Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1911-03-17

}, VERMONT.
in this hope lie 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 burden, "A social
disability. rut 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. CavGnagh had
seen Virginia hardly more than score
of times. and yet she filled 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 criminal, to harbor an es-
capped convict. 1t was of no avail to
argue that he was moved to shield
Wetherford because of his heroic ac
tipn on the peak. He knew perfectly
well that it was because he could not
see that fair brave girl further dis
graced by the discovery Of her fathers
IDENTITY, for in the searching inquiry
which would surely follow his secret
would develop.
To marry her, knowing the character
of her father and her mother, was
madness, and the voice within him
warned him of his folly. Pure wa
ter cannot be drawn from corrupt
sources" it is said. Nevertheless the
thought of having the girl with him
In the wilderness filed him with di-
bated, alternately flushed with resolve
TO be happy and chilled by some
strange detection, he met Swenson, the
young guard who guarded the forest
on the South Fork.
As he rode up Cavanagh perceived
In the other mans face something pro-
foundly 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 face of such bitterness that
1t broke through even the absorbed
and selfish meditation into which Cav
anagh had been thrown.
whats the matter, Swenson? You
look as if you had lost friend"
81 have" answered the guard short
ly, "and so have you. The chief is
out"
"What?'
They've got him. he exclaimed.
Hes OUT
Cavanagh sprang up. 81 don't be-
lieve it! For what reason? Why?"
Don't that letter tell you? The whole
town is clIuckling. Every criminal and
plug ugly in the country is splitting in
our faces this morning. Yes, sir, the
president has fred the chief-the man
that built up this forestry service. The
whole works is going to h, that's
what 1t is. Well have all the coal
thieves, water power thieves, poachers
and free grass pirates piling in on us
in mobs. They'll eat up the forest.
see the finish of the whole business.
They'll put some western man in
somebody they can work. Then where
will we beg
Cavanagh's young heart burned with
Indignation. but he tried TO check the
other mans torrent of protest.
II can't believe It, 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 downed him be-
cause he tried to head off some thiev
cry of coal mines in Alaska" The
man was ready to weep with chagrin
and indignant sorrow. His voice
choked. and he turned away to con
ceal his emotion.
Cavanagh put the letter back into
his pocket and mounted his horse
well, go on back to your work
Swenson. I'm going to town to get
the supervisor on the wire and find
out what it all means.'
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 srrvice of the bureau-the man
whose clean handed patriotism had
held the boys together, making them
every year more clearly unit, lit
tie army of nthusasts-could it be
possible that the originator, the or
ganiZer Of this great plan, had been
stricken down just when his influence
was of most account? He refused to
believe it Of an administration pledged
to the cause Of conservation.
AS he entered the town he was
struck instantly by the change in the