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About Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1903-1919 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1919)
9 TKE DAILY CAPITAL JOURNAL, SALEM, OREGON. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1919. '""I've beeTfexpectlng" youT "My wife, Mr. Rickard, and my sister." "Why, what are you thinking of, Tom? To introduce Mr. Rickard! I Introduced you to each other, years ugo!" Gerty's cheeks were red. Her bright eyes were darting from one to Hie other. "You knew he was coining, tid did not tell me?" "You were at the Improvement club when tlio telegram cnme," put In Innes llimlfn, without looking at Rickard. No trace of the Tucson cordliillty in that I'roud little face! No acknowledgment that they had met at the Marshall's! "Oh, you telegraphed to us?" Tha blond arch smile had not aged. "That was friendly and nice." Rickard had not been self-conscious for. many a year. He did not know what to say. He turned from her up turned face to the others. Innes Har din was staring out of the window, over the heads of several crowded tables; Hardin was gazing at his plate. Rickard decided that he would get out of tills before Gerty discovered that It was neither "friendly nor nice."" . "If I had known that you were here, I would have Insisted on your dining with us, In our tent. For It's terrible, here, Isn't It?" She flushed at him the look he remembered so vividly, the childish coquettish appeal. "We dine lit home, till It becomes tiresome, and then we come foraging for variety. But you must come to us, say Thursday. Is that right for you? We should love It" Still those two averted faces. Rick lu'd said Thursday, as he wan bidden, imd got back to bis table, wondering why in thunder he hud let Marshall per sunde hiin to take this Job. Hardin waited a scant minute to pro test : "What possessed you to ask him to dinner?". "Why shouldn't I? He Is an old friend." Gerty cnught a glance of ap peal, from sister to brother. "Jealous?" Bfie pouted charmingly at her lord. "Jealous, no I" bluffed Hurdln. lie thought then that she knew, that limes had told her. The Lawrence epi sode held no sting to him. Once, It had enchanted him that he had carried off the bonrdlng-house belle, whom even that bookman had found desirable bookman I , A superior dude I He had ulways had those grand airs. As If It were not more to a man's credit to struggle for his education, even If ho were older than his class, or his teach er, than to accept It oft silver plates, handed by lackeys? Rickard had al ways acted as If It had been something to be ashamed of. It made hlra sick. "They've done it this time. It's a fool choice." - Again, that look of pleading from In ue(, Gerty had a shiver of Intuition. ' "Fool choice?" Her voice was omi ; nmisly calm. Hardin shook off Iunes' eyes. Better be done with it ! "He's the new gen eral manager." . "He's the general manager I" . "I'm to take orders from him." . Gerty's silence was of the stunned variety. The Hardlns watched her crumbling bread on the tablecloth, thinking, fearfully, that she was going j to cry. "Didn't I tell you?" Her voice, re pressed, carried the threut of tears. "Didn't I tell yon how it would be? Didn't I say that you'd be sorry If you called the railroad In?" . "Must we go over this again?" asked her husband. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did yon let me make a goose of myself?" She was remembering that there had been no protest, no surprise from In nes. She knew 1 A family secret I She shrugged. "I'm glad, on the whole, that you plunned It as a surprise. For I carried it off as If we'd not been in sulted, disgraced." "Gerty !" expostulated Hardin. "Gerty I" implored limes. "And we are lu for a nice friendly dinner!" "Are you quite finished?" Hardin got up. As the three passed out of the dining room, Kiekard caught their several ex pressions: Hardin's stiff, Indifferent; Uerty's brllllnnt but hard, as sho lushed a finished, brave little smile In bis direction. The sister's bow was distinctly haughty. In the hall, Gerty's laugh rippled out. It was the laugh Rickard remem bered, the light frivolous cadence which recalled the flamboynnt pattern nf the Holmes' parlor carpet, the long, crowded dining tablo where Gerty had reigned. It told him that she was In different to his coming, as she meant It should. And it turned him back to dark corner lu the honeysuckle draped porch where he hud spent so many evenings with her, where once In? hadt held her hand, where he told her that he loved her. For he had l ved her, or ut least he thought he had! And had run nway from her ex pectant eyes. A cad, was he, because tal taui'it-U'flt.wiililpiJook Into EDNAJT AIKEN her eyes, and hadrun"lrow liT" " Should a man ask a woman to give her life Into his keeping until he is quite sure that he wants it? He was revamping his worn defense. Should he live up to a minute of surrender, of tenderness, if the next Instant brings i gunny, ana disillusionment 7 tie couia bury now forever self-reproach. He could laugh at his own vanity. Gerty Hardin, It was easy to see, had forgot ten what he had whispered to Gerty Holmes." They met as sober old friends. That ghost was laid. j CHAPTER V. A Game of Checkers. The uneasy mood of the desert, the wind-Mown sand, drove people Indoors the next morning. Rickard was served a substantial, Indifferently cooked breakfast In the dining room of the Desert hotel, whose limitations were as conspicuous to the newcomer as tliey were nonexistent to the other men. They were finding It a soft con trast to sand-blown tents, to life in the open. Later he wandered through the group of staring Idlers In the ollice, past the popular sodu stand and the few chalr-tllters on the sidewalk, go ing on, as if without purpose, to the railroad sheds, and then on, down to the offices of the Desert Reclamation company. He discovered it to be the one engaging spot in the hastily thrown-together town. There were oleanders, rose and white, blooming In the patch of purple blooming nlfnlfa that stood for a lawn. Morning-glories clambered over the supports of the veranda, and on over the roof. Rlek ard's deductions led him to the Hur dlns. What school of experience had so changed the awkward country fellow? He had resented lls rivalry, not that he was a rival, but that he was a boor. Ills kisses still warm on her lips, and she had turned to welcome, to coquet with Tom Hardin ! The woman who was to be his wife must be steadier than that! It had cooled his fever. Not for hlra the aspen who could shnke and bend her pretty boughs to each rough breeze that blew! Men tossed Into a desert, fighting to keep a foothold, do not garland their offices with morning-glories! Was It the gracious quiet influence of a wife, a Gerty Hardin? The festive build ing he was approaching was as unex pectedas Captain Brandon! Rickard walked on, smiling. He was fairly blown into the outer room, the door hanging behind him. Every one looked up at the noisy Inter ruption. There were several men In the long room. Among them two alert, clenn-faced youths, college graduates, or students out on furlough, the kind of stuff In hTs class at Lawrence. Three of the. seasoned, road-coached type were leaning their chairs against the cool thick walls. One was puffing at a cigar. The other, a big, shy giant, wns drawing clond of comfort from a pipe. There was a telegraph operator at work In one end of the room, her Instrument rapidly clicking. In an op posite corner was a telephone ex change, A girl with a metal band around her forehead was punching connections between the valley towns. 'Rickard lost the feeling of having gone Into a remote and Isolated re gion. The twin towns were on the map. One of the older men returned his nod. The young men returned their hastily withdrawn attention to their game of checkers. The other smoker was watching with cross-eyed absorp tion the rings his cigar was sending Into the air. Rickard might not have been there. One of the checker players looked up. "Anything I can do for yon? Do you want to see anyone In particular?" "No," It was admitted. "No one In particular. I was Just looking round." 1 "It's the show place of Calexico. I'll ! In town that is comfortable when It's hot, or when the wind blows, and that's the program all summer. Take my place, Pete," Pete, the young giant, with the face of his Infancy enlarged rather than matured, slipped into the vacant chair. Ho had been the first to discover the stranger, but he hud evaded the re sponsibility. The game immediately absorbed him. "It's nice here," repeated the young fellow, leading the way. They were followed by a few Idle glances. Rickard looked with approval at the taa slim figure which was assuming the courtesy of the tovn9. The fine handsome face was almost too girlish, the muscles of the mouth too sensitive j yet for limuly beauty, but he liked the j type. Lithe as a young desert-reared Indian, his niuuuer and carriage told ; 3A jr 1 "I'll Take You Around." 01 a careiul nuiuu unTTFlgia'sSabui "Dis cipline. He was ushered into a large cool room. The furnishings he inventoried : a few stiff chairs, a long table and a typewriter desk, closed for the Sab bath. "The stenographer's room," an nounced the lad superfluously. "Whose stenographer" "General property now. Everyone has a right to use her time. She used to be Hardin's, the general manager's. She Is his still, in a way. But Ogilvle keeps her busy most of the time." Rickard had not heard of Ogilvle. He made a mental register. "When did Hardin 0 out?" He knew the date himself. He expected the answer would trail wisps of other Information. He had a very active cu rlosity about Hardin. The man's fall urcs had been spectacular. The young fellow was thinking aloud. "The dam went November 29th. Hardin was given a decent In terval to resign. Of course he was fired. It was an outrage" He re membered that he was speaking to a stranger and broke off suddenly. Rick ard did not question him. He made another note. Why was It an outrage or why did it appear so? In perspec tive, from the Mexican barranca, where he had been at the time, the failure of that dam had been another bar sinister against Hardin. "I see that you ore from the Univer sity of California?" Rickard said, and nodded at the pin of gold and blue enamel. "Out for a year," glowed the lad. "Dad wanted me to get some ent stuff In my head. He said the Colorado would give me more lessons more real knowledge In a year than I'd get In six at college. I kicked up an awful row" The older man smiled. "Of course. You don't want to go back now" The boy made a wry face. "Ho ex pects me to go back In August, Says I must." "You did not tell me your name," was suggested. ' "MucLcan, George MacLeon," said the young man rather consciously. It was a good deal to live up to. He pi ways felt the appraisement which fol lowed that admission. George Mac Lean, elder, was known among the railroad circles to 4e a man of iron, one of the strongest of the heads of the Overland Pacific system. He was not the sort of man a son could speak lightly of discbeylng. "Of course everyone calls me Jun ior." "I guess you'll go back It he wants you to," smiled Rickard. "Oh, but what a rotten trick it would be!" exclaimed the son of the man of iron. "To throw me out of college I was daffy to finish with my class, and to get me here, to get me In terestedand then after I've lost my place to pull me buck. Why, there are things happening every day that are a liberal education. They are only Just beginning to understand what they are bucking up against. The Colorado's an unknown quantity; even old engi neers are right up against it. There are new problems coming up every day. The Indians call her a yellow dragon, but she's a tricky woman, she's nn eel; she's giving us sums to break our teeth on." "Who has the next room?" "Used to be the general manager's. Ogilvle uses it now." "And who did you. say was Ogil vle?" They turned back Into the room. "You can go In. lie's not here. He is the new auditor, an expert account ant from Los Angeles. - 1'ut In by the O. P. when It assumed control last year. He used to come down once a month. After Hardin went out he came down to stay." "Whose say-so?" "I don't know. The accounts were rotten, that's no office secret The world knows that. Hardin is blamed for It. It isn't fair. Look at Sather's atone palace In Los Angeles. Look at Hardin's tent, his shabby clothes." "I'd like to meet Ogilvle," observed ! the general manager. ' J "Oh, he's not much to meet A pale, white-livered vegetarian, a theoso phlst You've seen 'em. Los Angeles is full of 'em. He was here when liar din was fired. You could see him see his opportunity. His chest swelled up. He looked as If he had tasted meat for the first time. He thought that he could woozle into the empty C!!,c? U Wnt bsjkjo i0 Angeles. , convinced them" that" the" "auditor should be here, protect the company's interests. , It sounded mysterious, sleuthlike, as if he had discovered something, so they let him bring the books down here. He is supposed to be ferreting. But he's woozling. He used to be in the outer office. Said the noise made his head ache, so he moved in here. All the committee meetings are held here, and occasion ally tne directors' meetings. Water companies', too. Ogiivle's taking notes wants to be the next general mana ger; It sticks out all over him." "What's the derivation of woozler this with deep gravity. "Walt till you see Ogllvie !" laughed his entertainer. Then as an after thought "This is all public gossip. He's fair game." ....- The door opened behind them, and Rickard saw the man whose descrip tion had been so deftly knocked off. He recognized the type seen so fre quently in southern California towns, the pale, damaged exile whose chance of reprieve is conditioned by stern rules of diet and sobriety. It was the temperament which must perforce translate a personal necessity into a religious dogma. "This gentleman's Just is Just looking around," stammered MacLean, blundering, confused. . The vegetarian nodded, taklne off his felt sombrero and putting it on a chair with care. By this time It was apparent that no one save Hardin knew of his com ing. He was ahead of Marshall's let ters. He did not like the flavor of his entrance. "What provision is being made for the new general manager ?'' The question, aimed carelessly, hit the auditor. "They are not talking of filling the position Just yet," he responded. "There is no need at present. The: Ogilvie't Dismay Was Too Sudden. work is going along nicely, better, I might say, adjusted as it now is,, than It did before." "I heard that they had sent a man from the -Tucson office to represent Mr. Marshall." "Did you hear his name?" stam mered Ogllyie. ' j "Rickard. The auditor recovered himself. "I would have heard of it were it true. I aro in close touch with the Los An geles office." "It is true." . . "How do you know?" Ogiivle's dis play was too sudden ; the flabby facial muscles betrayed him. "I'm Rickard." The new general mnnager took the swivel chair behind the lint-top desk. "Sit down. I'd like to have a talk with you." "If you will excuse me," -Ogiivle's bluff was as anemic as his crushed ap pearance. ' "I I am busy this morn ing. Might I trouble you for a few minutes? My papers are in. this desk." ' . Rickard now knew his man to tho shallow depths of his whlte-corpus-cled soul. "If I won't be In your way I'll hang around here. I've the day to kin." Ills sarcasm was lost In transit. Ogilvle said that Mr. Rickard would not be In his way. ne would move his papers Into the next room tomor row. The engineer moved to the French windows that opened on the alfalfa lawn. A vigorous growth of willows marked the course' of New river, which had cut so perilously near, the towns. A letter "b," picked out In quick river vegetation, told the story of the flood. The old channel there It was, the curved arm of the "b," one could tell that by tho tall willows had been too tortuous, too slow for those sweeping waters. The'flow had di vided, cutting the stem of the letter, carrying the flood waters swifter down grade. The flow had divided hm! divided perhaps the danger too! An idea in that! He would see that better from the water tower he'd spied at entering. . Another flood, and a gnmhle whether Mexlcall or Calexico WiOtild get the worst of It. Unless one was ready. A' levee west of the American townl . - "Excuse me, sir do yon need me?" He turned back Into the room. . He could see that MacLean was aching to get out of the room. Ogilvle had vis ibly withered. A blight seemed to fall on him as his white, blue-veined fin gers made a bluff among his papers, j "inan you. meanra noauea at MacLean, who burst Into the outer of fice. , "It's the new general manager from Tucson Rickard's his name." His Yhjsperj-fm around, the walls ofjhe I room"; where other arrivals were tilt ing their chairs. "The new general manager! Ogilvie woozled for noth ing. You should have seen his face !" "Did anyone know that he was com ing?" Silent the tanned giant, spoke. "That's Marshall all over." said Wooster, bright-eyed and wiry, re moving his pipe. "He likes to move In a mysterious way his wonders to per form. (Used to sing that when I was a kid!) No announcement Simply, 'Enter Rickard.'" "More like this," said Silent "Exit Hardin. Enter Ogilvie. Enter Rick ard." "And exit Ogilvie," cried MacLean. "It's a d fl shame," burst out Wooster. No one asked him what he meant. Every man In the room was thinking of Hardin, whose shadow this reclamation work was. "What's Rickard doing?" asked the Infantile Hercules at the checkerboard. The force called him Pete, which was a short cut to Frederick Augustus Bodefeldt. ' "Taking Ogiivle's measure" this from MacLean. "Then he's doing something else by this time. That wouldn't take him five minutes unless he's a gull," snapped Wooster, who hated Ogilvle as a rat does a snake. The door opened and Rickard came In. Almost simultaneously the outer door opened to admit Hardin. Who would Introduce the new general man ager to the dismissed one? The thought flashed from MacLean to Si lent, to the telegraph operator. .Bode feldt doubled over the checkerboard, pretending not to see them. Confu sion, embarrassment was on every face.. Nobody spoke. Hardin was coming closer. "Hello, Hardin." -"Hello, Rickard." It appeared friendly enough to the surprised office. Both men were glad that it was over. "Nice offices," remarked Hardin, his legs outspread, his hands in his pock ets. "Ogilvle Is satisfied with them." The men rather overdid the laugh. . "Finding the dust pretty tough?" in quired Hardin. "I spent a month in San Francisco lust summer!" was the rejoinder. "This is a haven, though, from the Btreet. Thought I'd loaf for today." Was Hardin game to do the right thing, introduce him as the new chief to his subordinates? Nothing, it de veloped, was further from his inten tion. Hardin, his legs outstretched, kept before his face the bland, Ira penetrable smile of the oriental. It was clearly not Rickard's move. The checker players fidgeted. Rickard's silence was interrogative. Hardin still smiled. The outer door opened. The new-come evidently a favorite, walked into a noisy welcome, the "boys'" embarrassment overdoing it. He was of middle height, slender a Mexican with Castllian ancestry writ ten In his high-bred features, his grace and his straight, dark hair." "Good morning, Estrada," said Har din with the same meaningless smile. "Good morning, gentlemen." The Mexican's greeting paused at Rickard. "Mr. Estrada, Mr. Rickard." Everyone lh the office saw Hardin snub his other opportunity. He had betrayed to everyone his deep hurt his raw wound. When he had stepped down, under cover of a resig nation, he had saved his face by tell ing everyone that a rupture with Maitland, one of the directors of the reorganized company, had made it impossible for them to serve together, and that Maitland's wealth and im portance to the company demanded his own sacrifice. Two months before Rickard's appearance Maitland had. been discovered dead In his bath In" a Los Angeles hotel. Though no one had been witless erough to speak of their hope to Hiirflin, he knew that all his force was dally expecting his reinstatement. Rickard's entrance was another stab to their chief. "The son of tho general?" The new mnnager held out his hand. "General Estrada, friend of Mexican liberty, founder of steamship companies and father of the Imperial valley?" "That makes me a brother of the valley" Estrada's smile was sensitive and sweet. Estrada looked at Hardin, hesitated, then passed on to the checker players and addressed MacLean: "I saw your father In Los Angeles. He has been chosen to fill the vacancy made by Maitland's death." MacLean's eyes wavered toward' ITurdln, whose nonchalance had not faltered. Had he not heard, or did he know, already?. "I'd like to have a meeting, a con ference, topiorrovv morning." Rickard was speaking. "Mr. Hardin, will you set the hour at your convenience?" Because it was so kindly done, Har din showed his first resentment "It will not be possible for me to be there. I'm going to Los Angeles In the morn ing. He turned and left the office, Estradu following him. "Oh, Mr. Hardin, you mustn't take It that way," he expostulated, concern In each sensitive feature. 'Til take orders from him, but he gave me none, growled Hardin. "It s not what you think. I'm not sore. But I don't like him. He's a fancy dude. He's not the man for this job." "Then you knew him before?" It was a surprise to Estrada, "At college. He was my er in structor. Marshall found him In the classroom. A theory slinger." Estrada's thoughtful glance rested on the angry face. Was this genuine, or did not Hardin know of the years Rickard had served on the road; of the Job In the heat-baked barrancas of. MexjpwhereIajshall had "tound," him?' But he-would" "not" try" again to persuade Hardin to give up hi3 trip to Los Angeles. It might be better, after all, for the new manager to take charge with his predecessor out of the way. "MacLcan's coming down tonight," he threw out, still watching Hardin's face. "With Bubcock." "I won't be missed." Hardin's mouth was bitter. 'Estrada, if I had the sense of. a goat Td sell out, sell my stock to MacLea n and quit What's in all this for me? Does anyone doubt my reason for stnylng? It would be like leaving a sinking ship, like de serting the passengers and crew one had brought on board. God 1 I'd like to go I But how can I? I've got hold of the tall of the bear and I can't let go!" "No one doubts you" began Es trada. Hardin turned away, with an Hardin Turned Away With an Ugly Oath. ugly oath.. The Mexican stood watch ing his stumbling anger. "Poor Har din!" In the office Rickard was speaking to MacLean, whom he had drawn to one side, out of earshot of the checker players. "I want you to do something for me, not at all agreeable!" His tone Implied that the boy was not given the chance to beg off. "What time does the train pull out In the morn ing?" "Six-fifteen." "I'll have a letter for you at the hotel at six. Be on time. I want to catch Hardin before he leaves for Los Angeles.' If he's really going. I'll give him today to think it over. But he can't disregard nn order as he did my invitation. I didn't want to rub it in before the men." MacLean stared, then said that he thought he was not likely to I Rickard left the office in time to see Hardin shutting the outer gate behind him. His exit released a cho rus of Indignant voices. "An outrage!" "A d d shame 1" This from Wooster. "Hardin's luck!" ' On the other side of the door Rick ard deliberated. The hotel and Its curi ous loungers, or his new office, where Ogilvle was making a great show of occupation. He bad not seen Estrada, He was making a sudden dive for his hotel when the gentle voice of the Mexican hailed him. "Will you come to my car? It's on the siding right here. We can have a little lunch and then look over some maps together. I have some pictures of the river and the gate. They may be new to you." ' Rickard spent the afternoon in the car. The twin towns did not seem so hostile. He thought he might like the Mexican. " Estrada was earning his father's mantle, He wns the, superintendent of the road which the Overland Pa cific was building between the twin towns and the Crossing ; a director of the Desert Reclamation company, and the head of a small subsidiary com pany which had been created to pro tect rights and keep harmonious rela-tlon-wlth the sister country. Rickard found him full of meat, and heard, for the first time consecutively; the story of the rakish river. Particularly in teresting to him was the relation of Hardin to the company. "He has the bad luck, that man!" exclaimed Estrada's soft, musical voice. "Everything is in his hands, capital Is promised, and he goes to New York to hove the papers drawn up. The day he gets there the Maine is destroyed. Of course capital is shy. He's had the devil's own luck with men: Glfford, honest but mulish; Sather, mulish and not honest h, there's a string of them. Once he went to Hermosillo to get an option on my father's lands. They were already covered by an option held by some men in Scotland. Another man would have waited for the three months to pass. Not Hardin. He went to Scot land, thought he'd Interest those men with his maps and pnpers. He owned all the data then. He'd made the sur vey." Estrada repeated the story Brandon and Marshall had told, with little dis- 1 erepaney. A friendly refrain followed the narrative. "He has the bad luck, that man!" I "And the Scotched' option?" remind ed Rickard, smiling at his own poor Joke. "It was just that A case of nardin 1 luck again. He stopped off In London I to Interest some capital there ; follow- j Mr? un a. lend.developedjjq. the. steam er." He was never a "nian'fo neglect ai chance. Nothing came of It, though," and when he reached Glasgow ha found his man had died two days be fore or. been killed, I've forgottent which. Three times Hardin's crossed the ocean trying to corner the oppor tunlty he thought he had found. Itj Isn't laziness, is his trouble. It's Just Infernal luck.". . . ! - "Or over-astuteness, or procrastlna. tion," criticized his listener to himself. He knew now what It. was Mint hadt so changed Hardin. A man cannot travel, even though he be hounding: down a quick scent, without meeting, strong influences. He had been thrown!1 with hard men, strong men. It was nn inevitable chiseling, not a miracle; "I want to hear more of this soma day. But this map. I don't under stand what you told me of this by pass, Mr. Estrada. . ; " Their heads were still bending over Estrada's rough work bench when the Japanese cook announced that dinner -was waiting "In the adjoining car. MacLean and Bodefeldt and several young engineers joined them. It had been outwardly a wasted day. Rickard had lounged, socially and physically. But before he turned tn that night He had learned the names and dispositions of his force, and some of their prejudices. . Nothing, ho summed up, cou(d be guessed from tha gentleness of the Mexican's manner; Wooster's antagonism was open and snappish. Silent wns to be watched, and Hardin had already shown his hand. The river, as he thought of it, ap peared the least formidable of his op- ' ponents. He was imaging It as a high spirited horse, maddened by the fum bling of its would-be captors. His task; It was to lasso the proud stallion, lend", it In bridled to the sterile land. N wonder Hardin was sore; his noose had slipped otf one time too many t " Hardin's luck! , 1 CHAPTER VI. Red Tape. . At ten o'clock the next morning Har din, enterlhg the office, again, the gen eral manager's, found there before him George MacLean, the new director, and Tercy Babcock, the treasurer, who hud been put in by the Overland Pacific when the old company was reorgan ized. They had just come in from Lo Angeles, the trip mnde in MacLean's private car, to attend a director's meet ing. - Rickard entered a few minutes later. Estrada behind him. Ogilvie followed Rickard to his desk, "Well?" Inquired the new manager. Ogilvle explained lengthily that he ' had the minutes of the last meeting. "Leave them here." Rickard waved him toward Estrada, who held out bis hand for the papers. : Reluctantly the accountant relin quished the papers. His retreating conttails looked ludicrously whipped but no one laughed. Hardin's scowl deepened. "Showing his power," he thought "He's going to call for a new pack." Estrada pushed the minutes through with but a few unimportant interrup tions. He was sitting at the same desk with Rickard. Hardin, sensitive and sullen, thought he saw the meeting managed between them. Several times he attempted to bring the tangled affairs of the water com panies before the directors. Rickard would not discuss the water compa nies. ... v "Because he's not posted ! He's be ginning to see what he's up against ran Hardin's stormy thoughts. . He was on his feet the next minute with a motion to complete the Hardin headgate. Violently lie declaimed to Bnbcock and MncLenn his wrongs, tho Injustice that had been done him. Mar shall had let that fellow Maitland con vince him that the gate was not prac ticable; had It not been for him the gate would be In place now; all this time and money saved. And the Mait land dam, built Instead ! Where was it? Where was the money, the time, put In that little toy? Sickening! His face purpled over the memory. Why was he allowed to begin again with tho gate? "Answer me that Why was I allowed to begin again? It's oll chlld's play, that's what it is. And when I am in it again up to my neck he pulls me off!" This was the real Hardin, the on couth, overaged Lawrence student I The new manner was Just a veneer. Rickard had been expecting it to wear thin. "I think," interjected Rickard, "that we all agree with Mr. Marshall, Mr.' Hardin, that a wooden headgate on silt foundation could never be more than, a makeshift. I understood that the first day he visited the river with you he had the Idea to put the ultimate gate, the gate which would control the water supply of the valley, up at the Crossing on rock foundation. Mr. Mar shall does not expect to finish that In time to be of first use. He hopes the wooden gate will solve the immediate problem. It was a case of any port in a storm. He has asked me to report my opinion." ' ' - "Why doesn't he give me a chance to go ahead then?" growled the de posed manager. "Instead of letting the intake widen nnti! it will be an im possibility to confine the river there at all?" "So you do think that it will be an Impossilility to complete the gate as planned?" Hnrdin had run too fast "I dldnt mean that," he stammered. . "I mean It will be difficult if we are delayed much longer." "Have yon the force to re-begin work at oncer demanded Rickard. "I had it," evaded Hardin. "I bad everything ready to go on men, ma terial when we stopped the last timet" .atinued next Saturday)