“Then the State should act in the matter. I’m willing to write my senator—”
“Repairs are needed now, not three months later. Mr. Burmaster, you have the money and you’d be doing the community a great service to lend help. We’re not asking for a donation. It’s as much to your interest as ours to protect the valley.”
“There’s no danger,” Burmaster said angrily. “Not a particle. It’s only a scheme to shake me down for money.”
Brushing past the station agent, the man went out into the rain. In driving out of the yard he turned the car so sharply that it skidded on its wheels.
“Well, that’s that,” Quigley remarked with a shrug. “I should have saved my breath.”
“I’m glad he’s gone,” Mrs. Lear announced tartly. “Will you have a bite o’ breakfast, Joe?”
“No, thanks,” the young station agent replied. “I’m due for my trick at the Depot in twenty minutes. Have to run along.”
The girls were sorry to see Joe Quigley go so soon for they had hoped to have a long talk with him. After he had disappeared into the rain they tried without much success to draw more information from Mrs. Lear. The old lady was in no mood to discuss the Burmasters, but she did have a great deal to say about flood danger to the valley.
“’Tain’t usual that we have so much rain,” she declared. “Not at this time o’ year. Old Red River’s floodin’ to the brim, an keeps pourin’ more and more into the Huntley Lake basin. The dam there was built years ago and it wasn’t much to brag on from the start.”
“Haven’t authorities inspected the dam recently?” Penny inquired thoughtfully.