy handkerchief set to his lips.
Caleb caught sight Of tef1tale feclSs
of bright-red blood quickly folded into
/ the rag. The cough was from the
lungs, the man tubercular.
as all right, stranger" said the
man. "Pve bin a sight worse. I'm
gettin' it baked out of me here Lungs
| teched but they're healin. F'ishin',
/ are We? Better work up to the canyon
vonder. No use wastin' yore time
down here. Folly the road below the
pit an then trail the crick. It's tough
goin'. Sile's chokin', what little ther
| is OF It,"
| MOSTLY gravel underneath, to Judge
by the pit" Caleb answered. "Thanks
| for the tip. Have a cigar?"
The man took 1t wolfshly and bit
off the end
| Caleb gave him match.
II thought that perhaps you owned
| the gravel pit"
|
! this cough, and I'm willin' to get shet
Of that. Mines a charity fob. It's
| good gravel am the hill makes it handy
| to git at + can't work at my trade
no longer Tt takes it out of me, you
see"
Caleb didn't see. The glitter In the
| mans eyes was not so much that Of
fever as of the spirit, he decided. He
| fancied him little demented, by way
of being a crank or a fanatic
'I'm glad the lands worth Some
thing" he said. "Tt doesn't look like
| it." The man shot over a quick, burn
ing look.
That's to them as looks only ON
the surface" he said.
''What do you mean?"
| The man led the way into the shack.
| From the two-by- y-fours that supported
! the corrugated iron roof hung some
switches of freshly cut willow and
| hazel. Some were old and dried And
all were forked
'Kn0w what those are?" asked the
man. '"Them's divinin' rods. I'm a
diviner. A Water-Finder That's my
trade. IT'S the power within me that
goes out an leaves me weak Too
weak to work at 1T. Each Job means
another nail in the lid of my coffin.
Mebbe you're one Of them that laugh
| at ft?" he demanded ffercely. "But
there's many in the upper valley as
/ has blessed me when / showed 'em
where to bore"
The thing seemed uncanny. Yet,
somehow, 1t fitted In. The huncf
stirred I'm his brain. To Caleb, under
the spell of his vision, it seemed pre-
destined that he, the Water-Bearer,
should meet this Water-Finder to con-
firm his hope, a living signpOst that
he was on the track
He knew that within the year the
French Academy Of Sciences had ac-
cepted the demonstration of a num-
Der of scientifically controlled cases
| where the "waterdivining rod had
proved beyond a doubt that certain
persons were gifted with the power to
discover subterranean springs and
reservoirs. Scientists did not attempt
to explain the mystery, but accepted
the phenomenon and were making it
the subject of expert research to dis
cover the natural causes.
Il have known many cases back in
the East, where come FROM Caleb
said, "where water has been found
by the use Of the rod
The man was instantly Modified
"Ah," he said Its all true. I
amt quite human, mebbe It's a gift,
the power. Like a mediums. Super
natural. The spirits talk to me about
it sometimes. I'd like to show We. but
I'm too weak. But you can take my
word for it-me, David Evans, the
Welsh Water-Finder, what's discovered
a score of wells north Of Coyote crick :
that there's water all under here
under this gravel
II Apparently this David Evans
III 10 f0 nl3U H.