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About The Times-herald. (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929 | View Entire Issue (May 17, 1919)
Ml w fBMBB Bn .sBjwSBH 1 vH jTX lM (v iw P m&u Tg? SSttiJa; Tils sister's irnzo rested on him with concern. Il had too little to do. She iruessod tluit hit title, consulting en gineer, was a mocking ne, that his chief, nt least, did not consult him. Was It true, what she had heard, that he had made a Ihiko ahout the ma chinery? He was looking needy. He had lieen letting Ills clothes go. Ho looked like a man who has lost grip; who has In en shelved. She knew ho was Bleeping badly. Rvery morning now she found the couch rumpled. Not much pretense of marital Congeniality. Things were go ing hadly, there "Everyhody has accepted." Oerty was saying. "They have been waiting for tne to set the date." "And you cater to him. let hlra dangle you all. 1 wonder why you do It, unless It's to hurt me." "Hurt you, Tom," cried his wife, her deep hlue eyes wide with dismay. "How can you say such a thing? lint If It Is given for him, how can I do anything else than let him arrange the day to suit himself? It would he funny for the guest of honor not to be present, wouldn't It?" "I don't see why you want to make him a gih'st of honor," ha retreated, covering his position. Gently, Oerty expressed her belief that she was doing the best thing for her husband In getting up a public af fair for his aneceaaor, she did think that Tom would see that It showed they had no feeling. "I think it a tine Idea." agreed In nes heartily. "I'm rare Tom will, too, when he thinks ahout It." Hut she did not give him any chance to express himself. "Mow are you going to man age it. Oerty? fog said It wns going to be progressive?" "We shall draw for partners," said Mrs. Hardin. "And Change every half a mile. The first lap will be two miles; that will give s.nne excitement in cutting for partners." Ka'sy, being the hostess, to withhold any slip she pleased, easy to make It worn acci dental ! "When is this circus corning off?" inquired in r husband. "Mr. Kiikanl says he will be back on the first ; that he'll be free on the second." "For half an hour, I'll listen to Mrs. Youngberg tell me how hard it is to have to do without servants, as she's never done It In her life before. For another hair -mile, Mrs. Hatfield will flirt with me, and Mrs. Mlddleton will tell me all about 'her dear little kid dles.' Sounds cheerful. Why didn't you choose cards? No one has to talk then." There was an Interval when his wife appeared to be balancing bis sugges tion. "No, I think It will have to bo a drive; for I've told every ono about It." , "Well," remarked her husband. "I only hope something will happen to deevent it." : "Tom I" exclaimed Oerty Hardin. "What a dreadful thing to say. That Mut,i!y ni;e curse, tat make my bjpod run cold." "Shul" lgld Hardin, picking up his hat. "That was uo curse. ion , wouldn't go if it rained, would you?" , "Oh, rain!' Sbo shrugged at that possibility. "Well, you wouldn't go If the wind blows!" retorted Hardin, leuving the room. EDNAH AIKEN herself In against further argument. She came back Into the room, pow dered and heavily veiled against the wind. A heavy winter ulster covered the new mull gown which she had not worn at supiier, though Innes could have helped her with the books! Hut there was always BO much talk about everything I They had to face the gnlo as Hie maelilnc swept down the wluU-criut.fl street. It wns too bad to have n dght like this! And all her work Tom and his sister would hnve it go for noth ing! She was made of stubborner stuff than that. J.I IV hud been deal ing out mean hands to her, but she would not drop out of the game, ac knowledge herself beaten luck would turn, she woulil get better cards. In the, hall of the Hescrt hotel, the party was assembling. Mrs. Hardin's roving eye seouivd the hall. sttflkurd was not there, i'atton (tilled her from the desk. Some one wanted her at the telephone. It was ltlckard, of course, at the office; to say be bad been detained. The fear which bad been chilling her passed by. It was not ltlckard on the wire, but Mrs. Hatfield, loquacious aial coquet tish. She urged a frightful neuralgia, and hoped that she was not putting her hostess to any Inconvenience at this last moment. She wanted to prolong the conversation had the guests all come? Were they really going? Then she must be getting old, for a night like tins dismayed her! Oerty felt her good-night was rudely abrupt. I'.tit was she to stand there gabbling all night, her guests wait ing? She prayed that Rlcknrd would be there when she returned. What a travesty if the guest of honor should disappoint her! Though be was tiot among the different groups, her con fidence In bis puact I lloneneaa reas sured her. She must hold them a lit tle longer. She flitted gaily from one standing gronp to another. Her eyes Constantly questioned the eloek. "How long are you going to wait for Mrs. llnttleldV" Her husbund (nine up. pint eating "Mrs. lint field," she explained dis tantly, Is not coming. We are wait ing for Mr. ltlckard." "He didn't come in dn that train; he's at the Heading." Hardin added something ahout trouble at the Intake, but (Jerty did not heed. Tom had known and had not told her wher there was yet time to cull It oT! Drearily, they drove down the liv ing street. The wind was nt their backs, but It tore ut their huts, pulled at their tempera. Their eyes were full of street dust. A flush of light as they were leav ing town brightened the thick dust clouds. "What was that?" cried Clcrty. She was ready for any calamity now. "Not lightning?" Airnln, tho queer light (lashed across the obscured sky. Tom roused hlntscIT to growl that he hadn't seen anything. And the dreary farce went on. Innes' partner wns young Sutoliffo, the Kngllsh rnnjero. He was In the quicksand of n comparison between English and American women, Innes mischievously coaxing him Into deeper waters, when there was a blockade of buggies ahead of them. "The A It (5 ranch." cried Innes. peering through the veil or dust a the queer unreal outlines of fences and trees, "it's our In i stop." "Oh, I say. that's ton bad." began SutcllfTo. Innes was already on the road, her skirts whipped by the wind Into clinging drapery, OertyV party found Itself disorgan ized. I'.iitut i. were living to find or lose each other. ";.-t In here I" Innes heard the voice of I'strailn be hind her. lie bad a top buggy. She hailed a refuge, "Splendid !" She cried, rellcl I" CUtUblng In. si hope this Isn't I . setting ( I nogementr" "Arrangement ! I k n' The Women ware bit I fiUtg -lit of Hie dtist awlri Into any hoveu (hat of fered. Willi little m reams nf di iiety, they ran like rabbits to eovt r. Oerty found hernelf with Bllntt At the next atop there waa .1 block of buggies. "No use Changing again!" tyke acknowledged herself beaten. '; a is go on, What arc they slipping forV" Dtanol farce It all wjis! She v a panning back ber disheart ened i . when the Lent oi horses' hoofs buck of them brought the blood back Into Iter what chilled . icell . "illcknil!" she thought, "He tmisl bavi In n vpe.lal!" The gtoora suddenly dtngorged Mad. can. "Illiinh! Where I;-?" "Winn i up?" yell, d llllnn. "Is It the rivi V' MiicI.cmi's face answered. him. I lis ranch scoured again "Uod table Hint IiimI else been gay. THO women'; teeth shivered over the lees. Their faces looked ghastly by the light shed by Qerty'a green shades. Sho Wlahed aha were lit the levee. Shi' simply musl go to (be levee. "I'm go ing to get u wrap," (die threw to Oerty us she uissed. "I left It In the hall." She stole through the deserted of fice, past the white and silver soda fountain, and out Into the speeding blur of the night. Formless shapes, soft-footed, passed ber. As sho sped past the French windows of the din ing room she could gut a view of the shuttered parly. Innes made a dive Into the darkness. There was n dim outline of hastening Nothing between It and the tracks at Walton, Nothing to stofi its Bow Irto that spectacular new s"n whose basin did not need a drop of the precious misguided (tow. She could bear Un belts ; now the Irnln wan coining lato the Million; she would not wait for Silent. She did not want to meet ltlckard. No one saw her as she left the levee. She passed Silent, who was Issuing or ders. She heard him say, "The bona says so." She tool; the road by tho railroad sheds, to avoid the dismissed shifts. 'What n ..id: "1 . ly'a ar- theml" 4MZk !! VkwW&J - M . S&) ! SAHS&w DKRd3t tPknfllv km--- ' JMSiDMS She Collided With a Man. MMffiSagMB "aBraKSHgu inking for ray broth "You ought not to bo out at nigbtj alone here. "It's morning!" "With every Indian In the country coming in. I'll send I'arrlsh ult you. She recognized I'arrlsh behind lilij. She tried to tell him that she knew every Indian In Mexlenll, every Mcxj. can In the twin towns, but he wouM not listen to ber. "I'm hot going to lt ; you go home nlontv Mie nntiKcn rcneninn at trio p. planter of her brother. But she (01154 herself following I'arrlsh. She took 1 deep pride In her independence, hr fearlessness. Tom let her go where she liked. She had an Impulse to du miss I'arrlsh ; every man was m im but he would obey Richard's orderc MMLtM had told her that ! "They don t like mm. hut tney mind html" Rlcknrd made his way down to the levee. "Where Is Hardin?" be n sited of every one he met. Silent came "( Innee Made a Dive Into the Darkness. Slu CHAPTER XIV. r The Dragon Takes a Hand. The company's automobile honked outside. Hardin frowned across the tflhle at bis wife. "You're surely not going such a nlghl as Ihls?" Oerty gave one of ber light, elusive shrugs. No need to answer Tom when be was in one of his black moods. 3 his was the first word he hud spoken pee he had entered the tent. She 'ifad warned Innes by n lifted eye brow they must he careful not to provoke him. Something had gone wrong at the office, of course I How Jgtich longer could she stand his hit iTOors, these ghastly silent dinners? "The river on a rampage, and we go for a drive!" Jeered Hardin. The flood was not serious yet ! Tom loved to cry "Wolf!" No one Was alarmed in town I'atton, Mrs. Toungberg, would have fold ber. of course, one never knew whsl that dreadful river would do next, bat If one had to wall always to see what the river's next prank would be, one would never get anywhere ! Innes was leaving the Utile. "Well, I auppose I should he lashing on my hat!" Qerty'a pretty lips hardened ax the girl left the tent. These Harding always loved to spoil ber enjoyment. Tiny would like her lo bu 11 nun, u clol icnsl nun! At tins opening of the door, the wind tore the pictures from the piano. 4irty ran Into her room, allotting 1 '"g buggies. J ' 1 ' 'A ' WMfr7 wmfWK twWkw' Qerty'a Pretty Llp Hardened "A pretty time to tell me!" Had be been looking at her, he would have been loft no illusions. Her blue eyes flashed bate. "I did not know it until we got here. There wus a message from Muc Lgaa nt the desk, waiting." IfacLean was not there, either I "We are all ready," she cried. "Mrs. Hatfield and Mr. ltlckard cannot come." Not lor worlds would she give In to her desire to call the whole grim affair off; let them think she was disappointed, not she. Though the world blew away, she would go. file found herself distributing slips of mangled quotations. The white slips went to 1 he women; the green bits of pasteboard to the men. She held a certain green card In her gleve: "heads on to fortune." Kick aid might come dashing in at tho last moment, the ideal man's way; a spe cial, perhaps; it did not seem credible Hint he would deliberately stay away Without sending' her word. In u burst of laughter, the com pany discovered then Unit Ihe guest of Junior was also absent. Mrs. Hardin hurried llieiu out to tho wall- Almiidii "The liver!" screamed the women. The men were surrounding Mai Lean, whose horse was prancing as If with the importance of having carried a Revere. "The levee!" called Mac I.ciin. "Where's Hardin?" lie spurred his mare toward Hardin, who was blacker than Napoleon at Austcrlltz. "You're needed. They're all Dei d m1." The other voices broke in, the men pressing up. This threatened thorn all. initio's ranch lay In the ravaged sixth district. Nothing would save him. Youngberg belonged to water company number one; tleir ditches would go. llolllster and Wil son of the I'alo Verde saw taiiii abend of them. Bach man wits visualising the mad onward sweep of that de stroying power. Like gho ta, the women huddled in the dust blown road. "Where Is It now?" demanded Mlinii. "It's here, right on us. You're all needed at tho levee," bawled Mac Lea o. The levee! There was a dash for buggies, a scraping of wheels, the whinnying of frightened horses. Some one recalled the flashes of light they had seen on leaving town. "What were those lights signals?" "Front the water-tower." Mik Lean's voice split the wind. "The wires are all down between the Crossing and the towns. Onrnnoi was on the tower he got the signal from the Heading he's been there each night for a week !" This waa n great nlghl lor his chief, ltlckard! Oerty llardln cauclit the thrill of his hero-worship. How splendid, 'how triumphant ! Innes found herself in her brother's buggy. His horse, mider Ihe whip. dashed forward. Suddenly he pulled It back on Its haunches, narrowly averting a Juin. "Where's Aiac Lean?" g The boy rode buck. "Who's cull ing mot" "Olvo mo your horse," demanded Hardin. "Tu take my sister homo" Oerty Hardin's patty was torn Ilk a bow of useless finery. Knclng the wiiiii now, 110 one couiil tall, ; no one wanted to talk. F.ach was threshing out Ills own thoughts; personal rulu stared them lu the (ace. L'very man Was remembering that reckless ex posed cut of Hardin's; pinning their hope to tbut ridiculed levee. The horses broke Into a reckless gallop, the buggies lurching wildly iu they dodged one another. The axles creaked and strained. The wind tore away the bats of the women, rent their pretty chiffon veils. The dusty road was peopled with dark formless shapes. The signals bad spread the alarm; the desert world waa flocking to the gorge of the New river, to the levee. The women were dumped without ceremony on the sidewalk, under the screened bird cage of the Desert hotel. Shivering, her pretty teeth chattering, Oerty Hardin ushered them Into the deserted hall. The Chinese cook snored away bis vigil In an armchair by the open fire. The men had rushed away to the levee. "Women must wait," Oerty's laugh was hysterical. "We can do no good down there." She threw herself, con scious of berolneshlp, into the ordeal of her spoilt entertainment. It was alwaya an Incoherent dream to Innes llardln, that wild ride home ward, the lurching scraping buggies, tne apprehensive silence, this huddling or women like scared nihluiM around a figures In front of her hear some one breathing heavily by her side. They kept apace, stumbling, occasionally, fhe moving gloom belray Ing their feet. A man came running buck toward the town. "It's cutting hack!" He died. "Nothing but the levee will sn;- the f OWI1M 1" The levee! The harsh breathing followed her. As they passed the wretched hut of a Mexican gambler, a sputtering light shone out. Innes looked buck. Sho BW the wrinkled face of Coroncl, who had left Ids water tower, ills black coarse hair was streaming In the wind, his mouth, ajar was expres sionless, though the fulfilment of the Great Prophecy won at hand. Beneath the cheek splotches of green and red palnl rested a curious dignity. The Indian was to come again. Into bis own. What was his own. she questioned, as her feet Stumbled over loosened boarding, a ditch crossing she had not si i a. More corn, perhnpi more tiery Btttff to wash down the corn! More while man's money In the brown pocket-rthati bis bapplneae, U'dy should be not thank the gods? I!:s gods were speaking! For When toe waters of the great river run buck to the desert, the long ago outraged gods were no b.iger angry. The towns mlgM go, but the great Italian gods Were showing their good Willi She Joined n group at tho levee, winding her veil over mouth and fore head. Hark shapes swayed near her. The wind was making havoc of the ! mad waters rushing down from the channel. The noise of wind and wa ters wns appalling. Strang,, loud voices catne through the din. of In- j (Hans, Mexicans; guttural sounds. Men ran past her, carrying shovels, pulling sacks of sand; lanterns, blown dim, flushed their pale light on her chilled cheeks. Not even the levee, she knew then, would save the towns. This was the end. CHAPTER XV. moving townward. At full speed,-she collided with a man, rounding the shed--' corner, it. was ltlckard. Her could ' Vl" ,l!"l slipped to her kboulders and he saw her face. "Miss Hardin!" he exclaimed. "Whatever tire you doing here?" to explain that narnin naa gone tip u Fnssett's Just a few minutes mrn to carry dynamite. The river was cut ting back there. "Good," cried Kick. ard. "that's bully!" "He left me In charge," glibly lied the friend of Hardin. "Any ordera sir?" "Things are going all right?" hegaa the manager. He stopped. I'run above came a dull roar. "Dynamite!" cried Rlcknrd. The friend of llardln had nnililng to suy. "I thought you mid be went only it few minutes ago?" deniimded his chief. There was another detonation. Lown ' the river came the booming of the see i ond charge. "That's dynamite for sure," evaded Silent. "Not a minute too soon!" declared Rlcknrd, going back to hla inspection. (To be contiaued aext week.) Let us do that next job work. Universal Garage Co. Automobiles Overhauled and Repaired We Give the Best Service Competent Mechanics Dependable Vulcanizing On'the Levee. llardln did not go home that night He was feeling to the quick the irony of his position; his duty now to pro- tect the levee he'd ridiculed ; now the only hisjie of the towns! The Integrity of the man never faltered, though his thoughts ran wild. Like the relentless bounds of Actueon, they pursued him, barking at Ids vanity. He started the anxious ranchers at sacking sand. Bodefeldt rnn up to tell htm that there was a hill of tilled sacks over In Mexlenll. "ltlckard had a hunch of Indians working for a week." The confusion of the shy fellow did not escape Hardin. Oh, he knew what sister and bis friend looked nt onch other, the same thought In mind: ltlckard. In from the Heading! in her face Silent saw the snmo spectacular Impulse which had Hashed over Ilardln'a features a abort time before. She put her hand on his arm. "Si lent, you're his friend. Straight n this out. We can't have him ne back spying and find this." She waved her hand toward the disorganized groups. "I'd lake more orders," suggested the engineer. "Then n-nd a third of them home, tell them to come back tonljlit at six. Hend away Ihe other third, tell them to come bin k at noon. Keep the other shift. Kay you'll have coffee sent from the bifid, tell them Hardin says to slop wasting stuff. Tell them, oh, tell them anything you can think of. Silent, before he comes." Her break down was girlish. She could h the signal of the lo comotive; coming closer. Then she could hear Ihe pant of llio engine as It worked up the grade. It was a sleady geatl climb till the way from the junction, two hundred feel bt low scnlevel, to the towns resting at the level of the sea. II quicke 1 her thought of the power of the river. The Plumber is a Robber! hcJ2spaem I u jL7rr! Id 1 i yfttswiy Only when the man in side the PLUMBER is crooked. Our aim is to give honest service, and install honest goods AL WAYS. If you want any such goods and such service in your repairs or in new work, it's easy to get it. 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