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 yellow, red, pink and white over the expanse, but no trace of water; for it had now been six months since they had had any rain, and Jack marvelled at the healthy look of vegetation. "How is it," he asked, "that the trees attain such size and look so thrifty?"

"It is a common saying in these parts that their roots are attached to the bottom of a subterranean lake which is supposed to underlie this county," laughed Miss Kurtz.

Jack also laughed as he answered, "Then why is not someone enterprising enough to utilize these everlasting winds in bringing some of the water to the surface? Honestly, I wonder that you do not irrigate."

"One or two have tried it, but the water is very, very deep, and the scheme is an expensive one."

"This soil is a rich, dark alluvium, very productive without rain. What would it produce with it?" he continued.

"Prickly pears and all the other varieties of cacti," Elsie replied demurely.

They were now nearing a series of bluffs