sary for my building of the tlam, he
could force me to exploit the proj
ect. charge the poor landholders ex
orbitant rates for their irrigation
privileges, and utilize the water
power for selfish purposes.
“lie discovered 1 owned every bit
of the land save that owned by
Scoggins and sent a representative
to Scoggins, offering him a remark
able price for his land. Fortunately
be approached the most loyal, land
loving man there. He kept faith with
me and refused to sell (you under
stand, Judy, that Dampere did not
show his hand in any of this, but be
cause of your friend, Clia, I was able
to trace it back to his influence).
"Having failed to obtain land
around the lower dam, Lampere had
I a wily engineer by the name of
Manhauser, go over the copy of a
blue print, obtained from the orig
inal real estate people there, and he
discovered that they might switch
the course of the Rio Diablo,
through an artificial channel, around
the land owned by the natives and
through virgin territory, upon which
! I.ampere quickly obtained an op
i tion.
"However, he first had to acquire
! land around the upper dam, and
thanks to that storm, I was spurred
j into buying that before he got into
i the field.
As things itandnow^J havje Lampere blocRcd both ways.’
“Mister Bevins .. . you’re ill," she j
cried.
"No, Judy. I was ill this morning.
All right now. Judy come here, come
close . .. that's a girl.”
He searched her face with an in
tent gaze, much as Delphy had
searched it an hour Before, and like
the old colored woman, he nodded
satisfied.
“Judy,” ho said, "you’re a fine girl.
