Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-09

n UBE TENNEY, following the
X the Valley Center Register
j called upon Silas Babson on the
first of February. He heaved
himself into the visitors chair beside
The bankers desk, Spat in Babson'S
waste basket. sighed and said nothing
for about a minute.
We'll we'll we'll" Babson interrupted
petulantly, what's on your mind, Ten
ney?"
water" Mr.. Tennely replied lugu-
briously.
I'm not interested"
L am Representa- as I do the In
terestS O. Nate Tichenor an his wife,
I got to- 1 been watchin the Forlorn
Valley irrigation district divertin' water
from Eden Valley Creek ever since the
first of the Fall rains, an amt said
nothin'"
Kind of you. I'm sure" Babson
sneered.
Not a-tall Orders from the boss
Before he left on his honeymoon Nate
had real engineer up to look over that
diversion canal, and this engineer re-
ported you wouldn't have no success
lmpcundin' water this year on account
the soil in the ditch is so porous four
fifthS of it leaks down into the soil be-
fore ever it gifts to Lake BabSon. He
told me to watch the papers an If
seen where you an your gang was goln
to spend a lot o money concretin' that
diversion canal, I was to come in an
tell you not to waste the money. It's
this way, Babson. The run-off rain an
meltin' snow from the hills into that
ditch naturally carries lot o top sol
with it-What the miners call Slickens
The water runnin' through the ditch
carries more top soil an there's quail
ty in that slickenS that amt to be de-
spised. Mates engineer says it'll Sift
down into all the cracks an pores OF
the bed O. the canal and gradually fl
'em up an sort of cement EN- naturally
an next year the loss from sinkin
water won't amount to much; each
year it amounts to less an less
Isn't it kind of Nate Tichenor tc
go to all that trouble for the irrigation
district?" Babson replied coldly.
"Oh, Mates kind" Mr.. Tenney as
6ured BabSon. "KindeSt Teller 1 ever
did see. 1t plumb hurts him to see the
farmers o. Forlorn Valley stuck for an
other couple o'hundred thousand dollars
1t amt necessary to spend"
II will be the judge of that, Tenney.'
Il know you will. You amt got the
brains of buck goat. However
didn't come here to argue. I come be-
cause had my orders to come an tell
you, an If you didn't believe this re-
port was to invite you up to the Circle
K an show you some old bitches UP
there that wouldn't carry a lick o
water the first year, but which silted
up an hardened until now we don't lose
drop through capillary attraction
which is what the engineers call it,"
II suppose you'd like to get me up on
the Circle K so you could kill me?"
Nary bit, Babson. You're a-playin'
hockey from the cemetery now, so why
should 1 bump you off? Some crazy
farmer of Forlorn Valleys liable to dc
that after you've ruined him an lost
him his farm an then added insult to
injury by havin' your bank blow up in
his face an losin' him what getaway
money he had on hand"
If you've said you say you can run
along now, Tenney, I have business to
attend to-"
Il amt SaiI all o. my say" Rube
Henney retorted with logged patience
"Here is the first o February an the
Spring freshet due to start I want
you should open the gates Of your di-
version dam now an let the flood
waters come down Eden Valley Greek