Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-06-11
CHAPTER XIV.
is

and Bryce called her up to ask when
she desired 1t sent over.
Good morning, Mr.. Cardigan she
greeted him cheerily. "How do you
feel this morning? Any the worse for
having permitted yourself to be hu-
man being last nightT'
"Why, feel pretty fine, Shirley. l
think 1t did me lot Of good to crawl
out Of my shell last night"
"You feel encouraged to go on liv.
ing eh?"
"Yes."
"And fghtlng?"
by all means"
'Then something has occurred of
late to give you new courageT"
"Oh. many things. BY the way, Shir-
ley, you may inform your uncle at
breakfast Friday morning about my
connection with the N. G. o. In fact,
! think 1t would be far better for you
If you made 1t a point to do So"
"Why?"
Because both Ogilvy and myself
have very strong suspicion that your
uncle has detective or two on our
trails. Judge your uncle will learn
today that you dned with Ogilyy.
MORA and me last night"
"Oh, dear! That's terrible" He
could sense her distress.
Ashamed of having been seen in my
company, eh?'
"Please don't. Are you quite serious
in this matter?'
"Qulte."
''Uncle Seth will think It $3.50
strange"
Hell probably tell you about It.
Better beat him to the Issue by Tossing
up, Shirley. Doubtless his suspicious
are already aroused. and II you inform
him that you know am the real build
er Of the N. c. O.. he'll think You're
smart woman and that you've been
doing little private gum-shoe work
of your own on behalf of the Laguna
Grande Lumber company"
(which is exactly what have been
doing" she reminded him.
81 know. But then. I'm not afraid
of you. Shlrley-that is, any more
And after Friday morning I'll not be
afraid of your uncle"
II feel as If were conspirator."
81 believe you are one. Your dicto-
graph has arrived. Shall | send George
Sea Otter over with It? And have you
somebody to install it?'
"Oh, bother! Does 1t have to be in.
stalled"
at does. You place the contraption
hide 1t. rather-in the room where
the consplrators cOnspire; then you
run wires from II into another room
where the detectives listen In on the
receivers"
could George Sea Otter install it2"
81 think he could. There is a print
ed card Of instructions, and dare say
George would find the job no more
battling than the ignition system on
the Napier"
"Will he tell anybody"
"Not II you ask him not to-"
Every well, then. Please send him
over. Thank you so much, Bryce
Cardigan. You're an awful good old |
sort, after ALL Really. 1t hurts me to
have TO oppose you. It would be so
much nicer If we didn't have all those
redwood trees to protect, wouldn't it?"
LET us not argue the question. Shir-
ley. think have my redwood trees
protected Good-by."
He had scarcely finished telephon-
ing his home to instruct George Sea
otter to report with the express pack
age to Shirley when Buck Ogilvy
strolled into the Office and tossed
document on his desk. "There's your
little old temporary franchise, old
thing" he announced; and with many
n hearty laugh he related to Bryce the
ingenious means by which he had OBJ
tanned It, "And now If you will phone
up to your logging camp and instruct
the woods-boss to lay off about fifty
men to rest for the day, pending a
hard nights work, and arrange to
send them down on the last log train
today, I'll drop around after dinner
and we'll fly to that jump-crossing."
"Ill telephone Colonel Pennington's
81. Ii Ii. knlx |
engine In on the Laurel creek spur and
snake those fiat cars with my rails
aboard out to the junction with the
main line" Bryce replied. And he
called up the Laguna Grande Lumber
company--only to be informed by no |
less a person than Colonel Pennington
himself that II would be impossible
to send the swtch-englne In until the
following afternoon. The Colonel was {
sorry. but the switch-engine was In the c
shop having the brick in her firebox
renewed, while the mogul that hauled I
the log trains would not have time to t
attend to the matter, since the flats
would have to he spotted on the side r
l
track at Cardlgans log landing in the
woods and this could not be done UNI o
I'll the last loaded log train for the day d
had been hauled out to make room.
"Why not switch back with the y
mogul after the log train has been S
hauled out on the main llne?" Bryce c
demanded polntedly. 1
Pennington, however, was not t
trapped. my dear fellow" he replied
quite impossible, I as. n
sure you. That old trestle across the h
creek, my boy--it hasn't been looked h
at for years. While I'd send the light n
switch-engine over tt and have no
fears" d
II happen to know. Colonel. that the