Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-02-16
tContinued.l
By HAMLIN GARLAND
cepyriahs. 1870. BY Hamiin Cariaad

RS
nifty. "I'll do IT," he said firmly.
THAT'S the talkts exclaimed Cav
anagh to encourage him. You can
throw them off the track this time. and
when / come back tomorrow Eli bring
some other clothing for you, ard then
we'll plan some kind Of scheme that
will get you oat OF the country. I'll
The ranger watched the fugitive az
he started back over the trail In this
desperate defiance of his pursuers with
far less confidence In the outcome than
he had put into words.
"An depends on Wetherford himself.
II his nerve does not fail him, II they
take the uniform for granted and do
not carry the matter to the supervisor,
we will pull the plan through" And
In this hope he rode away down the
trail with bent head. for all this bore
heavily upon his relationship to the
girl waiting for him In the valley. He
had thought Lie a burden, a social
disability, but a convict father now
made the mothers faults of small ac-
count.
The nearer he drew to the meeting
with Lee Virginia the more important
that meeting became. Cavanagh had
seen Virginia hardly more than a score
of times, aud yet she filed his thought,
confused his plans. making of his brain
a place of doubt and hesitation. For
her sake he had entered upon a plan
to shield a criminal, to harbor an es-
capped convict. 1t was of no avail to
argue hat he was moved to shield
Wefherford because OF his heroic ac-
tion on the peak. He knew perfectly
well that it was because he could not
see that fair. brave girl further dis.
graeed by the discovery OF her fathers
identity, for In the searching inquiry
which would surely follow his secret
would develop.
I'd InsrrT ler. saxssva0s kEss aanractar
Of her father and her mother. was
madness, and the voice Within him
warned him OF bis folly. 'Pure wa
ter cannot be drawn from corrupt
Sources 1t IS said Nevertheless the
thought of having the-giri with him
in the wilderness filed him with IL
vine recklessness. While still he de.
bated, alternately flushed with resolve
to be happy and chilled by some
strange detection. be Eaet Swef =. the
young guard who guarded the forest
on the South Fork.
AS he rode up Cavanagh perceived
f, fhn okha,r m ,at. Tona sauxotht,xx xux
foundry serious. He did not smile in
greeting. as was usual with him, and,
taking some Letters from his pocket.
passed them over In ominous silence.
He had a face of such bitterness that
1t broke through even the absorbed
and selfish meditation into which Cav
anagh had been thrown.
What's the matter. Swenson? You
look as If you had lost a friend.
II have" answered the guard short
ly. "and SO have you. The chief is
out"
"whatYv
They've got himr' he exclaimed.
Hes out"
Cavanagh sprang up. II dent be-
lieve 1t! For what reason? Why?"
Don't that letter tell yeu2 The whole
town is chuekling. Every criminal and
plug ugly In the country is splitting I'm
our faces this morning. Yes, sir, the
president has fired the etief-tha man
that buff UP this forestry service. The
whola works is going Co b.. THAT'S
what ff is. Wen have all efse esnl
thieves, water power thieves peaeheFs
and free grass pirates piling In OF ua
IN mebs. They'll eat up the forest. I
see the finish Of the whole business.
They'll pat some western msn fn-
somebody they can work. Then where
WILL we beT
Cavanagh's young heart burned with
indignation. but he tried to check the
other mans torrent of protest.
II can't believe IL. There's some
mistake. Maybe they've made him
the secretary OF the department or
something"
mo. they haven't. They've thrown
him out. They've dovned HIM be-
cause he tried to head or some thiev-
cry OF coal mines In Alaska" The
mar was ready to weep with chsgrin
and indignant sorrow. His voice
choked. and he turned away to con-
ceaI his emotion.
Cavanagh put the letter back into
bis pocket and mounted his horse.
sWell, go on back TO yeur work.
swenson- I'm going to town to get
the supervisor on the wire and find
out what re All n1eazss.r
He was almost as badly stunned by
the Significance OF Swenson's news as
Swenson himself. Could it be possible
that the man who had built up the
field service Of the bureau-ths man
whose clean handed patriotism had
held the boys together, making them
every year more clearly a unit a lit
tie army Of enthusiasts-couId it be
possible that the originator. the or
gautzer Of this great plan. had been
stricken down just when his influence
was OF most account He refused 10
believe III Of an administration pledged
70 the esass OF conservation
"a he enf6Fex EAs eewn As waa
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