"Lord knows I'm not kicking. But I've dreamed some of our cool
running spring, and I want a drink from it."
"Never again, son. The spring's gone, faded, sunk, dry as dust."
"Dry!" Gale slowly straightened. "We've had rains. The river's
full. The spring ought to be overflowing. What's wrong? Why is
it dry?"
"Dick, seeing you're interested, I may as well tell you that a
big charge of nitroglycerin choked my spring."
"Nitroglycerin?" echoed Gale. Then he gave a quick start. "My
mind's been on home, Nell, my family. But all the same I felt
something was wrong here with the ranch, with you, with
Nell...Belding, that ditch there is dry. The roses are dead.
The little green in that grass has come with the rains. What's
happened? The ranch's run down. Now I look around I see a change."
"Some change, yes," replied Belding, bitterly. "Listen, son."
Briefly, but not the less forcibly for that, Belding related his
story of the operations of the Chases.
Astonishment appeared to be Gale's first feeling. "Our water gone,
our claims gone, our plans forestalled! Why, Belding, it's
unbelievable. Forlorn River with promoters, business, railroad,
bank, and what not!"
Suddenly he became fiery and suspicious. "These Chases--did
they do all this on the level?"
"Barefaced robbery! Worse than a Greaser holdup," replied Belding,
grimly.
"You say the law upheld them?"
"Sure. Why, Ben Chase has a pull as strong as Diablo's on a down
grade.
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