s no call for any quick,
expensive repairs.

[Illustration: "Make it plain to the Chandler girl that this is her
last chance to sell before I ruin her crop."]

No, Jenkins' call for money was purely for himself and not the water
system. The whole thing was robbery. But how could it be prevented?
Injunctions by American courts did not extend over here, and Reedy
undoubtedly had an understanding with the Mexican authorities.

There was nothing for it, thought Bob, but to choose one of two evils:
Be robbed of $50,000, or lose five thousand acres of cotton. He set
his teeth and started the little car plugging back across the sand
toward the American line.

CHAPTER XXIV

A little after daylight Bob was in El Centro. Jim Crill, always an
early riser, was on the porch reading the morning paper.

"Come and have breakfast with me," Bob called from the machine. "Got
some things to talk over."

He handed Crill the letter from the water company. Not a muscle in the
old gentleman's face changed as he read, but two spots of red showed at
the points of his sharp cheekbones.

"If it was your own money in that crop, what would you do?" asked Jim
Crill, shortly.

"I'd fight him to hell and back." Bob's eyes smoldered.

"Then fight him to hell and back," said the old man, shortly. "And if
you don't get back, I'll put up a tombstone for you.

"I've believed all along," said Jim Crill, "that Reedy Jenkins is a
rascal. But," he lifted his left eyebrow significantly, "womenfolks
don't always see things as we do. Anyway, my trust was in cotton--it
is honest--and sooner or later I'll get his cotton. He's got to bring
it across the line to sell it.

"I've taken up all the other liens on that cotton," Crill continued,
"so there'll be no conflicting claims. I've got $215,000 against those
eight thousand bales."

He took a bill book from his hip pocket, and removed some papers.

"I was coming over to see you this morning. Been called away. Trouble
in our Texas oil field. Main gusher stopped. May be a pauper instead
of a millionaire. Would have got out of this damned heat before now if
I hadn't wanted to keep an eye on Jenkins.

"Now I'm going to turn these bills over to you for collection. Get
$215,000 with 10 per cent. interest, and half his cotton seed."

Bob's eyes were straight ahead on the road as he drove back to
Calexico; his hands held the wheel with a steady grip, but his mind was
neither on the