The Mena weekly star., 1920-06-03

| AFFORD IT. l snail build more houses.
| shall encourage tradesmen to set up
in business in Sequoia and to my city
shall present a church and a school
house. We shall have volunteer fire
department. and if God is good,
shall, at later date, get out some
long-length fir-timber and build a
schooner to freight my lumber to
market. And she shall have three
masts instead of two, and carry half
million feet Of lumber instead of
two hundred thousand. First, how
ever, I must build a steam tugboat to
tow my schooner in and out over
Humboldt bar And after that-ah,
WE'LL That is sufficient for the
| present"
Thus did John Cardigan dream, and
of Sequoia was horn with the Argo-
naut's six-room mansion Of rough red
wood boards and dozen three-room
cabins with lean-to kitchens; and the
tradespeople came when John Cardi-
gan, with something of the largeness
Vi HIS OAH iCUAOO0 ltCCc. Edft lAiCii
ground and lumber in order to en-
courage the building of their enter
prises. Also the dream of the school,
mouse and the church came true, as
did the steam tugboat and the schooner
with three masts.
At feity John Cardigan was Younger
than most men at thirty, albeit he
worked fourteen hours a day, slept
eight and consumed the remaining
two at his meals. But through all
those fruitful years of toll he had
still found time to dream, and the
spell of the redwoods had lost none
of its potency.
At fortytwo Cardigan was the first
mayor of Sequoia. At forty-four he
was standing an his dock one day.
watching his tug kick into her berth
the first square-rigged ship that had
ever come to Humboldt bay to load a
cargo of clear redwood for foreign
delivery. She was big Bath-buiit
clipper and her master lusty down
Easter, a widower with one daughter
who had come with him around the
Horn. John Cardigan saw this girl
come up on the quarterback and
stand by with heavlng-line In her
hand: calmly she fixed her glance
upon him, and as the ship was shunted
In closer to the dock, she made the
cast to Cardigan. He caught the
light heaving-line, hauled in the
heavy Manila stern-line to which
1t was attached, and slipped the loop
of the mooring-cable over the dolphin
at the end of the dock.
"Some men wanted aft here to take
up the slack Of the stern-line on the
windlass. SIR" he shouted to the
skipper who was walking around on
top of the house. "That girl can't
haul her in alone"
"Can't. I'm short-handed," the
skipper replied. "Jump aboard and
help her."
Cardigan made long leap from the
dock to the ships rail, balanced there
lightly a moment, and sprang to the
deck He inserted a belaying-pin in
/ the windlass. paused and looked ar
the girl. "Raise chantey," he sug-
gested Instantly she lifted sweet
contraIto In that rollicking old ballad
of the sea--@F3low the Men Down"
| Round the windlass Cardigan walk
ed, steadily and easily. and the girls
eyes widened In wonder as he did the
work of three powerful men, When
the ship had been warped In and the
slack of the line made fast on the
bits. she said:
"Please run ford and help my
| father with the b0wlines. You're
worth three foremost hands. Indeed.
/ didn't expect to see sailor on this
dock"
II had to come around the Horn
to get here. Miss" he explained, "and
when man hasn't money to pay"*or
his passage. he needs must work IT."
"rm the second mate" she explain
ed. Eve had succession of gales
from the FalkIands to the Evan
gelistas. and there the mate got her
In irons and she took three big ones
over the taffrail and cost us eight
men. Working short-handed, we
couldn't get any canvas on her to
speak of--long voyage. you know. ana
the rest Of the crew got scuryy."
you're brave girl" he told her.
"And you're a fffst-class A. b." she
replied. eff you're looking for berth,
my father win be glad to ship YOU
"Sorry. but | can't co. he called as
he turned toward the companion lad
der. sTm Cardigan, and | own this
sawmill and must stay here and look
] after It."
There was light, exuitant feeling
in his middIe-aged heart as he scamp
cred along the deck. The girl had
wonderful dark auburn hair and brown
eyes, with milx-white skin that sun
and wind had sought In vain to blem-
ish. And for all her girlhood she was
a woman bred from a race this own
people) to whom danger and despair
merely furnished tonic for their
courage. What a mate for a man
And she looked at him pridefully.
They were married before the ship
was loaded, and on knoll OF the
logged-over lands back Of the town
and commanding view of the bay
with the dark-forested hills In back
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