She silently turned away. Belding
realized he was powerless to stop Chase, and he was sick
with disappointment for the ruin of Dick's hopes and his own.
XIV
A LOST SON
TIME passed. The population of Forlorn River grew apace. Belding,
who had once been the head of the community, found himself a person
of little consequence. Even had he desired it he would not have
had any voice in the selection of postmaster, sheriff, and a few
other officials. The Chases divided their labors between Forlorn
River and their Mexican gold mine, which had been restored to
them. The desert trips between these two places were taken in
automobiles. A month's time made the motor cars almost as familiar
a sight in Forlorn River as they had been in Casita before the
revolution.
Belding was not so busy as he had been formerly. As he lost
ambition he began to find less work to do. His wrath at the
usurping Chases increased as he slowly realized his powerlessness
to cope with such men. They were promoters, men of big interests
and wide influence in the Southwest. The more they did for Forlorn
River the less reason there seemed to be for his own grievance.
He had to admit that it was personal; that he and Gale and the
rangers would never have been able to develop the resources of the
valley as these men were doing it.
All day long he heard the heavy booming blasts and the rumble of
avalanches up in the gorge. Chase's men were dynamiting the cliffs
in the narrow box canyon.
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