Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-04-09
CHAPTER Vl-continued.

s.
-rm afraid | do, my dear" thu
Colonel admitted with his best air Of
hearty eNpanSlveneSs. I'm afraid
no However, Mr.. Cardigan now that
JOu haye-at least. | have been 50 in.
5Of1ned-takcn over your fathers bust.
ness, am hoping we will be enabled
20 ger together on many little details
and work them ont on a COMMON basis
30 our mutual advantage We lumber
men should stand together and not
make II hard for each other How
ever" he concluded, lets not talk
shop. ! imagine we have enough OF
thar during the day. Besides. here
are The cocktails"
With the disposal Of the cocktails,
The conversation drirted into discus.
HOn Of Shirley'S adventures with a
salmon in Big lagoon The Colonel
aiscourSed carnedly on the superior
sShrt Of muSkelungc-i>hing. which
prompted Bryce to enter into a desrrip-
zion of going after SwordfSh among
the islands Of the Santa Barbara chan.
nel. once | was fishing at sun"
The butler appeared in the doorway
and bowed to Shirley announcing thlt
dinner was served The girl rose and
gave her arm to Bryce; with her other
arm linked through her uncle's she
turned toward the dining room.
Just inside the entrance Bryce
paused. The oft glow Of the candles
In the old-faShioned silver candle
sticks upon the table was reflected in
lie polished walls of the room--walIs
1crmed OF parcels of the most ex-
quiSiteIy patterned redwood burl Bryce
Cardigan had ever seen. Also the
panels were unusually large.
Shirley Summers alert glance fol.
lowed Bryce'S as 1t swept around the
ROOM This dining room is Uncle
Seths particular delight, Mr.. Card.
eHh, Sue cNlIdlleu.
III is very beautiful, Miss Sumner.
And your uncle has worked wonders
IN the matter of having it polished.
Those panels are positively the largest
and most beautiful specimens of red
wood burr ever turned out in this
roun,ry, Tie grain is not merely
savy; II is not merely curly 1t is
hetualIy so contrary that you have
here Colonel Pennington, room alb
s0'uely unique, In that 1t is formed .
ri hird's.eye burl. Mark the deep
shadows in it, And how 1t does reflect
those candles"
1T is beautiful" the Colonel de.
rIared md | must confess to
pardonahia pride in it, although the
task Of keeping these walls from be.
5ng married hy the furniture knocking
against them requires the utmost
cnre."
Bryce turned and his brown eyes
sih~'h IHlu lllt tulbllfl :, mere ulu
you succeed In finding such a marvel
Gus tree he queried pointedly. ~
know of but one tree in Humboldt
county that could have produced such
beautiful bur."
For about second Colonel Pennlng.
ton met Bryce's glance unwaveringly
then he read something in his guests
Eyes, and his glance shifted, while
ever his benign countenance flush
spread quickly. Bryce noted 1t, and
his quickly reused suspicious were AS
quickly kinded INTO certainty. "Where
did you find that tree?" he repeated
'Rondeau, my woods-boss, knew !
VAS on the lookout for something
Notwithstanding nobody else could
get; so he kept his eyes open"
@Indeed" There was just a trace
" irony in Bryce's tones as he drew
chair and held ii for her
You are fortunate to have such a
soOlsh0ss IN your employ. Such :
0yAl fellows are usually too good TO
.e true, and quite frequently they put
heir Blankets on their backs ana get
mt Of the country when you least ex-
etf H. | dare say 1t would be a 8
hook TO you If Rondeau did that.o
There was no mistaking the yelled /
hreai behind that apparently innocent q
observation and the Colonel, being
man OF more than ordinary astute-
ess. realized that at last he must 9
ace his cards on the table. "Yes," t
e said. Il would be rather dlsappoint- $
d. However, pay Rondeau rather
,ore than Il is customary to pay c
'oods-bosses; so Imagine he'll stay o
Mess. OF course, somebody takes
nfion 10 run him out Of the country. h
md when that happens. want to be 0
> hanL to view the spectacle" ii
Bryce snrnkled a modicum of salt n
bis soup. 'I'm going up into Town II
IN nine Tomorrow afternoon" he I
nsrked casually. II think | shall II