“Why, in the name of God, didn't you, after you had been flooded out ONCE, build your cabins PERMANENTLY on higher ground?”
Although the tone of his voice was more disturbing than his question, it pleased one of the loungers to affect to take it literally.
“Well, ez you've put it that way,—'in the name of God!'”—returned the man lazily, “it mout hev struck us that ez HE was bossin' the job, so to speak, and handlin' things round here generally, we might leave it to Him. It wasn't OUR flood to monkey with.”
“And as He didn't coven-ant, so to speak, to look arter this higher ground 'speshally, and make an Ararat of it for us, ez far ez we could see, we didn't see any reason for SETTLIN' yer,” put in a second speaker, with equal laziness.
The secretary saw his mistake instantly, and had experience enough of Western humor not to prolong the disadvantage of his unfortunate adjuration. He colored slightly and said, with a smile, “You know what I mean; you could have protected yourselves better. A levee on the bank would have kept you clear of the highest watermark.”
“Hey you ever heard WHAT the highest watermark was?” said the first speaker, turning to another of the loungers without looking at the secretary.
“Never heard it,—didn't know there was a limit before,” responded the man.
The first speaker turned back to the secretary. “Did you ever know what happened at 'Bulger's,' on the North Fork? They had one o' them levees.”
“No. What happened?” asked the secretary impatiently.
“They was fixed suthin' like us,” returned the first speaker. “THEY allowed they'd build a levee above THEIR highest watermark, and did. It worked like a charm at first; but the water hed to go somewhere, and it kinder collected at the first bend. Then it sorter raised itself on its elbows one day, and looked over the levee down upon whar some of the boys was washin' quite comf'ble. Then it paid no sorter attention to the limit o' that high watermark, but went six inches better! Not slow and quiet like ez it useter to, ez it does HERE, kinder fillin' up from below, but went over with a rush and a current, hevin' of course the whole height of the levee to fall on t'other side where the boys were sluicing.” He paused, and amidst a profound silence added, “They say that 'Bulger's' was scattered promiscuous-like all along the fort for five miles. I only know that one of his mules and a section of sluicing was picked up at Red Flat, eight miles away!”