Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 119: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A BOOB THERE WAS. “Yes.” He pointed to the pipe project- ing from the old oil well, which Red had declared all fixed for shooting, and which J. P. had so impressively ordered capped. No capping had been done; the derrick and all the other stage properties which had been used to fool Bob were gone. But the well had unquestionably come in—not with petroleum, but with a spouting flow of crystal-clear water. This was the source of the stream which, making its way out into the desert, had proved their salvation. “ T can understand it all now,” Bob an- nounced sapiently. ‘‘ When the original drilling of this old well was stopped it was probably within a few inches of striking one of those underground rivers which are so frequently come across in New Mexico. Then when Red, to make a showing, gave it a further jab or two yesterday, he perfo- rated this thin remaining layer. The water merely seeped through at first; then seeking its level, and most likely after the crowd had left, burst through in force. “There!” he smiled. ‘ Your miracle, you see, was due to perfectly natural causes.” “ But a miracle for us, just the same,” she maintained stoutly. ‘“ Don’t you dare run it down, Bob Moore!” As she spoke they had drawn nearer the edge of the pool made by the cascading flow from the pipe, and from which the stream led away into the desert. ‘* Ah!”? Bob exclaimed, leaning down to the bank. ‘ Here is another proof that this water is only a very recent phenomenon. Out there where we first encountered it, you noticed there was no vegetation. But here, where it has been since last night, you can see the grass and weeds already starting to sprout.” Sure enough. All around the bank of the pool tiny blades of green were poking their heads up through the soil. Faith bent over and stirred one of the sproutlets with her finger. Bob, however, had turned away and was gazing again at the water pouring out of the pipe as if from a burst main. ‘“T suppose it is rank ingratitude,” he said ruefully; “but I can’t help thinking T45 what that would mean to me if it was oil instead of water.” Faith glanced up quickly. “Bobolink,” she said, “ why don’t you have your eyes examined?” He stared at her seeming irrelevance. “Have my eyes examined?” he repeated. “What do you mean?” “Oh, no,” she teased. ‘ You scoffed at my miracle, and I’m going to let you guess. And I don’t believe an oculist could help you much, after all. There are none so blind as those who won’t see.” CHAPTER XIX. A DAY OF MIRACLES, OB tried in vain to coax from Faith an explanation of her enigmatic remark; but she only laughed bafflingly, as if she were treasuring some supremely humor- ous joke. “ All right,” he shrugged at last; “ have it your own way. But I'll swear I can’t see anything so killingly funny in the situation. We’ve got water, it is true, plenty of it; but we’re still twenty miles away from any- thing that looks like chow. And I could sur- round a porterhouse steak very comfortably right now. This air gives you an appetite.” “ But I thought you said Cale Northrup was sure to come and get us?” She sud- denly grew sober. “T said he was sure to come looking for us. And { knew he couldn’t fail to spot the wreck of my plane. But now I’m wonder- ing, if he alights at the plane and finds no trace of me, whether he won’t figure that I’ve wandered off and perished in the sand- storm? ‘* What I ought to have done,” he mut- tered with belated compunction, “ was to leave a note for him.”’ “Surely,” said Faith. ‘ But since we didn’t, the only thing is to write one now, and I’ll go back to the plane with it.” ** You will not,”’ Bob protested. ‘‘ You’ve been through enough for one day. I'll take that little hike myself.” ** But your lame toe?” she cried. “My lame toe? Oh—er—” # He stretched his foot out and regarded it per- COMMICLOOOKS (C@