Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1934-04-26
CHAPTER VIII

Nate Tichenor's action In admitting
to Silas Babson that he was the sole
owner Of the Mountain Valley Power
company had not been presiicafed on
a desire to shock the banker.
Tichenor Vas merely In q position
where he could not afford TO promise
Babson TO enter into negotiations to
sell Forlorn Valley water for irrign-
ton. Before deciding TO acquire
Lorry kershaw'a lake site and pro-
coed TO the vast expense OF building
his lam and power station he had
found IL necessary 10 make certain Of
a market for the power he purposed
generating. for the Mountain Valley
Power company WAS not In position TO
enter the field In competition with tho
P. G. 4 E, the company that already
controlled the market in northern Cali
fornIa. with a dozen large plants scat
tered through the mountains In or
fore. be had already had the Mountain
Valley Power company enter into nego-
tiati0ns for 4 contract with the P. G.
4 f., whereby that company was 10
purchase all the power TIchenors com
pany could deliver While this CON
tract did not restrain his company
from selling water for irrigation, and
Tichenor had hoped TO sell wafer for
that purpose, he dared not consider
the proposition until quite certain he
could do SO without threat to bis pro-
duction of power Instincfively can
tious. he declined 10 commit himself
even to a halfway promise TO Rabson-
He had discerned that his refusal
TO enter into negotiations had shocked
Babson. but he had mo- idea ms to the
extent of the shock
Other than the knowledge that Bah
son had organized q raid to ruin L0rry
Kershaw, TIchenor had no eause to dis
like the man. indeed. the knowledge
that he. Tichenor. had always been In
position TO Illustrate that raid. had
0pkk diEu III ANAA AlbE Ex%E VA HE ftrEEAA-
ment- He knew the world WIS quite
filled with Silas Babsons. indeed. dur
ing his busy years in New York he had
met more than one of them. had crossed
financial swords with them. had de-
feafed them and been defeated by
them Such men were all In the days
work for him, and such irritation AS
he had felt against Babs0n was solely
out of sympathy for Lorry Kershaw-
III the impending disaster appeared
to affect Babson only. he would hare
dismissed all thought of him Certain
ly he would not have wasted any sym
pathy on him But without water,
eventually hundreds OF people TN For
lorn Valley would be reduced to pDv-
erty. And with the collapse of the
Bank OF Valley Center. the absolute
ruin OF the valley would be FASTENED
and completed.
Nate Tichenor. cstracized an be had
been by the people OF Forlorn Valley
In his EMBELLISHMENTS zs afI OF bis
people had been-had, n unnatnrally
acquired a fierce resentment agasns,
these people who looked to him fos
Euccor. But his resentment faded now
before the realization OF the tragedy
they faced
His heart welled with pity for them
TN have to do something about this. =
he decided I'll defer signing the con
tract the r. G. 4 Els counsel Is pre-
pairing: I'll defer building the hydro
electric plant until after I've expert
mented with the water Perhaps III
not build the power plant It'll sh0x
those Forlorn Valley cattle that thu
desplsed Hensley clan managed to
breed q human being and Il public
spirited citizen after all"
rO IN CONTINUED