The Dolores star., 1920-12-24
CHAPTER Vi-Continued.

I'm afraid ! do. my dear" the
Colonel admitted with his best air of
hearty expansiveness. I'm afraid I
Do However, Mr.. Cardigan, now that
you have-nt least. have been so in
iormed-taken over your fathers bust
hess, am hoping we will be enabled
10 get together on many little details
ind work them out on common bnsis
10 our mutual advantage. We lumber.
men should stand together and not
make 1t hard for each other. How
ever" he concluded, "let's not talk
shop. imagine we have enough of
that during the day. Besides, here
are the cocktails"
with the disposal OF the cocktails.
The conversation drifted into n discus
Sion OF Shirley's adventures with n
salmon in Big lagoon. The Colonel
tscourscd learnedly on the superior
sport of muske!lunge-fshng which
prompted Bryce to enter into descrip-
ton of going after swordfsh among
the Islands of the Santa Barbara chan
tel. Once ! was fishing at SAN"
The butler appeared In the doorway
and bowed to Shirley. announcing that
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 soft glow of the candles
ID the old-fashioned silver candle
hicks upon the table was reflected In
the polished walls of the room-walls
formed OF panels of the most ex-
|uisltely patterned redwood burl Bryce
Cardigan had ever seen. Also the
panels we're unusually large.
Shirley Summers alert glance fol-
6wed Bryce's as it swept around the
nom. "1his dining room is Uncle
Seth's particular delight, Mr.. Cardi-
an" she explained.
at Is very beautiful. Miss Sumner.
And your uncle has worked wonders
In the matter of having 1t polished.
Those panels are positively the largest
and most beautiful specimens of red
wood burl ever turned out in this
country. The grain Is not merely
wavy; It Is not merely curly; 1t Is
actually so contrary that you have
here, Colonel Pennington room abb
solutely unique, In thst y Is formed
Of blrds-eye burl. Mark the deep
shadows in 1t. And how 1t does reflect
those candles!"
ut is beautiful" the Colonel de-
clared. "And must confess to a
pardonable pride in it, although the
task of keeping these walls from be-
Ing marred ty the furniture knocking
against them requires the utmost
care"
Bryce turned and his brown eyes
olazed into the Colonel's. "Wherc did
you succeed in finding such marvel
Gus tree?" he queried pointedly. Il
Know Of but one tree In Humboldt
county that could have produced such
beautiful burl."
For about second Colonel Penning-
ION met Bryce's glance unwaveringly
'hen he read something In his guests
eyes, and his glance shifted, while
over his benign countenance a fuss
spread quickly. Bryce noted 1t, and
NIB quickly reused suspicious were as
quickly kindled into certainty. "Where
ald you find that trec?" he repeated
innocently.
hondeau. my woods-boss, knew
was on the lookout for something
speciai-somethlng nobody else coult
se.; so he kept his eyes open"
indeed" There was just trace
y, Irony In Bryce's tones as he drew
Sm'r'ey's sM chair and held 1t for her
lou are fortunate to have such I
soods'boss in your employ. Sucl
,o'a' Fellows are usually too good t
~ .rue. and quite frequently they pu
1eF blankets on their backs and &c
wy u the country when you least ex
~ It. l dare say It would be
1vck w to you II Rondeau did that"
.aere was no mistaking the veile'
sat behind that apparently innocen
set'on. and the Colonel. bein
nan Of more than ordinary astuta