The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, May 06, 1919, Page TWO, Image 2
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THE RT
t
By EDN/
C.V ' * ^
CHAPTER XXVIII
"I wopder if you would help me
Miss Hardin? Would you do some
thing for that poor crazed woman
I wanted to ask Mrs. Hardin, but fo
some reason I've got intb her blacl
books. Just the little kindness on*
woman can give another. A man find;
It difficult. And these Mexican worn
en don't understand a man's friend
snip."
Her eyes met his squarely. His tan
tallzlnt smile had gone. He was mat
\ lng a demand of her?to believe him
his request his defense. The glances
of -ellow eyes and gray, met with i
shock, and the world was changed fo
^ both. Life, with its many glad voices
was calling to senses and spirit, thi
girl's still rebellious, the man's sure.
Bickard put out his hand. "Good
\ night I" To both, it carried the soun<
of "I love you I" She put her hand ii
his, then tore her fingers away, furi
?us with thjem for clinging. Wher<
was her pride? When he had time
She fled Into her tent.
Neither of them had seen liert;
Hardin watching them' from her ten
door.
CHAPTER XXIX.
^ Glimpse of Freedom.
The siding was deserted. The Pal
myra had ran out to Tuscon. Marshal
had gone without apprehension. The:
did not expect now to hare setbacks
to have to extend the time set for th<
ultimate diversion. The days wen
flowing like oil. The encampment wai
filling np with rial tors, newspaper mei
who came to report the spec taenia:
capture of the rtrer.
Rlckard,a day badly began, piled tn
with vexations. By sundown, be waj
wet td the Ikin, and mad as a sick Arl
sona eat
In this jaundiced juncture, Mac
Lean, Jr., brought down his dlspatchei
to the river. He read of the burnlnj
at a-tralnload of railroad ties. Rickan
Bwore.
"Anything els? pleasant?"
/ "A letter from the governor?fron
dad." MacLean read that, his fathei
begged a small faror of Rlckard.
"Godfrey, tho celebrated Engllsl
tenor, Is on my hands. His doctors
have been advising outdoor occupa
tlon. I am sending him to yon, ask
lng you to give him any Job you maj
have. He Is willing to do anything
Put him at something to keep him oc
cupled."
.MacLean saw Rickard's face turr
red. ^'Suffering cats! A worn-oul
opera singer 1 What sort of an opere
does he think we're giving down here'
Why doesn't he send me a fur coat 01
a pair of girl twins? Give the tenoi
a role! Anything else? Pile it all
on."
"Oh, and one from Godfrey himself
He's In Los Angeles. He says he'll bf
here tomorrow." He did not wait foi
ois cniers repiy.
" v At the supper table, RIckard, dq
and In restored humor, alluded to the
invasion of high notes. "Pity the parti
r are all assigned! The only vacancj
is In the kitchen. I wonder how he
would like to be understudy to Ling!'-'
The next day*when the Incident had
been /orgotten, and while Rlckard was
up at the Crossing cq the concrete
gate, Godfrey blew lotQ enmpi He
Godfrey BMm? Into Camp.
?m Ilk* boy Mt oo i terfc. Hk
brown *7h w?i? danein* otar the ad
ttntvi E* ?xploc?3 tfca ?unp txtf
Mm b*?k babbling a '
> *I?i flx Mnflewr ay. 5# ?J
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VER.....
m AIKEN
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Junior, -that's what they call you,
( isn't it? .I'm the only idle man here.
Can't you give me something to do?
, I'll do anything. I'd like the boss to
p find me bu?y when he comes in."
^ MacLean softened the offer. Perhaps
B until Mr. Godfrey learned the ropes he
8 could be of general nse. They were
K short-handed the present moment?
j. there was another hesitation?in the
kitchen! Ling, the Chinese cook, was
1._ overcrowded?so many visitors?
> "Great," crowed Godfrey, slapping
,, him on the shoulder. "I don't want to
^ feel in the way. IVwant to earn my
i board. Lead me to the cook!"
r That evening, the dinner was helped
i, 'on Its way by the best-paid singer of
e England. In an apron, borrowed of
Ling, he was "having the time of his
- life." Ling, pretending to scold, had
J been won immediately. Rickard, heari
ing of the Jolly advent, forgot his vS
atlon, and immediately on his return
s made his way to the mesquit Inclosure
1 ?to greet the friend of George MacI
T-onn
f After dinner, MacLean carried off
t his prize to the Delta, where Godfrey
' earned his welcome. Gerty Hardin for;
got to flirt with the engineers; she
had discovered a new sensation. The
wondertcl voice twisted her heartstrings
; it told her that the h??rt that
hfis truly loved never forgets, and she
J knew mat she could never have really
* loved, yet, because the youth In her
' Veins was whispering to her that she
^ could still forget Godfrey saw a mobile
plaintive face turned up to the
gibbous moon; he swept It with thrills
and flashes. She was a wonderful ah*
dlence; she was also his orchestra, the
woman with the plaintive eyes. He
} played on her expressions as though
she were a harp.
Later, he was presented to Mrs.
Hardin. She fold him that the camp
, would no longer be dull; that she nad
i tea every afternoon lr her ramaaa.
f She convicted him archly of Bcltlshj
hood. "She knew he must have his
tea P
"You American women are the won,
ders of the world! Nothing daunts you.
f In the desert, and you five afternoon
teas. Til be there every day!"
x He gave her open admiration; she
; looked young and wistful In her soft
. flowing mulls, the moonlight helping
. her. She fell Into a delicious flurry of
r nerves and excitement Later, she
, wandered with him from a rude gaping
. .world Into a heaven of silvered decks
and gleaming waters. He told her of
, himself, of his loneliness; his music
I had dropped him to self-pity.
i Gerty Hardin heard her bars drop
i behind her. She snatched her first
glimpse of freedom.
? i i
I CHAPTER XXX.
The Dragon Scores.
i The Palmyra was once again on Its
siding. Marshall was at the front,1
again; having made another of his',
r swift dashes from Tucson. This time'
- he expected officially to close the gate, j
l Claudia was with him. She neter left'
' | the car, unless It were to step out to i
J i fKo nlnffnmw fn una nrKnf ahn /tnnlH
from there of the river work. j;
1 Hardin and Rlckard had been derot- \
1 mg anxious weeks. A heavy rainfall:,
1 and cloudburst in the mountains, of
> northern Arizona had swollen the feed- 1 (
era of the Gila river which roared
. down to the Colorado above Yuma.
ThS eroding streams carried moun- (
tains lii gpluUpn which settled against! (
the gfctfe, a scouf starting above and :
below it Relief bad to., be given off ] (
the jump. A spur tracl was rushed ,
across the by-pass above the gate, as I
the closing of the ill-fated gate with']
the flashboards was no longer possible. : <
A rock-fill was the only means of, j
closure. In the distant quarries men ,
were digging out rock to fill the call ,
from the river.
Marshall came down to see the completed
spur. Before he reached the
intake, the first rock train had moved
onto the spur track. The trestle had
! settled, the train had been thrown
from the rails and wrecked.
Marshall came in from the damaged
trestle, bringing Rickard and Crothers.
Mrs. Marshall had Invited lanes Hardin
to dine with them. Innes fell to
flushing, and chilling, as a lithe-muscled
figure came directly to her. His
oto!s?whpro TTfla tftf* lnnfc she had
feared, of possessive tenderness? The
quizzical gleam was gone. On guard I
A solemn business, loving, when you
know that It means?life! On guard,
though, to her I She pulled J*er fingers
from his strong lingering clasp,
and joined Mrs. Marshall.
I Rlckard had his soldier look en. She
, was watching him covertly M he
j talked with his bast sad Qrothsr* ss
though ahs wars not tbsc*; as tboogfe
something were not waiting for hiia Is
' &1&. MgXJttM
livious of everything else in tne world
except the river? Was that?loving?
Could she think of anything else when
he was in the same room with her?
He'was a soldier of the modern army.
It came to her, a sort of tender divination,
that he would not divide Ms
thoughts, even with her, with love, unt-l
ui uis uuiue wua wuu. wvu, uuuiuu i
she understand that? What her accusation
against Gerty? Sex honorkeep
off the track! Wasn't that her
own notion? Oughtn't she to be profcd
of him? ^
She had brought a nest of waspish
thoughts tumbling about her ears.
Gerty! He had loved Gerty. He
couldn't love her, if his thoughts had
ever lingered, with that same seriously
solemn look on the false little face
of her sister-in-law. /
After dinner they were standing in
the shade of the Palmyra. It was a
soft still afternoon. The fierceness of
the savage desert had melted to her
days of lure. Beyond, the turbid waters
of the Colorado bore a smiling surface.
There was nothing to hint of
treachery. . ' ?
It was a minute of pleasant lassitude,
snatched from the turmoil. Rickard
had succumbed V> the softness of
the day and his mood. He was enjoying
the thought of Innes* nearness,
though she kept her face turned from
him. He knew by the persistence of
those averted eyes that she was as
acutely conscious of his presence as he
was, restfully, of hers. Deliberately,
he was prolonging the instant
A stir cn the river had caught the
alert eye of Tod Marshall. He swore
a string of picturesque Marshallinn
oaths. Rickard's eyes jumped toward
the by-pass. The placid waters. had
suddenly buckled. Majestically the
gate rose and went out Months of
work swept away I The gate drifted
a hundred feet or more. Some unseen
obstruction caught it there, to mock
at the labors of man.
Innes, aghast, turned toward Riekard.
His face was expressionless.
There was a babel of excited voices
behind, them, Bodefeldt MacLean,
Tony, Crothers, Bangs, all talking at
once. Her eyes demanded something
of Rlckard. A fierce resentment rose
against fcls calmness. "He knew It"
she rebelled. "H?'s been expecting
this to happen. It's no tragedy to
him!" There was a stab as of physical
pain; she was visualizing the blow
l? mfeheard Marshall's *olce, spea*
?Weu you're ready
to? thl <Ud not hear
?er?for already Blckard W? *?*<*
Rickard Was Heading for the ByP?f
tor the ty-pasa. Mar8J,l! and ^
.oone Snelneera followed him.
To Innes that wreck down yonder
was worse than failure; It waa rain.
It involved Tom's life. It was his life,
rhls would be the final crushing of bis
superb courage?her thoughts released
from their paralysis were wtlppod by
sudden fear. She must find him, be
with him. The next lnstaut she was
Bpeeding toward the encampment
Estrada met her on the run. :
Had Gerty heard? The pity that
she must know I She would not be tender
to Tom; her pride would be
p ounded. She must ask her to be tender,
generous. Her footsteps slackened
as she came in sight of the tents.
She heard voices in the ramada, a
mon'o floor nntpn Tnlncrllne with Qer
ty's childish treble. "Godfrey I" Her
mind Jumped to other tete-a-tetes. Of
course! So that was what was going
on. And she not seeing 1 If not one
man, then another I Horrid little clandestine
affairs!
The meeting was awkward. Speedily
Inn'es got rid of the news. Mrs.
Hardin shrugged. "I believe lH go
out." Plaintively, she made the announcement,
as though It were just
evolved. "Now, the camp will be horrid.
Everybody will be cross and
everybody will be working."
As she left the tent beyond, Ibnes
could hear the vibrant voice of Godm
sl-- 4>a ofntJ
irey persuaumg nana, umuiu iu diuj
there a few weeks longer. She could
hear him say, "This will delay the turning
of the river at the most but a few
weeks. Richard told me so a week ago.
And think what It would be here without
you!"
They were aU expecting itl" nets*
ed Innee Hardin. She turned back toward
the rtvee. She muet fiod Ton.
oHAmwi xxxu
? *!&.?* As WW v V*
grown berore It was recognized. Dls- ,
affection was ripe, the bucks were (
heady, the white man's silver acting ,
like wine. Few of the braves had
dreamed of ever possessing sums of 1
mnnnr nrioh n a ttiAV ilrpw dnwn p?rh I
Sunday ztornlng. Rlckard began to
suspect liquor again. In the Indian
camp Sunday was a day of feasting,
followed by a gorged sleep; the next <
day one of languor, of growing lncoheslon.
Rlckard spoke of It to Coronel.
"Like small,baby," hunched the old
shoulders. "Happy baby. Pretty soon
stop." i
With the next wages went a reprimand,
then a warning. Still followed
bad Mondays. Rlckard then issued a
formal warning to all the tribes. ;
"The situation with the Indians lg
serious," said Rlckard to MacLean.
"They're getting liqaor in here, some
way, the Lord only knows how. Any- ;
way, they're not fit for burning Monday
morning. I've just sent them word
Dy (Joronei mat u s got 10 quit, or uiey
do."
? "Suppose they do?" MacLean was
startled. Not an Indian could be
spared at that stage of the game.
"Bluff I" Rickard got up. "They
won't Jake the chance of losing that
moneyT I'm off now to the Crossing,
ril leave you In charge here."
The next morning Wooster broke into
the raraada where MacLean sat
clicking his typewriter. ,
"Everything's up. Rickard's done it
now. Sent some all-fired, Independent
kindergarten orders to the Indians.
Says they have to be in bed by ten
o'clock, or some such hour on Saturday
xand Sunday nights. It's a strike,
their answer. That's what his monkeying
has brought down on us." '
"They're not going to quit?"
(To be Continued Friday.)
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BETHIA NEWS. V
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Bethia, May 2.?Mr, D. J. Jenkins
came over from Atlanta Saturday
night to see his little daughter,
Louise* who is with her grandmother,
Mrs. M. E. Beauford.
Misses Lola and Sarah Brown, of
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writh their cousin, Mrs. W. M. Hall.,
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Mrs. W., M. Hall and Miss Addie
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Mrs. M. E. Beauford and Miss
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MARTIN ai
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in the making in France
kes up the latter part c
Minister of England, 2
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)lete detail, all the intei
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uuti oymyiiuiiy
Twenty Pieces
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Addie Woodhurst have been elected '
delegates from Bethia society to attend
the meeting at Ninety Six May
]' m j .
Mrs. Lucile Evans is spending tine
week with her mothe*, Mrs. Jim Link
Sorry to say that our Dr, Hunter
has been very sick, bat gltfdto say
I that he is better at this writing.
' > ? v/
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CLUB BUYING SAVES $6,000;
Fourteen fanners' cooperative
clubs have been organized by the agicultural
agent in Rapides Parish, La.
i T>I..j-T J j ..j
I xiiiuugu tueui aecu, xeitiii^crs, auu
I fanners' supplies have been pur*
! chased, resulting in a saving of more
[ than $6,000 to the members. By eo|
operative buying $4,000 has been
1 saved in the purchase of acid phos^
phate, $1,650 on potato sacks, $410
on Irish potato se^d, and $50.on seed
wheat. The aeent is now nlannine to
_ - buy
two thrashing outfits on the cooperative
plan for members of the
clubs. *
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