Imperial Valley press., 1938-02-01


ERT, Imperial County, Calf, Feb.
/. (SpeciaD aD-There is an indefin-
able something about this Impe-
rial county desert, RR is thoroughly
convinced, that prevents one from
leaving it once a full acquaintance
has blosSomed into being.
For eight years RR has wander
ed hither and thither over the
face of the countys Wastelands.
but it was only this week that the
desert opened up and took him to
its bosom with an attachment as
strong as a mustard plaster on
flypaper.
Readers of this column Will un-
derstand if ever they have had
an automobile stuck on the desert.
Jaunting merrily along Sunday,
miles from nowhere, RR suddenly
discovered there was no more road
under him than a fan dancer has
clothes. Every spin of the wheels
brought the Chinese-Japanese con-
flict that much nearer, until even
tually RR looked up at the sides
of the yawning pit his auto had
dug and decided that, even though
the sand suddenly turned as dense
as RR himself, there would be no
chance to drive up those walls.
Came the Night
The soft mantle of night fell,
and the coyotes took up their
mournful chorus, and RR took up
his feet and his bearings and dis
turbcd the rattleSnakeS along a
four-mile stretch of desert-which
is lot of desert when you walk
over it. Across the face of the
next narrowing hours when, once
again in civilization, RR severely
strained hitch-hiking thumb, we
draw veil of silence.
With the ingenuity born of
months of dodging the results OF
this column, RR organized the
Desert Expeditionary Force next
day, consisting of one command
eered automobile, two shovels, one
jug of water two jacks six bricks,
numerous planks and Burdette
Kinne The reason Kinne went,
RR suspects, is that he was sup-
posed to make a speech that night.
Excavation Begins
Like a tiny dot lost in the void
of the desert. the expeditionary
force craWled frantically toward
the scene of the tragedy. Two lone
ly mesquite trees high on a sand
knoll MARKED the end of the
journey, and the beginning of ex-
cavation.
Clearly defined under the sand
was a solid object Members of the
expeditioriary force consulted to-
gether, reached an agreement that
the thing was probably RR's auto
mobile, and began to ply the snow
els. Grain by grain the sand was
shoveled away, and grain by grain
it trickled right back again. Paus-
ing only briefly to digest the sand
that had been swallowed. and to
comment on its taste, the excavat-
ors labored on through the hours.
The sun began to sink.
Suddenly there was a shout OF
triumph. A tan surface appeared
through the glistening sand, hard
and polished.
All For Nothing
Raci ng against approaching
darkness, the excavators piled
Shovels with speed like that of
a politician running after a vote.
Bit by bit, the implements un-
covered the thing under the sand.
But darkness won.
One final scoopful-and the
force turned homeWard, still un-
decided if it had been excavating
an automobile or an ancient Sun
God of the First Residents.
A few minutes later, both par
ties of the expeditionary fgcr
decided there could be no diety
mixed UP in the thing. The COM
mandeered automobile got stuck.
And now, preparing to go back
again, RR knows at least what
this thing is that keeps men from
leaving the deserts. Is is sand
mired automobile