The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-04-14
Chapter IS
SCOUTING TRIP


JUDITH awaited the return Of
GeoIogist Kane. ana the town Of
Big Tom seemed to wait with her:
sensitive to the feeling Of this mass
thought. she knew they were wait.
Ing for her to make move.
This fellow who's dealing with
scoggins must have toldtLem some
thing. said Slim Sanford. IS he sat
on the step Of Judith's shack.
:" Il we only knew what II Was,"
said Larson. I'VE might know how
to deal with It. Work has actually
Stacked on; on, not the hours Of
labor, but the efficiency
He's probably spread the rumor
that we're going to abandon the dam
SO Scoggins can drill for oilss inter.
posed Judith YEARLY. 4Scoggins
made Il plain to me that Il we
wouldn't stop work, they would ask
for an Injunction
"But Judith slim interrupted
isn't the dam more Important tllan
an oil Neli?s
I'VE think so. hut the rights Of the
indiviauai are always important
and Il would be sup toI the courts to
decide that They'd probably have
% set precedent with their decision
because I'm sure such q problem
never before has come up. = y
"And MEANWHILE said slim
thonghtfuIly. ''the dam work would
be lying idle and that wouldn't look
so good for you In court. would It,
at the Zine Of the win contsstf"
"She could prove 1t wasn't her
fault couldn't she9" asked Larson.
[ Yes, agreed slim. "but Lampere
could use the point against her case.
He could say that had Big Tom been
in his usual mental health. he
wouldn't have overlooked protecting
such q salient piece OF land. from
such possible danger"
And" added Judith. .he could
say that OF course one could not ex.
pect q mere stenographer to foresee
and handle such an oversight. there
fore proving her to be unworthy Of
her trust"
''What do You say we hop into my
ship and ny up to Scathborne's iieldg
It won't be as trying as sitting here
waiting Tor Kane.r
They followed the course Of the
Rio DiabIo up to the point where it
torked. one fork working it, way
INTO the low lying hills. the; other
carving aimlessly through 4 section
Of brown plain.
Slim. eyes accustomed 70 reading
the far mystery Of the earths topog-
raphy. sighted Scathborne's field be-.
low and started banking through the
sunset to q height where the others
could see It.
The wooden derrick had been
erected, and although the little shed
housing the machinery which sup
piled the dynamo was but half com.
pleted. the dynamo was evidently ID
working order. for as they watched
lights flashed on and on on the der.
rick.
Kane was waiting for them when
they landed. Judith spied him FIRST
and set the rapid pace for the others.
Eagerly the trio faced the geologist
and waited for his verdict.
IOW Of course" he parried. I'm
! = not psychic enough to tell
whether there y oil any place. but /
ran tell ron this much There Il
every evidence o6 Scathborne,s hay.
Ing struck Iucky pool.
And 0Rr land here scossins'
I'D irtskpOsed uditl
10 Isn't my reason. kecIoni
cal o. otherwise. ito allow anyone b
believe there is OIL there
Then Why began Max Larson.
FIJI answer that" said Judith
With sudden conviction. .Il's clear
now. the whole thing. Lanpere has
had an unbelIevably lucky break. 10
scathboFne brings IN . well and
scoggins Is drilling. Biz Toms
dream Of building dam IN this val
leg, viii be outiawed-
IF there Il oil here and the
people don't need the dam: don't
want ii because Il win Hood land
from which they can win more
money than they could n = thou.
sand years By farming Il. there viii
be no more need Of ny going o. with
the dam and the logical procedure
% any jury viii - to return that
Bevins money back 70 Mathile ana
Mr.. Revfna