The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-08-20

ground at a comfortable lope, car
ried them on an inspection of the
levee along the river to its end.
1t was fiat country they traversed,
and the levee doomed high. Ahead,
to the left, the Quebrado range
stretched into dim haze. At the
end of the river section of levee the
two men urged their mules up the
steep embankment. Here was half
a kilometer or so of open space
between the river and the Quebrado
Mountains. Across this open stretch
the levee made wide elbow, reach
ing all the way from the river to the
hills, which insured the upper end
of the valley against future flooding.
From the ridge they had a clear
view south and east from the Negro,
where the planting was progressing
rapidly. Montaya - by some I'M
known magic as fresh and clean as
when he left San Alejo yesterday
waved his arm in a vast arc.
1--WE have planted about four hun
dred acres weekly" he proclaimed
proudly. when once this levee is
complete we shall step that up to
eight hundred! This section here be-
fore us will be bearing by the time
the rains come this year."
The banana plants, set 20 feet
apart, were now from ten to four
teen feet high. Healthy, vigorous
plants, as fine a new stand as Curt
had ever seen. Maybe DR.. Toenjes
really had secret worth guarding!
In the distance Curt saw a plane
flying back and forth, back and forth
over the land, maintaining an even
low height. Bringing his field glasses
into play he saw that the plane was
dropping from it's tail white some
thing which formed a rapidly set
ting cloud.
All, he thought, DR.. Toenjes' pre-
cious formula I could bet months
pay it's straight lime in spite of all
he says about his "zegred" ingre-
dents.
The soil among the present plant
ing showed traces of the treatment.
The ground was family leprous with
lime not yet entirely soaked into the
soil by rain.
Curt had a moments thought of
getting, unknown to Montaya, q
sample of the white stuff to be ana
lyZed for his own satisfaction. But
he didn't know enough of chemistry
to do it himself, and there was GER
tainly no one here of whom he could
ask the favor; nor would it be
right to sneak sample over to Nc
InniS and ask him to get it down.
He dropped the idea.
Noon found Curt and Montaya
back at the point Of operations. Curt
pulled his mule to a stop, Montaya
followed suit. The dragline was OPP
Grating at steady pace, dropping
its giant clawed bucket, hauling, lift
ing, swinging, releasing it's load with
precision, and repeating.
It made the efforts of the small
army of natives seem puny and
ant-like by comparison, yet Curt ap-
preciated their fine coordination as
they trimmed and finished, and
placed the mats for the forward
march of the big machine.
AS he sat there on his patient
beast watching the operations, the
bucket-cable snapped. Curt nudged
his mount through the muck to the
machine. Monahan was already roll
ing out another cable from the cab.
Evidently this was a regular occur
renee.
'What size rope you using?"
called Curt.
"Inch."
''Have many breaks?"
''Too many"
"Why don't you use heavier?"
"Mitch thought it might JAM"
Lets see that break"
Curt was now at the machine.
Monahan picked up the broken ca
BILE, hauled hard on it, lifted the
end to Curt. This brought him close
enough for Curt to say, under COW
er of the running Diesel:
''Slats, you used to visit with the
Mitchells over in Soledad."
"Yeh, that's right. Once in
while"
''Was Fora Mitchell left-handed?"
''Huh? That's funny question.
No, course not. Why? And what
d'you mean 'was'?"
Curt stared. 'She committed sui
eide. Didn't you known"
"No!"
"Three days ago. Night before
arrived. Shot herself in the left
temple"
"Shot herself? Fora Mitchell?
Mol"
with a Luger."
"Hey! Where'd she get Luger?
Mitch
81 know. Don't you get news out
here at camp?"
''Only when we 60 to Tempujo on
Saturday nights or someone comes
up river like you now. Why didn't
you mention this before? Or Mon
taya?"
"Well, there didn't seem any good
spot for me to speak out. And
supposed you knew. AS for Mon
taya-" Curt reflected, then finished
slowly, II don't knows I can blame
him for not wanting to spread such
news himself"
More could have been said, but
speaking of Montaya made Curt
glance from the corner of his eye.
He saw the Spaniard urging his
mule across the muddy ground.
Curt handed the ragged end of the
steel cable back to Stats, pulled out
his pocket notebook to jot down the
item.
Ready to go on to camp?" asked
Montaya. His eyes said nothing, but
they were leveled first on Monahan,
L