Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-06-22

Fell long silence between them !
then John Cardigan's trembling mana
went cropping out toward the girls
"Why. how stupid Of me not to nave
guessed it Immediately he said
"You are the new owner. My deat
child. if the silent prayers OF very
unhappy old man will bring Hou
blessing on you--thore there. giri!
didn't intend To make you weep. Wha'
a tender heart it is, to he sure
She took his great toilworn mana
and her hot tears fell on it. for MS
gentleness. his benignancy. had toucn'
ed her deeply. "Oh, you must not tell
anybody! You mustn't" she cried.
lie put his hand on her shoulder as
she knelt before him. Good land OF
love, girl, what made you do it? Why
should girl like you give hundred
thousand for my Valley Of the Giants?
Were OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES un-
cle's agentY
mo. | bought It myself-with my
own money. My uncle doesn't know !
am the new owner. You see. he want
ed it-for nothing"
long time ego. Your uncle Is the
modern type Of business man. Not
very much Of an idealist, I'm afraid.
But tell me why you decided to thwart
the plans OF your relative"
II knew it hurt you terribly to sell
your Giants they were dear to you
for sentimental reasons. | understood,
also. why you were forced to sell; SO
I-well, | decided the Giants would be
safer In my possession than In my
uncles. 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
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 in his car. Then we recalled hav-
ing met as children, and presently l
gathered from his conversation that he
and his JOhn-partner, as he called you.
were very dear to each other. l 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
him! 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 leaning toward John
partner and John-partners boy. be-
cause the boy was so fine and true to
his fathers IDEALS"
"Ah. he's man. He Is indeed" old
John Cardigan murmured proudly. II
dare say you'll never get to know him
intimately. but If you should"
Il know him Intimately" she cor
rected him. "He saved my life the
day the log-train ran away. And that
was another reason. I owed him a
debt, and so did my uncle; but Uncle
wouldn't pay his share, and 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, If you do not care to tell me.
shall not insist. Perhaps ! have APP
peared unduly inquisitive."
~ would rather not tell you," she
answered.
A gentle, president smile fringed his
old mouth; he wagged his leonine head
as II to say: "Why should ask,
when I know?" Fell again restful
silence. Then:
"Am allowed one guess, Miss
Shirley Sumner?"
Yes, but you would never guess the
reason"
II am 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. My son is proud,
manly, independent, and the soul OF
honor. He needed hundred thousand
dollars; you knew it. Probably your
uncle informed you. You wanted to
loan him some money, ~but-you
couldn't. You feared to offend him by
proffering it; had you proffered 1t, he
would have declined it. So you
bought my Valley Of the Giants at
Il preposterous price and kept your
action II secret" And he patted her
hand gently as If to silence any denial,