Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-02-15


Tapped his stirrups, then turned back
and Joined his wife on the high ground
along the foot of the hills.
"A creek In the summer and fall,
but good-sized river in the winter
and spring, Lorry," he announced.
"Therell be no dry years in this coun.
try, Lorry; and there'll always be a
world of water for summer irrigation"
The partner of his brave dreams
nodded, for she. too, was child of the
soil and could understand his enthus-
iasm. "The country's laid out like
frying pan, Robin. This narrow canyon
is the handle and the big valley is the
pam"
Keeping to the high ground at the
base of the hills they journeyed down
the Handle to the Pan. fording numer-
GUS lateral torrents that roared down
the mountalnside to the main stream
below.
Debouching from the Handle into
the Pan flor so they continued to al
Jude to the peculiar disposition of the
country Kershaw discovered that the
creek was now, indeed, river. And,
as was the case in the Handle, so II
was in the Pan. For fully a mile on
the west bank Of the stream the
ground was inundated.
Goods the ditch-tender in Eden Val
ley, Lorry," he exulted. "Once a year
for perhaps month. He gives free
surface irrigation on strip two miles
wide and no man knows how long"
He left her and rode oct into the
sluggish wash to a point within hun
dred yards of the main channel. From
foot to six inches Deep" he an
nounced, when he rejoined her on the
high ground. What grand soaking
And then couple of inches of new
rich silt from the high country back
yonder is left behind to fertilize the
grass when the waters recede to the
channel!"
She smiled upon him, rejoicing with
him in this discovery of unlimited free
grass and water.
On mesa about forty acres in area,
and backed up against the western
hills, they found the location for their
future home. Perhaps a hundred
stately pine trees grew upon this mesa,
with lush green grass between.
II can have a garden" Lorry MUIR
INJURED rapturously.
"And there's timber to our hand for
our home and outbuildings," he added.
"We'll build a grand big log house and
we'll furnished. When this valley has
been surveyed and thrown open to set
tiers we'll have a squatter's right to
this site, on account we've been here
first"
They camped that night In the pine
grove. Side by side, on a fOot-deep
carpet of soft pine needles, they lay
under the stars that night and talked
and made brave plans for their future.
Truly, they were as Adam and Eve
In the Garden Of Eden; there, beneath
their heavy wooden blankets, content in
each others arms. they saw no vision
of the Serpent. They dreamed not of
the hatred and envy Of humankind that
one day should make them, their chill
dren and their children's children
fight to the death for this dear
silent land; that one day the waves of
a new civilization would engulf them;
that one day they should be crowded!
The following morning they con-
tinued their journey down the valley.
Halfway down, the land on each side
of the creek rose to slight angle to-
ward the hills on each flank, thus grad
ually narrowing the area subject to
annual overflow from the creek. The
channel Of the creek grew deeper, too;
the man who would irrigate these
lands in summer would have to erect
very expensive dam to raise the wa
tiers above the bank level and divert
them out over his haylands. Unques-
tionably. the upper half of the valley
was. by far, the most desirable from
every point of view, and there rose in
the heart of Robin Kershaw a fierce
desire to own it. Yes, he must have
not less than fifty thousand Of those
rich acres. He could support COW to
every three acres, probably less; that
meant he could run, in the valley
alone, not less than fifteen thousand
head.
"Pll be the cattle king of Eden Val
ley" he told his wife suddenly.
Presently the valley commenced to
pitch downward. the angle of pitch in
creasing gradually as they rode The
quality of the soil and the quantity OF
grass decreased with the pitch; the
valley commenced gradually to pinch
In until finally they found themselves
riding through gorge about two hun
dred feet wide, walled In by towering
granite cliffs about a hundred and
fifty feet high. The gorge suddenly
debouched into vast, semi-arid plain
into which the surglng torrent of Eden
Valley creek poured, gradually fiat
tening out In the inhospitable soil.
Robin Kershaw turned In his saddle
and looked back. eff Teller wanted
to an there was some other good cOun-
try Off yonder that wanted irrigation,
he could easy put In a dam in this box
canyon. Plenty o. bulldln' material
right handy"
The buttress of forested mountains
on the northern side of the valley had