The question became whether she could afford even that small experiment.
Her checking account contained eighty-three dollars and forty-six cents.
The farm needed diesel.
A tractor belt was worn.
And another seed-supply invoice was due.
Then a storm passed through the area, leaving several inches of standing runoff in the old irrigation channel.
For the first time in weeks, the ditch held enough water for Eliza to observe movement over a useful distance.
She went to a small licensed hatchery outside Red Clay.
Its owner, a cheerful older man who supplied fish to farm ponds and bait distributors, listened to her unusual request.
He was understandably skeptical.
"You want native shiners to look for a water current?"
Eliza nodded.
"Something like that."
He scratched his beard.
"You know they're not going to tell you where a buried pipe is."
"I know."
She smiled.
"I just want to see whether they gather near the place I've been measuring."
The hatchery owner considered her explanation.
Then asked about the ditch and whether the fish could enter connected waterways.
Eliza described the contained field channel and its screened downstream structure, which she had checked before planning the release.
He advised her to confirm that any introduction complied with the applicable requirements and that the water conditions were suitable for the fish.
After those concerns were addressed, he offered her a small lot of locally raised native shiners at a reduced price.
Eliza paid for the fish and the transportation needed to bring them to the field.
When she returned home, her checking account was nearly empty.
She had no guarantee the experiment would reveal anything.
But she had decided that the last money she could spend before the next payment arrived would go toward answering her father's question.
Calvin learned about the fish from the hatchery owner.
The men had known each other for decades.
By the following morning, half the farming community seemed to know Eliza was preparing to release fish into a ruined cotton ditch.
Some people found it amusing.
Others thought it was irresponsible to spend money on an uncertain idea when the farm needed ordinary repairs.
A few were simply curious.
Calvin arrived on his tractor because he'd agreed to help move the heavy galvanized tanks and trailer into position.
He disapproved of the experiment.
But he hadn't refused to help.
That was Calvin.
He could laugh at something while still lending the equipment necessary to make it happen.
Otis came because Calvin told him Eliza was about to do something he'd never seen in forty years.
Raymond followed because he wanted to know whether the story was true.
By early afternoon, the trailer stood beside the old ditch.
The cotton plants rustled in the gentle breeze.
Their white bolls stood out against dry brown stems.
And Eliza was checking the tank outlet for the final time.
She knew the ditch wouldn't suddenly become a functioning irrigation system because she released a few hundred fish.