t about my going ahead here?" inquired Blake. "Say the
word, and I put irrigation on the shelf throughout our visit."

Knowles shook his head thoughtfully. "No, I reckon Chuckie is right.
We'd best learn just how we stand."

"What if I work out a practical project? There's any amount of good
land on your mesa. The lay of it and the altitude ought to make it
ideal for fruit. If I see that the proposition is feasible, I shall be
bound to put water on all of your range that I can. I am an
engineer,--I cannot let good land and water go to waste."

"The land isn't going to waste," replied Knowles. "It's the best
cattle range in this section, and it's being used for the purpose
Nature intended. As for the water, Chuckie has figured out there isn't
more than three thousand acre feet of flood waters that can be
impounded off the watershed above us. That wouldn't pay for building
any kind of a dam."

"And the devil himself couldn't pump the water up out of Deep Canyon,"
put in Gowan.

"The devil hasn't much use for science," said Blake. "It has almost
put him out of business. So he is not apt to be well up on modern
engineering."

"Then you think you can do what the devil can't?" demanded Knowles.

"I can try. Unless you wish to call off the deal, I shall ride around
tomorrow and look over the country. Maybe that will be sufficient to
show me there is no chance for irrigation, or, on the contrary, I may
have to run levels and do some figuring."

"Then perhaps you will know by tomorrow night?" exclaimed Isobel.

"Yes."

"Well, that's something," said the cowman. "I'll take you out first
thing in the morning.--Lafe, show Mr. Blake the wash bench. There goes
the first gong."

When, a little later, all came together again at the supper table,
nothing more was said about the vexed question of irrigation. Isobel
had made no changes in her table arrangements other than to have a
plate laid for Mrs. Blake beside her father's and another for Blake
beside her own.

The employes were too accustomed to Miss Chuckie to be embarrassed by
the presence of another lady, and Blake put himself on familiar terms
with them by his first remarks. If his wealthy high-bred wife was
surprised to find herself seated at the same table with common
workmen, she betrayed no resentment over the situation. Her perfect
breeding was shown in the unaffected simplicity of her manner, which
was precisely the same to the roughest man present as to her