for repudiation will be on!"

Jim groaned again. Then abruptly he jumped out of bed, turned on the
light, and looked at the little picture of Pen on the wall.

"Pen," he said, "Fleckenstein shan't be elected! I'm going out of this
Project, fighting like a hound. I've been a quitter all my life, I'll
admit, but I'm going to put up my fists at the end. I'll rush the work
here and I'll keep Fleckenstein out of Congress. I'll spend no time
belly-aching but I'll stand up to this like a man. Honestly, I will,
Penelope."

Dawn was coming in at the window. Jim filled the bathtub and took a cold
plunge. The sun was just rimming the mountains when he began to tune up
his automobile. He filled the tank with gasoline and cranked the engine
and was starting out the door when old Suma-theek appeared. Jim stopped.

"Where you go, Boss?" asked the Indian.

A sudden desire to talk to Iron Skull's old friend made Jim say, "Get in
and ride to the bridge with me, Suma-theek."

The chief clambered into the seat by Jim. "Suma-theek, the Big Boss at
Washington has given me three months before I must leave the dam."

"Why?" asked Suma-theek.

"Because I darn well deserve it. I've got everybody here sore at me.
Everybody on this Project hates me, so he's afraid it will hurt all the
dams the Big Sheriff at Washington wants to build for all the whites."

"He's a heap fool, that Big Boss at Washington. All the people that know
you love you in their hearts. It hurt your heart because you have leave
dam?"

Jim nodded. The old Indian eyed him keenly. Then his lean, bronze face
turned sad. "Why you suppose Great Spirit no care how much heart aches?
Why you suppose he let that little To-hee bird all time sing love to
you, then no let you have your love? Maybe, Boss Still, all those things
you believe, all those things you work for, Great Spirit think no use.
Huh?"

"The Great Spirit didn't explain anything to us, Suma-theek, but he gave
us our dreams. I want to fix my tribe's dream so firmly it can never be
forgotten. As for my own little dream of love, what does it matter?"

Suma-theek responded to Jim's wistful smile with an old man's smile of
lost illusions. "Dreams are always before or behind. They are never
here. You are young. Yours are before. Suma-theek is old. His are
behind. Boss Still, you no sabez one thing. All great dreams of any
tribe they built by man for love of woman."

Jim stared for a moment at the purple shadow of t