CHAPTER XIV. 



Water Worries. 



Half-way up the slope of the upper orchard, and 

 not far from the foot of the mountain, we caught our 

 stream in a small reservoir, and thence conveyed it 

 in an iron pipe to the house, where it served in 

 scullery, kitchen, lavatory, and bathroom. It was a 

 capricious brook, and sometimes failed us; but had 

 we not a steel windmill and pump standing within a 

 few feet only of the edge of the lake? Had we not 

 a tank capable of holding 7,000 gallons close to our 

 back door? Had we not just put underground a long 

 pipe with connections all over the greenhouses to 

 carry the water from the tank by natural gravitation 

 to the tomatoes and other thirsty plants making haste 

 to outgrow the hot summer sun under the protection 

 of glass and '* burlap " blinds? And, finally, had we 

 not trained an elaborate system of surface pipes, with 

 standards and taps, across a large area of the ranch, 

 so that we might be able to supply water from close 

 at hand to our chrysanthemums, dahlias, roses, and 

 other valuable plants? 



A tempest sprang up one afternoon. We hailed it 



with delight. Our tank , would speedily be filled 



again. Alas! the windmill suddenly broke. An im- 



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