Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-03-08
Copyright by Peter B. Kyne.
CHAPTER v.

AAOSs AhpOAtAut AdCtoT III tAc oitue-
ton. The crying need of the coun-
try was q feeder to some transoonti-
mental railroad. BY reason Of nat
ural barriers, Humboldt county was
not easily accessible to the outside
world except from the sea- and even
this avenue of ingress and egress
would be closed for days at stretch
when the harbor bar was on a ram
page. With the exception Of O strip
Of level. fertile land. perhaps Ave
miles wide and thirty miles long and
continguous to the seacoast, the
heavily timbered mountains to the
north, east, and south rendered the
building Of a railroad that would
connect Humboldt county with the
outside world profoundly difficult
and expensive task.
Don't worry, Dad. It will come, .
Bryce assured his father. Its bound
to-
YES. but not in my day. And when
It comes. a stranger may own your
San Hedrtn timber and reap the re-
ward Of my lifetime of labor"
Again q silence fell between them.
broken presently by the old man.
THAT was q mistake-iogging in the
San Hedrin." he observed. Il had
my lesson that first year. but !
didn't heed It,, If I had Abandoned
my camps there. pocketed my pride.
paid Cononel Pennington two dollars
e. his sanaw creek timber. and re-
built my old logging road, I would
have been safe today. But l was
stubborn: I'd played the game SO
long. you know didn't want to let
that man Pennington outgame me.
It's hard to teach an old dog new
tricks, and besides. was obsessed
with the need Of protecting your
heritage from attack In any direc-
ton" I...
John Cardigan Strengthened up in
his chair and laid the tip Of his right
index finger In the center Of the
palm Of his left hand. Here was
the situation. Bryce: The center OF
my palm represents Sequoia; the
ends of my fingeya represent the
San Hedrin timber twenty miles
south. Now, II the railroad built
in from the south, you would win.
But II 1t built in from Grants Pass,
Oregon, on the north from the base
of my hand, the terminus Of the line
would be Sequoia, twenty miles from
your timber in the San Hedrlp
waterheadi"
Bryce nodded. I'm which event.
he replied, I'VE would be in much
the same position with our San
Hedrin, timber as Colonel Penning-
ton il with his Squaw creek timber.
We would have the comforting
knowledge that we owned it and paid
taxes on it but couldn't do a dad
burned thing with it!'
fright you are! The thing to do
then, as viewed the situation,
Bryce, was to acquire body o.
timber north Of Sequoia and be pre-
pared for either eventually. And
this did"
IN. -ss1:rfD vb en- sn etdofe'
Silence again descended upon
them; and Bryce. gazing into the
open fireplace, recalled an event IN
that period Of his fathers activities:
Old Bill Henderson had come up 70
their house to dinner one nisht, and
quite suddenly. in the midst OF his
soup, the old fox had glared across
at his host and beloved:
John, hear you've bought SIX
thousand acres up In Township nine.
Going to log it or hold 1t for invest
ment?"
TT was a good buy" Cardigan had
replied automatically; 80 thought
I'd better take 1t at the price. sup
pose Bryce win log It some day."
Then / wish Bryce wasn't such q
boy, John. See here, now, neishbor.
I'll tess up. took that money Pen
nington gave me for my Squaw creek
timber and put it back into redwood
in Township nine, slam -bans up
against your holdings there. John,
I'd build q mill on tidewater II you'd
sell mo site, and I'd los my timber
if"
-'Tll sell you a mill-site, Bill. and
I won't stab you to the heart, either.
Consider that settled"
That's bully. John; but still, you
only disposed of part OF my troubles.
There's twelve miles OF logging road
to build to get my logs to the mill.
and haven't enough ready money
to make the grade. Better throw in
with me, John. and we'll build the
road and operate It for our Joint
interest"
ii i: nc: threw &: . ...; y;'c. 1M! 9!
my time Of life. I don't want to have
the worry Of building. maintaining.
and operating twelve miles OF private
railroad. But I'll loan 5yoil--the money
you need to build and equip the road.
In return you arc to shoulder all
the grief and worry Of the road and
give me q ten-year contract at q
dollar and q half per thousand feet,
to haul my logs down to tidewater
with your own. My minimum haul
win be twenty Ave million feet an
nually, and my maximum hfty mill
lion"
"sold!: cried Henderson. And Il
was even 80. 1 L.
Bryce came out Of his reverie. And
nowf' no queried OF his father.
II mortgagsd the San Hedrin tim
Der in the south to buy the timber
In the north. my SON: then after ]
commenced losSins IA my new hold
ings. came several long. lean years Of
famine, the market 1rnsSeu IA sas
doldrunls. and Bill Henderson died,
and his boys got DISCOURAGED. and
A sudden flash Of inspiration II.
Illuminated Bryce Cardigan's brain.
"And they sold out to Colonel PEN
nington," he cried.
\ EXACTLY. The Colonel took over
my contract with Hsnderson's conn
pany. along with tho other assets,
and II was INCUMBENT upon him. ~