The Gate city journal., May 30, 1919, Image 6

W hen the Colorado
Burst Its Banks and
Flooded the Imperial
Valley of California
The RIVER
By
Ednah A iken
Copyright, Bobbs-Merrill Compaoy
one of those rock cars, was her Jim. Something was wrong. She left her he’ll ever have.” He turned a minute eano's edge; and the swift eruption
She sat an the bank by Innes and Mrs. place in time to see Silent, his face later to see his chief standing bare­ scorched her. It was the pitiable wreck
shining ghastly pale under the soot, headed. His own cap came off.
of dignity, of pride. His words were
Marshall.
The White Night.
“ We’re burying the lad,” said Mar­ incoherent; his wrath involved his sis­
Mrs. Hardin, floated by In her crisp pull himself up from the “battleship”
“ Lord, I’m tired.” groaned Rickard,
ter, crouching In tears. Innes shrank
•tumbling Into camp, wet to the skin. muslins. A few feet behind stalked where he had been leaning. Estrada, shall.
The minute of funeral had to be from him, the man she did not know.
“ Don’t you say letters to me, Mac. Godfrey, his eyes on the pretty tigure sent by Rickard to find out why the
I’m going to bed. Tell Ling I don’t by his side. Innes turned from his train did not pull out, saw him the (lushed aside. The river would not The coarse streak wns uncovered in all
• ant any dinner. He'll want to fuss look, abashed as though she had been same instant us did Molly'. Silent wait. Train after train was rushed on its repulsiveuess. He turned on Innes
swayed, waving them back unseeingly, to the trestles; wave after wave hit suddenly. She was crying,- a huddled
■p something. I don’t waut to see peering through a locked door.
them. But perceptibly the dam was heap on the couch.
Gayly, wiili a fluttering of ruffles, like a man who is drunk.
food."
“ God, man, you can't go like that!” steadying. The rapid Are of rock was
“I’ve had enough crying—between
The day, confused and jumbled, Gerty established herself on tlie hank,
cried Estrada.
telling.
you and Gerty. Will you get out? I’ve
turned across his eyeballs; u turmoil u trifle out of hearing distance. A
“ Who’s going?” demanded Silent, his
Another ridge of yellow waters rose. got to have some sleep.”
•t bustle and hurry of insurrection. He hard little smile played on the lips ac­
tongue thick with tidrst and exhaus­ The roll of water came slowly, dwin­
Through her sobs he could make out
tad made a swift stand against that, cented with Parisian rouge. The child­
tion. The whistle blew again.
dling as it came; it broke against the that she wus afraid to leave him.
lie was to be minded to the lust miin- ish expression was gone; her look ac­
“ I w ill!” The train moved out on trestle weakly. For the first time the
“ Well, then, I’ll go. I’m used to hav­
jack of them, or anyone would go, his cused life of having trifled with her.
the trestle, as the whistle blew angrily trestle never shuddered. Workers and ing to leave my own tent. A dog’s life.”
threat Including the engineers, Silent, But they would see—
twice. Only Molly nnd Silent saw Es- watchers breathed as a unit the first lie flung out Into the night.
“Don’t look so unhappy, dearest,”
Irish, Wooster, Hardin himself. This
deep breath that night. There was a
was no time for factions, for leader whispered the man at her side. “ I’m
charige. Every eye wns on the river
CHAPTER XXXV.
going to make you happy, dear!”
feeling.
where It touched the rim of the dam.
In )>ed. the day with Its Irritations
She flushed a brilliant, finished smile
Suddenly a chorused cry rose. The
A Corner of His Heart.
fell away. He could see now the step nt him. Yes, she wus proud of him.
river had stopped rising. The whistles
The second evening after the closure
■head that had been taken; the Inst He satisfied her sense of romance, or
screamed themselves hoarse.
Rickard wns dining with the Mar­
trestle was done; the rock-pouring would, later, when she was away from
And then a girl, sitting on the bank, shalls in their car. The Palmyra was
well o n ; he called that going some I here, a dull pain pricking nt her delib­
saw two men grab each other by the to pull out the next day. Hardin's
He felt pleasantly languid, but not yet erate planning. Godfrey found her
hand. She was too Jar away to hear name was brought up by Tod Mar­
aleepy. His thought wandered over the young, young and dl.straeting. Ills
their voices, but the sun, rising red shall. “ She was light potatoes,” he
resting camp. And then Innes Hardin life had been hungry, too; the wife,
through the hanks of smoke, fell on dismissed the woman. “But she’s
came to him.
up there in Canuda somewhere, had
the blackened faces of her brother and broken the man’s spirit.”
Not herself, but as a soft little never understood him. Godfrey was
Rickard. She did not care who saw
Rickard, it was discovered, had
thought which came creeping around ambitious, ambitious as she was. She
her crying.
nothing to say on the subject of the
the corner of his dreams. She had would he his wife; she would see the
elopement.
been there, of course, all «lay, tucked cities of the world with him, the wel­
C H A P TER XX XIV.
“ I’m sorry his sister Is not here to­
•way In his mind, as though In his comed wife of Godfrey; she would
night.” began Marshall mischievously.
borne waiting for him to come back to share the plaudits his wonderful voice
A Desertion.
“I did ask her, Tod” Claudia has­
her, weary from the pricks of the day. won.
When the afternoon waned and God­ tened to interrupt her lord. “ But she
Ills eyes were on her now, she knew,
The way he would come home to her,
frey did not cnll on her Gerty was would not leave her brother her lust
please God, some day. Not bearing questioning, not quite sure of her. She
roused to uneasiness. Had she angered evening.”
Ids burdens to her, he dill not believe had worried him yesterday because
him hy refusing to make the definite
“ Her last evening?” exclaimed Rick­
in that, but asking her diversions. Con­ she would not pledge herself-to marry
promise? Could It be love, the sort of
ard. “ Is she going away?”
tentment spread her soft wings over him if he sued for his divorce. She
love she wanted, if he could stay away
“ Marshall subdued his twinkle. “We
hud told him to ask her that after the
Win. He fell asleep.
like this when they could have the
nre carrying her off. She is to visit
Rickard wakened as to a call. What courts had sot him free. She could
camp to themselves, every one down at
Mrs. Marshall while I am on the
had startled him? He listened, rais­ not have him sure of her.
the break, no Hurdtns running In every
road.”
An exclamation from him recalled ]
ing himself by his elbow. From a dis­
minute? Their first chance and God­
Rickard gulped down his coffee,
tance, a sweet high voice, unreal In Its her. She found that he was no longer
frey slighting it!
boiling. “Mrs. Marshall, will you let
pitch and thrilling quality, came to staling at her; Ills eyes were fixed on
He would surely come that evening,
him. It was Godfrey, somewhere on the trembling structure over which a
knowing that she would be alone ! The me run away early?” Why should he
give any excuse? They knew what he
the levee, singing by the river. It “ battleship,” laden with rock, was
little watch Tom had given her for an
was running away for!
brought him again to Innes Hardin. creeping.
“ God, Man, You Can’t Go Like That!” almost forgotten birthday set the pace
He made his way to the little white
■fI want to stay with you, you know
He pulled aside his curtain which
for her resentment. Nine, ten, eleven !
hung over the screening of his tent thnt dearest. But It doesn’t feel right trada go. Silent staggered unseeingly How (lured he treat her so? She blew tent on the far side of the trapezium.
and looked out Into u moon-flooded to see them all working like niggers up the hunk toward the camp, Molly out the lamps when she found that she Innes, by the door, was bidding good-
world. Rickard's eyes fell on a little and me loafing here. You don’t mind?" following.
was shaking with anger and undressed by to Sonora Maldonado.
He forgot to greet the Mexican. She
Oh, no, Gerty did not mind! She
The river was humping out yonder; In the dark. She could not see him,
tent’ over yonder, a white shrine.
“ White as that flue sweet soul of was tired, anyway! She wus going the rolling mass came roaring, flank- If he came now, her self-control all stood waiting; her eyes full of him.
on, against the dum.
back to her tent I
hers!”
gone! But she could not go to bed. Surely, the kind senor had something
He thrust u yellow paper Into her
“ Quick, for God’s sake, quick!” She stood in her darkened tent, shaken to say to her? He hud taken the white
Wandering Into the night, Godfrey
girl’s hand. He was stnring into the
passed down the river, singing. Ills hands. “ I sent that off today. Per­ yelled Rickard. His signals sounded by her angry passions.
short nnd shurp. “Dump It on, throw
voice, the footlights, the listening haps you will be glad?”
Suppose thnt he were only trifling white girl’s eyes. Something came to
She flung another of her Inscrutable the cars in!” Marshall was dancing, with her? What was that paper he had her, a memory like forgotten music.
great audiences were calling to him.
To him, (he moon-flooded levee, the smiles at him, nnd went up the hunk, his mouth full of oaths, on the bank thrust in her hand? With a candle Silently, she slipped away into the
edge. Breathlessly all watched the she found the yellow paper. It was night.
glistening water, made n star-set the paper unread in her hands.
Rickard would not release Innes’
The long afternoon wore away. They rushing water fling itself over the dam. a copy of a telegram to Godfrey’s law­
scene. He was treading the hoards,
the rushing waters by the bank gave were now dynamiting the Inrgest rooks For several hushed seconds the struc­ yer. "Start divorce proceedings at hnnd; her eyes could not meet the
the orchestration for his melody—“ La on the cars before unloading them. ture could not he seen. When the once. Any grounds possible. Back look in his,
“ Come out and have a walk with
Donna e Mobile.” lie began It to Gerty The heavy loads could not be emptied foam fell a cheer went tip. The dam soon. Godfrey.”
The frightened blood resumed its me! You were not going to tell me
Hardin; she would hear It In her tent; quickly enough. Not dribbled, the rock, was standing. Silent, it was supposed,
normal flow. If he had done this for you were going. You were running
she would take It ns the tender re­ but dumped simultaneously, else the was bringing In his train.
Above the distant jagged line of her then she had not lost him. An ap­ away from me?”
proach he had teased her with that gravel and rock might be washed
“ You know that I love you ! I have
down stream faster than they could he mountains rose a red ball. A new day parent elopement, why had she never
afternoon In the ramada.
lie gave for encore a ballad long put together. Many cars must be un­ began. And ngnln the Dragon rose; 11 thought of thnt before? Thnt would been waiting for this minute, this
forgotten; be had (lulled It back from loaded at once; the din on Silent's mountain o f wuter came rolling dam- cement their bond. Her scruples could woman, all these lonely years.”
Her head she kept turned from him,
grow on the roud. Oh, she could man­
the cobwebs of two decades; he had train was terrific. Ills crew looked ward.
like devils, drenched from the spray
Three trains ran steaming on the age Godfrey ! She would go with him. n e could not see the little maternal
made It his own.
which rose from the river each time rails.
She remembered that she must go tc smile that ran around the curves of
“ But, my darling, you will be,
the rock-pour began; blackened hy the
“ Don’t stop now to blast the big hed If she were to have any looks in her mouth. Those years, filled to the
Ever young and fair to me.”
brim with stern work, had not been
It came, the soaring voice, to Tom smoke from the belching engine. The ones. Four ’em on I” ordered Rickard. the morning.
When Godfrey came to her next af­ lonely. Lonely moments he had had,
There was n long wait before any
nardin, outside Gerty's tent on his river was ugly In Its wrath. It was
lonely cot. He knew that song. Dis­ humping Itself for Its final stand rock fell. Marshall and Rickard wait­ ternoon, penitent, refreshed after a that wns all.
“ Nothing for me?” He stopped, nnd
dained by Ills wife, a pretty figure a against the absurdity of human Inten­ ed for the pour. The whistles blew long morning’s sleep, he found a
mao cuts! If his wife can’t stand tion; Its yellow tail swished through ngnln. Then they snw what was charming hostess. She wns shy about made her face him, by taking both of
wrong. The morning light showed a his telegram. Enchnntingly distant her hands in his.
bin . who can? He wasn't good enough the bents of the trestle.
The order come for more speed. rock weighing several tons which wns when he tried to reach her hand !
She would not look at him yet,
for her. He was rough. Ills life had
“ I can’t go without you," he cried. would not meet the look which always
kept him from fitting himself to her Rickard moved from bank to ruft; resisting the efforts of the pressing
taste. She needed people who could knee deep in water, screaming orders crew. Out of the gloom sprang other He had discovered her Interpretation of
talk like Rickard, sing like Godfrey. through the din; directing the gnugs; figures with crowbars. The rock tot­ his telegram and It delighted him ; he
People, other people, might miscon­ speeding the rock trains. Ilurdln oscil­ tered. fell. The river tossed It as began to believe in his own intention.
strue her preferences, lie knew they lated between the levee and dams, tak­ though It were a tennis ball, sent It “ I know. You shrink from it all. You
were not flirtations; she needed her ing orders, giving orders. Ills energy hurtling down the lower face of the dread the steps that will free you. You
need me beside you to help you. Let’s
kind. She would always keep straight; was superb. It had grown dark, hut dum.
Things began to go wild. The men cut the knot. Tonight !”
she wes straight ns a whip. Life was no one yet had thought of the lights,
“ Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow,”
as hard for her as It was for him; he the great Wells' burners stretched i were growing reckless. They were
could feel sorry for her; Ills pity was across the channel. Suddenly, th e ' sagging toward exhaustion; mistakes whispered Gerty, nnd then she man-
were made. Another rock, ns heavy as agefi n few tears and he was allowed
divii'i d between the two of them, the lights flared out brightly.
Not one o f those w ho labored or t the last, wns worked toward the edge. to kiss her. It was all arranged before
hush, id, the wife, both lonely in their
watched would ever forget tlmt night. Men were thick about It with crow­ he left the ramada. They were to
•wn v. ay.
On the other side of the cnnvns The spirit of recklessness entered bars. They hurried. One concerted leave together the next day. Her ob­
walls, Gerty Hardin lay listening to | even Into the stolid native. The men effort, drawing hack ns the rock top­ ject would be accomplished by their
the message meant for her. The tickle [ of the Reclamation forgot tills wns not j pled over the edge. One man was too leaving together. He would feel that
•ex. lie hud called hers; no constancy their enterprise; the Hardin faction slow, or too tired. He slipped. The he owed her his name.
Of course Gerty must do it in the
In woman, he had declared, fondling Jumped to Rickard's orders. The watchers on the bank saw a flash of
her Imlr. He had tried to coax her ’ watchers on the hank sut tense, waving anus, heard a cry; they had a conventional way ! She would have
Into pledges, pledges which were also thrilled out o f recognition of aching glimpse o f a blackened face as the used rope lndders had they been
muscles, or the midnight creeping chill. foam caught It. The waters closed needed. The conventional note was
disavowals to the man outside.
pinned to her bureau scarf.
over him.
Silver threads! Age shuddered at No one would go home.
To Innes, the struggle wns vested
Innes was with Tom when he found
There wns a hush of horror; a halt.
her threshold. She hated that song.
“God himself couldn't save that poor it. They came In together from the
Gruel, life had been to her; none of Its in two men, Rickard running down
promises had been kept. To be happy, yonder with that light foot of his, and devil,” cried Marshall. “ Have the river. Neither had noticed the odd
looks from the men as they passed
why. that was a human's birthright; llardln with the lighting mouth tense. work go on !”
Four rocks on that wretch down through the encampment. A dozen
grub It, that was her creed! There And somewhere, she remembered,
was a chance yet; youth had not gone. working with the rest, was Estrada. there? Ftn him down? Never had it men had seen Hardin’s wife leave for
“ A man the North with Godfrey.
He was singing It to her. her escape— Those three were fighting for the justi­ seemed more like war!
fication of a vision—an Idea was at down? Ride over him! to victory!”
Gerty's letter told Tom that It was
•’Darling, yon will be.
stake, a hope for the future.
Soberly Rickard signified for the work all over. She had tried to stand It. to
Ever young and fair to me."
l>e true even through his cruelty, hut
Rickard passed aud repassed her. to go on.
Godfrey, singing to Gerty Hardin,
And had not scon her! Not during
The rock-pour stuttered as If In hor­ a feeling stronger than she was made
had awakened the camp, lunes, In
those hours would he think of her, not ror. The women turned sick with fear. her true to herself, nnd so true at last
her tent, too, was listening.
until the Idea failed, or was trium­ No one knew who It was. Some poor to him !
“ Darling, you will be.
Innes' revulsion lacked speech. The I
phant. would he turn to look for her.
Mexican, probably.
Ever young and fair to me!”
Visibly, the drama moved toward Its
“ Who was It?” demanded Rickard, common blatter sickened her. She
So that Is the miracle, that wild climax. Before many hours passed the running down to the track.
could offer no comfort. His eyes told compelled her will, stultified her
rush of certain feeling! Yesterday, river would he raptured or the bleu
s(>eeeh. She had something to say
“The young Mexican, Hestrada. ’E her It was worse than death.
doubting, tomorrow, more doubts—but forever mocked. Each time a belching tried to ’elp. ’K wasn't fit.”
He struck off her hand when It first.
tonight, the aong, the night Isolated engine (lulled across that hazardous j
“ Who wns It?” Marshall had run ' touched his shoulder. Gerty's hand
“ We don't know each other; that Is,
them, herself and Rleknrd, Into a track It flung a credit to the man-side. ' down to see why the work paused.
had coerced him thnt way. He was you don’t know me!"
world of their own. Life with him on Each time the waters, slowly rising, j
Itlckard turned shocked eyes on his done with softness.
“ Is that all?” There was relief In
any terms she wunted.
His silence oppressed her. This was Ills voice. “ I don't know you? Haven't
burled their weight against the creak­ chief.
“ Estrada!’’
The beautiful
ing trestles where the rock was thin, mournful eyes o f Eduardo were on a man she did not know ; inarticulate. | I seen you day hy day? Haven't 1
CH A P TER X X X III.
a point was gained hy the militant riv­ him. not Marshall's, horrified. Now he i smitten. She told herself that even n seen your self-control tried, proved—
er. Its roar sounded like the last cry knew why Estrada had said, “ 1 can’t sister was an Intruder—hut she was haven't I seen your justice, when yon
The Battla In the Night.
of n wounded animal In Iiiues’ e a r;, see It finished."
afraid to leave him alone. She took could not understand— Look at me!"
Gathering on the bank were the the Dragon was a reality that nigh' as , “ Rickard!’’ The engineer did not a station hy her own tent door. She
She shook her head, her eyes on the
ramp groups to watch the last stand It «pent its rage against the shackles recognize the quenched voice. “The would not go down to dinner. For hours sand at her feet. He could scarce­
she watched his tent. When It grew ly catch her words. They did not
of the river against the rock bombard­ of puny men.
work has got to go on.”
ment. Molly Silent had crept down | Molly Silent had seen her husband's
It came to Rickard as he gave the dark she could no longer endure It. know each other. He did not know
•rom the Grossing, full of fears. Out train pull In. She watched for It to orders that Eduardo wns closer to Mat 1 ‘Rie found him where she had left him. her!
(here, somewhere on the trvstlew on go out again. The whistle blew twice. shall than to him. “As near a sod as { She forced herself toward the vol-
“Dear! I don't know whether you
C H A P T E R XXXII.
— U —
t
love red or blue, that’s n fact; Ibsen
or Rostand; heat or cold. Does that
matter? I know you!”
An upward glance had caught him
smiling. Her speech was routed. “ I’m
—the—only girl here I”
“Do you think that’s why I love
you?"
“ Ah, but you loved Gerty!” That
slipped from her. She hud not meant
to say that!
"Does that hurt?" Abashed by her
own during, yet she wus glad she had
dared. She wanted him to deny It.
For he would deny It? She wondered
If he were angry, but she could not
look at him.
The minutes, dragging like weighted
hours, told her that he was not going
to answer her. It came to her then
that she would never know whether
Gerty's story were wholly false, or
partly true. She knew, then, that no
wheedling, wife’s or sweetheart’s,
would tease that story from him. It
did not belong to him.
His silence frightened her into ar­
ticulateness. He must not think that
she was foolish! It was not that, in
itself, she meant. The words jostled
one another in their soft swift rush.
He—he had made a mistake once be­
fore. He had liked the sort of woman
lie had thought Gerty was. She her­
self was not like the real Gerty any
more than she was like the other, the
woman that did not exist. He would
find that they did not think alike, be­
lieve alike, that there were differ­
ences—
“Aren't you mnking something out
of nothing, Innes?”
That voice could always chide her
Into silence! Her speech lay cluttered
in ruins, her words like useless broken
bricks falling from the wall she was
building. *
He took her hand and led her to a
pile of rock the river had not eaten,
lie pulled her down beside him.
“ Isn’t it true, with us?”
“ It is, with me," breathed Innes.
Their voices were low as though they
were in church.
“And you think is isn't, with m e!”
Rickard stood before her. “Is it be­
cause I trust you, I wonder? That I.
loving you, love to have the others
love you, too? Don’t you suppose I
know how it Is with the rest, Mac-
Lean; how It was with Estrada?
Should I be Jenlous? Why, I’m not.
I’m proud! Isn’t that because I know
you, know the fine steady heart of
you? You hated me at first—and I am
proud of that. I don’t love you
enough?” He knelt nt her feet, not
listening to her pleading. He bent
down and kissed one foot; then the
other. “ I love them!” The face he
raised to her Innes had never seen be­
fore. He pressed a kiss against her
knee. “ That, to o ! It’s mine. I’ve not
said my prayers since I was a boy. I
shall say them again, here, you teach­
ing me.” His kisses ran up her arm,
from the tips of her limp fingers. His
mouth, close to hers, stopped there,
lie whispered:
“ You—kiss me, my girl!”
Slowly, unseeingly, as though drawn
by an external will, her face raised to
Ills; slowly, t*vir lips met. Ills arms
were are-..ud her; the world wus blot­
ted out.
Innes, minutes later, put her mouth
against his ear. It was the Innes he
did not know, that he had seen with
others, mischievous, whimsical, romp­
ing as a young boy.
“I love—red.” she whispered. “And
heat nnd sunshine. But I love blue,
on you; nnd cold. If It were with you
—and the rest of the differences—*’’
He caught her to him. “There nre
not going to be any differences!”
(THE END.)
Biblical Town of Gaza.
Al-Mintar, or the watchtower, still
exists to the east of the town of Gaza.
It Is where Samson Is said to have car­
ried the gates of the city. On the road
from Gaza to Jaffa are ancient olive
tiees, many of them more than one
thousand years old, with gnarled bark
and Immense trunks. There is an old
legend which credits Gaza with the In­
vention of the first mechanical clocks.
These were perhaps the sand clocks
which are still used in some mosques.
Little Things Cause Sunshine.
The sunshine of life is made up of
very little beams that are bright all
the time. To give up something, when
giving up will prevent unhappiness;
to yield, when persisting will chafe and
fret others; to go a little around rath­
er than come against another; to take
an III look or a cross word quietly,
rather than resent or return it—these
are the ways In which clouds and
storms are kept off, and a pleasant
and steady sunshine seonred.—Atkin.
Beginning of Pittsburgh.
November 25 is the anniversary of
the raising of the English flag over the
ruins of Fort Duqnesne in 1754. The
place was then named Pittsburgh, in
honor of Britain’s famous prime minis-
ter. It owes Its great growth to Its
proximity to coal and iron fields of
vast magnitude.
Daily Thought
He who hogs timidly couru e r9-
fusai.—Seneca.