Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 48: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ET Yaew * F- a. a to wanted to tap the country when the land was irrigated and the settlers came in. Savvy? Everything seemed to come at once—the gosh-dangdest proposition the county ever seen!” The boss’s eyes grew mystic, and he blew a-dozen smoke-rings. “She'd irrigate the land from Thunder Mountain clear down to Escalante. She’d bring in a new deal all around. New settlers. Homes. Fruit- ranches. Power lines. Roads. Schools. Why, in five years real-estate here’d be sellin’ in Chicago and New York, like they do in Los Angeles. But all this was on the quiet. Congress hadn’t done nothin’ yet, and neither had the railroad, Or the power company. They was only considerin’ it, and they didn’t want it to git out so’s to start land-speculation. “And then somebody leaked. I git this from Finch’s papers, but some things is mixed up. It may be congressman, rail- road man or map-maker; I dunno. I only know that right away some _ influence started buyin’ up all the land in sight, on the quiet. Buyin’, beggim’ or stealin’. I knew there was somethin’ goin’ on, but I couldn’t lay my finger onit. Bimeby I seen that the county gang was in it. Later on I begun to see Finch and Black in it. Finch seemed to be the main purchasin’- agent for the crowd. “Mebbe they figgered nobody’d suspect him. Only, he couldn’t play square, him and Black. They slugged people with guns, mortgages or grocery bills, Bimeby they had all sorts of land around the foot-hills here. Meantime, they held up their own crowd. They bought cheap and padded the expense-accounts. That was Finch all through. He jest grabbed. Could- n’t play square even on a crooked deal. Just wasn’t built that way. Savvy?” ~ “Yes, [ understand. But let’s get this straight. How much actual crime is un- covered?” “Huh—look here. Suppose some con- gressman was makin’ money out of it? S'pose they was aimin’ to fix high prices for rights of way for the Gov’ment or the railroad or power comp’ny? S’pose there was others mixed up in Finch’s or Black’s chance for a power project, and the railroad wanted Ppuild a supply-line. Also killin’s? S’pose Finch didn’t have to pay taxes on them lands he held? S'pose the records in the recorder’s office was ‘mislaid’ a a> Pg +h, . +e 2 » * Pg ie ea itl With 5 sa pay for taxes either? S’pose it was proved that dummy homesteaders was workin’ everywhere? S’pose the whole county was jest loot, loot, loot? D’ye see where the trail leads? Crime? Why, there’s enough crime to keep the jails for twenty ears!” ‘ “Phew!” whistled Carlton, “And what are you going to do with all this evidence?” “Give itto Van Dom. He’s a Goy’ment man. He was ordered out here to snoop around and look into things. Him and me had a long powwow, He seen all that I seen, but we couldn't get no further. Even the county records was closed to us. We milled around like stray burros, me watchin’ the trails here and him diggin’ up thi outside. Finally Van Dorn says the only way to git anything was to git into Finch’s house and look over his papers. But th wasn't no way to do that except by : the law.” Dolan’s bland explanation made the engineer smile. “IT see,” he nodded. “And then, just by luck, a lot of crazy hoodlums raided ‘inch’s place and took out the papers by accident.” ‘Jest so,” nodded the boss. *“Coin- cidence. Tom Fulton got over his bullet and worked up his revengeful Tits, Then there was others got het up, til finally they all got so darned mad they jest couldn’t stand it any longer. Savvy?” “Yes, I savvy,” admitted Carlton. “I savvy itall. Quite a wonderful coincidence. And then your being here tonight—a miracle!” . “Sure it was. I jest stopped here on my way beyond to see a man. Now Fve changed my mind; but if questions is ever asked I can show him for a witness. Savvy?” “Yes, I understand,” said Carlton gently, peat eae he sighed. ough whisky, chican arson, riot and aansinushtee his paleaieus had come, and, though he knew that the valley of his home was saved to him for keeps, he won- dered now if the price had not gone far beyond him. The boss was watching him, curious and puzzled, as if trying to interpret the expression in Carlton’s face and that of ae Dida I do righ demanded the simple directness of a child. = =e. ey