Page:J Allan Dunn--The Girl of Ghost Mountain.djvu/207

Rh only a layman. But I have read much on the subject and the irrigation of Chico Mesa is a simple matter compared with many similar projects. It is my idea to create a community corporation, with community capital. I find that a hard matter. If I can secure the capital I shall still offer water rights on the same basis. In a way I am a Socialist.

"Here is the mesa. He unrolled a drawing. "This is drawn up crudely. There are no geodetic surveys to work from. But it is to scale and covers the present holdings and a broad margin of land that can come under the ditch. Until an expert goes over the matter, as engineer and surveyor, I am not prepared to state exactly either the amount of water gallons that may be furnished nor the acreage it can irrigate for alfalfa.

"I purpose to turn Chico Mesa into a high-grade, ultimately a thorough-bred cattle-raising community, those cattle fed upon home-grown alfalfa. To turn the water into alfalfa, the alfalfa into beef. These are my approximate working figures, reduced to a minimum, of the water supply and acreage."

Quong scanned the memoranda with close interest while Sheridan produced another map.

"I am honored by your confidence," he said. Sheridan bowed. The atmosphere was almost formal. And he was certain that his confidence was not misplaced. He had guarded already against usurpation of the main factors, so far as he was able to do so within his modest expenditures.

"Here is Lake of the Woods," he went on, "a reservoir already provided, fed by springs. It has