ited. The railway
claims the right to take it all, if it likes. We claim enough to
irrigate our properties. Right there we lock horns. There is a lawsuit
just starting; but the Lord only knows which way it will be settled, or
when. And now you know as much about it as I do."

"It don't look good," said Glass, shaking his head. "No, sir, it don't
look good to me. And here's another thing. They tell me that there was
trouble out here a ways the other night. I mean with the company's dam.
Of course, I don't know anything about it myself; it's just what I've
heard. I hope you don't mind me speakin' of it."

"Not in the least. Well, what about it, Mr. Glass?"

"It was a turrible risky thing to do--to blow up a dam," said Glass.
"It'd be against the law, wouldn't it? Of course, I don't say it was.
It might not be. I don't claim to know, and likely whoever done it had
reasons. All the same, I wouldn't choose to be mixed up in doin's like
that."

"Good thing to keep out of," Casey agreed.

"I wouldn't want anything of mine to be blown up."

"But who would blow up anything of yours?"

"I don't say anybody'd do it, of course," Glass protested hastily.
"Only, you see, men that'd blow up a dam are--I mean, if I bought land
off of the company and started in to use water and farm, they might
blame me. I wouldn't want to get my neighbours down on me, Mr. Dunne."

"Does that mean you think that some of your prospective neighbours blew
up the dam?"

"No, no," Glass disclaimed, in a flurry. "I don't know who did it, of
course. I'm not saying anybody did. Only somebody must of. That's just
common sense. You'll admit that yourself."

"Why, yes, that's a pretty safe conclusion," Casey agreed. "I don't
think you need worry about that, though. The only point is whether the
company will be able to keep an agreement to supply you with water. I
can't tell you whether they will or not. If you buy you take a chance.
If you bought from me, you'd take almost the same chance."

"I don't know what to do," said Glass, picking nervously at his
white-metal watch chain. "It's hard to tell--there's so many things to
be considered. I can't afford to lose money. This irrigation's new to
me. I never saw it working. Would you mind if I came out to your farm
and sort of looked around? I could learn a lot that way. Maybe if you
had time, you could explain what I didn't understand? But, then, I
wouldn't want to trouble you."

But Casey Dunne was al