Quotation from: The Valley of the Moon

Written by: Jack London

Stepping into a small shed, he turned an electric switch, and a
motor the size of a fruit box hummed into action. A five-inch
stream of sparkling water splashed into the shallow main ditch of
his irrigation system and flowed away across the orchard through
many laterals.

"Isn' tit beautiful, eh?--beautiful! beautiful!" the man chanted
in an ecstasy. "It's bud and fruit. It's blood and life. Look at
it! It makes a gold mine laughable, and a saloon a nightmare. I
know. I . . . I used to be a barkeeper. In fact, I've been a
barkeeper most of my life. That's how I paid for this place. And
I've hated the business all the time. I was a farm boy, and all
my life I've been wanting to get back to it. And here I am at
last."