Cleveland County herald., 1920-08-26


 After aiding the lady to alight, Cardi. gan talked with her few minutes at the gate, then bnde her goodnight.
 Upon returning to Hotei sequoia. found o. in hotel bar. Saw him to bed at 10 sharp
 Needless to relate. this report had l a most amazing effect upon Colonel | Pennington, and when at length he could recover his mental equilibrium, he set about quite calmly to analyZe | the report, with the result ehat he l promptly arrived at the following con- l cluSiOn:
 CD His niece Shirley Sumner was not to be trusted in so far as young | Bryce Cardigan was concerned. De spite her assumption of hostility to- | ward the fellow since that memorable | day in Pennigton's woods, the Colonel was now fully convinced that she had made her peace with him and had | been the recipient of his secret atten- tions right along (2) The N. c. O. was still mys- tary, but q mystery in which Bryce Cardigan WAS interested. Moreover, he was anxious to aid the N. c. o. in every way possible. However. the Colonel could understand this. Cardi- gan would aid anything that might possibly tend to lift the Cardigan 1 lumber interests out from under the iron heel of Colonel Pennington.
 (3) The N. c. O. was going to make mighty bluff, even to the extent of l applying for franshise to run over the city streets of Sequoia. Hence Ogilvy's visit to Mayor Tombstone doubtless on the advice of Bryce Car digan.
 (4) Ogilvy had carried small leather bag to and from Henry Pound stenes office. That bag was readily explained. It had contained a bribe in gold coin and young Henry had been selected as the go-between. That meant that Mayor Tombstone had agreed to deliver the franchise-f0r consideration. Ogilvy had called | first on the mayor to arrange the de- tails; then he had called on the mayors son to complete the transac- | tion.
 (5) If franchise had been ar ragged for and the bribe already de livered, that meant the prompt and unadvertised commencement of oper- ations. Yes, the N. c. O. was going to carry its monumental bluff to the point of building a mile of track l through town. No-no, they wouldn't spend that much money on bluff; they wouldn't bribe Tombstone unless the road was meant. And wa$ it common carrier, after all?
 The trail was growing hot; the Colonel mopped his brow and concn- trated further If the N. c. o. was really going to start operations, in or der to move it's material from the Cardigan clock to the scene of opera tlons it would have to cut his (ths Colonel's) tracks somewhere on Water street Damnation! That was it.. They were trying to slip one over on him. They were planning to get c jump-crossing in before he should awake to the situation; they were planning, too, to have the city coun- ell slip through the franchise when nobody was looking, and once the crossing should be in, they could laugh at Colonel Pennington!
 "The scoundrels !" he murmured "Pm on to them! Cardigan is play, ing the game with them. That's why he bought those rails from the old Laurel Creek spur! Oh, what 8 blithering idiot I have been How ever, it's not too late yet. Pound stone is coming over to dinner Thurs day night, and I'll wiring the swine dry before he leaves the house. And as for those rails Cardigan managed to hornswoggle me out of"
 He seized the telephone and fairly shouted to his exchange operator to get his woods foreman, Jules Ron- deau, on the line.
 "That you, Rondeau?" he shouted when the big French Canadian re- sponded Pennington talking. What has young Cardigan done about those rails I sold him from tho abandoned spur up Laurel creek?'
 I
 "He have two flatcars upon ze spur now. Dose woodsgang of hees she tear up dose rails from ze head of ze spur and load in ze fat-cars.' 'See to it, Rondeau, that they do not leave until I give the word. Un- derstand? Tell them the switch-en- zine Is In the shop for repairs or Is busy at other work-anything that will stall him off and delay delivery" Suppose Bryce Cardigan, he comes around and say, 'Why?" Rondeau Queried cautiously.
 "Kill him." the Colonel retorted coolly. Tt strikes me you and the Black Minorca are rather slow play. Ing even with young Cardigan" ROndeau grunted. 'I theenk mebbe 60 you kill heem yourself boss" he