Noon
Morning found the distance to the water lengthened by twenty or thirty feet , and the bucket brigades nearly at the end of their ropes . Men trudged down the hills to breakfast , sending others in their places . Fairchild stayed on to meet Mother Howard and assuage her nervousness as best he could , dividing his time between her and the task before him . Noon found more water than ever tumbling down the hills -- the smaller pumps were working now in unison with the larger one -- for Sam Herbenfelder had not missed a single possible outlet of aid in his campaign ; every man in Ohadi with an obligation to pay , with back interest due , or with a bill yet unaccounted for was on his staff , to say nothing of those who had volunteered simply to still the tearful remonstrances of the hand-wringing , diamond-less , little jeweler . Afternoon -- and most of Ohadi was there . Fairchild could distinguish the form of Anita Richmond in the hundreds of women and men clustered about the opening of the tunnel , and for once she was not in the company of Maurice Rodaine . He hurried to her and she smiled at his approach .