Cleveland County herald., 1920-07-15

About ten years, think. Of course, he would always take few drinks with the men around payday, but after mother died, he began taking his drinks between pay-days. Then he took to going down to Sequofa on Saturday nights and coming back on the mad-train, the maddest of the lot. l suppose he was lonely, too. He didn't get real bad, however, till about two years ago."
 "Well, we have to get logs to the mill, and we can't get them with old John Barleycorn for woods-boss, Moira. So we're going to change woods-b0sses, and the new woods-boss will not be driven off the job, because Pm going to stay up here couple of weeks and break him in myself But how do you manage to get money to clothe yourself? Sinclair tells me Mac needs every cent of his two hun dred and fifty dollars a month to enjoy himself"
 T used to steal from him." the girl admitted. "Then I grew ashamed of that, and for the past six months I've been earning my own living. MT. Sin clair was very kind. He gave me a job waiting on table in the camp din ing room. You see, I had to have something here. [ couldn't leave my father. He had to have somebody to take care of him. Don't you see, MT. BryceY
 "Sinelair is fuzzy old fool" Bryce declared with emphasis. "The idea of our woods-boss's daughter slinging hash to lumberjacks. Poor Moira i"
 He took one of her hands in his noting the callous spots on the plump palm, the thick fngerjoints that hint ed so of toll. the nails that had never been rnanicured save by Moira herself Do you remember when I was a boy Moira, how I used to come up to the logging camps to hunt end fish? 1 al- way5 lived with the McTavishes then And in September, when the huckle- berries were ripe, we used to go out and pick them together. Poor Moira Why, we're old pals. and I'll be shot if I'm going to see you suffer- Listen, Moira. I'm going to fire your father, as I've said, because he's working for old J. B. now, not the Cardigan Red wood Lumber company. I really ought to pension him after his long years in the Cardigan service, but I'll be hanged if we can afford pensions any more-particularly to keep man in booze; so the best Our old woods-boss gets from me is this shanty, or another like it when we move to new cuttings, and a perpetual meal-ticket for our camp dining room while the Cardi- gans remain in business. I'd finance him for trip to some state institu ton where they sometimes reclaim such wreekage, if I didn't think he's too old a dog to be taught new tricks"
 'Perhaps," she suggested sadly, "you had better talk the matter over with him.
 "No, I'd rather not. I'm fond of your father. ~Moira. He was man when I saw him last-such a man as these woods will never see again-and I don't want to see him again until he's cold sober I'll write him letter. As for you, Moira, you're fired, too. I'll not have you waiting on table in my logging by jugful You're to come down to Sequoia and go to work in our office. We can use you on the books, helping Sinclair, and re- lieve him of the task of billing, check ing tallies, and looking after the pay ror. I'll pay you a hundred dollars month, Moira. Can you get along on thEt?"
 Her hard hand closed over his tightly, but she did not speak.
 "All right. Moira. It's a go, then. There, there, girl, don't cry. We Cardigans had twenty-five years of faithful service from Donald McTav ish before he commenced slipping !; after all, we owe him something, think"
 She drew his hand suddenly to her lips and kissed it; her hot tears of joy fell on 1t, but her heart was too full for mere words.
 "Fiddle-de-dee, Moira Buck up." he protested, hugely pleased, but em- barrassed withal. "The way you take this. one would think you had expect ed me to go back on an old pal and had been pleasantly surprised when didn't. Cheer up, Moira I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll advance you two months salary for-well, you'll need lot of clothes and things in Sequoia that you don't need here And I'm glad I've managed to settle the Me Tavish hash without kicking up a row and hurting your feelings. Poor old Macl Pm sorry can't bear with him. but we simply have to have the logs you know"
 He rose, stopped, and pinched her ear; for had he not known her since childhood and had they not gathered | huckleberries together in the long ago? She was sister to him-just an | other ons of his problems-and noth- ing more "Report on the job as soon as possible, Moira," he called to her from the gate.