The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-09-30

hlSO, WHY you were lOTCtu to SCH , ~
I-well, / decided the Giants would be
safer in my possession than in my
uncle's. In all probability he would
have logged this valley for the sake
Of the clear seventy-twO-inch boards
he could get from these trees"
"That does not explain satisfactor-
lily. to me, why you took sides with a
stranger against your own kim" John
Cardigan persisted. "There must be
a deeper and more potent reason,
Miss Shirley Sumner"
"well," Shirley made answer, glad
he could not see the flush of confusion
| and embarrassment that crimsoned
her cheek, when I came to Sequoia
last May. your son and l met, quite
| accidentally. The stage to Sequoia
had already gone, and he was gracious
/ enough to invite me to make the jour
ney I'm his car. Then we recalled hav-
ing met as children, and presently i
| gathered from his conversation that he
and his John-partner, as he called you,
were very dear to each other. ! was
witness to your meeting that night
I saw him take you in his big arms
and hold you tight because you'd
gone blind while he was away having
good time. And you hadn't told
hint l thought that was brave Of
you; and later. when Bryce and MORA
McTavish told me about you-how
kind you were, how you felt your
responsibility toward your employees
and the community-well. l just
couldn't help a leaning toward John
partner and John-partners boy. be-
cause the boy was so fine and true to
his fathers ideals"
"Ah, he's Il man. He is indeed" old
John Cardigan murmured proudly. 81
dare say you'll never get to know him
intimately, but II you should"
~ know him intimately" she cor
| rected him. "He saved my life the
day the log-train ran away. And that
was another reason. l owed him
debt, and so did my uncle; but Uncle
wouldn't pay his share, and l had to
pay for him.
"Wonderful," murmured John Cardi-
gan. wonderful But still you haven't
told me why you paid hundred
thousand dollars for the Giants when
you could have bought them for fifty
thousand You had a woman's reason,
/ dare say, and women always reason
from the heart, never the head. How
ever, II you do not care to tell me,
shall not insist. Perhaps l have APP
naa rod unduly innuiSitiyp"
II would rather not tell you" she
answered.
A gentle, prescient smile fringed his
old mouth he wagged his leonlne head
as IL to say: "Why should / ask,
when / knowT' Fell again a restful
silence. Then:
"Am l allowed one guess, Miss
Shirley Sumner|
"Yes but you would never guess the
reason"
81 am a very wise old man. When
one sits in the dark, one sees much
that was hidden from him In the full
glare of the light. Ny son is proud,
manly, independent, and the soul of
honor. He needed a hundred thousand
dollars you knew 1t. Probably your
uncle informed you. You wanted to
loan him some money, but-you
couldn't. You feared TO offend him by
profrering IL; had you proffered IT, he
would have declined 1t. So you
bought my Valley of the Giants at
a preposterous price and kept your
action a secret" And he patted her
hand gently, as If TO silence any denial,
while far down the skid-road voice
a half-trained baritone-floated faint
ly to them through the forest. Some.
body was singing-or rather chanting
. "A singularly tuneless refrain, wild
and barbaric.
, "What is thatr Shirley cried.
"That is my son, coming to fetch
his old daddy home" replied John
Cardigan. "That thing he's LOSling Is
an Indian war-song or paean OF
(; misunderstanding his nurse taught
him when he wore pinafores. II you'll
!. excuse me, Miss Shirley Sumner, II
e leave you now. generally contriv,
!. to meet him on the trail"
He bade her goodbye and started
down the trail, his stick tapping
$ against the old logglng-cable stretched
! from tree to tree beside the trail ant
I marking IT,
Shirley was tremendously relieved
!, She did not wish to meet Bryce Cardi
gan to-day, and she was distinct!
+ grateful to John Cardigan for his nic'
] consideration in sparing her an inter
view. She seated herself in the lum
$ er-jack's easy-chair so lately vacated
4 and chin In hand gave herself up 4
y meditation on this extraordinary oil
q man and his extraordinary son.
7 A couple Of hundred yards down tn
l. trail Bryce met his father. "HellC
John Cardiganl" he called. "What d.
y you mean by skallyhooting through
l these woods without pilot7 Eh
/ | Exnlain your reckless conduct"