The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-07-31
CHAPTER XIV.
IS

and Bryce called her up to ask when
she desired it sent over.
Good morning. Mr.. Cardigan" she
greeted him Cheerily. How do you
feel this morning? Any the worse for
having permitted yourself to be hui
man being last night?"
'Why, l feel pretty fine. Shirley.
out of my shell last night"
'You feel encouraged TO go on liv-
ing, eh?"
"YeS."
sand fighting?"
"By all MEANS"
"Then something has occurred of
tate TO give you new courage"
"Oh. many things. BY the way, Shir-
ley, you may inform your uncle at
breakfast Friday morning about my
connection with the n. c. o. In fact,
think it would be far better for you
II you made it point to do So"
"Why?"
because both Ogiivy and myself
have a very strong suspicion that your
uncle has a detective or two on our
trails. judge your uncle will learn
today that you dined with Ogilvy,
MOira and me last night"
"Oh, dear! That's terrible" he
could sense her distress.
Ashamed of having been seen In my
company, eh?"
"Please don't. Are you quite serious
in this matter?"
"Quite"
'Uncle Seth will think it $3.50
strange"
Hell probably tell you about 1t.
Better beat him to the Issue by Tossing
up, Shirley. Doubtless his suspicious
are already aroused. and if you inform
him that you know l am the real build
er Of the N. c. o., he'll think you're a
smart woman and that you've been
doing a little private gum-shoe work
of your own on behalf of the Laguna
Grpr'e Lumber company"
(which is exactly what have been
doing" she reminded him.
~ know. But then, I'm not afraid
81 you, Shirley-that Is, any more
And after Friday morning I'll not be
afraid of your uncle"
81 feel as If I were a conspirator."
81 believe you are one. Your dicto-
graph has arrived. Shall send George
Sea Otter over with it? And have you
somebody to install lt?"
"Oh. bother! Does it have TO be in
stalled?"
at does. You place the contraptiOn
hide 1t. rather-in the room where
the conspirators conspire; then you
run wires from It into another room
where the detectives listen in on the
receivers"
"COuld George Sea Otter install it,"
81 think he Ct nd. There is a print
ed card of Instructions, and dare say
George would find the job no more
battling than the ignition system on
the Napier"
Twill he tell anybody"
''Not if you ask him not to-
every well, then. Please send him
over. Thank you so much, Bryce
Cardigan. You're an awful good old
sort, after all. Really, it hurts me to
have TO oppose you. 1t would be so
much nicer If we didn't have all those
redwood trees to protect, wouldn't it?"
Let us not argue the question, Shir-
ley think have my redwood trees
protected. GOod-by."
He had scarcely finished telephon-
ing his home to instruct George Sea
Otter TO report with the express pack
age to Shirley when Buck Ogilvy
stroI1ed into the office and tossed a
document on his desk. There's your
little old temporary franchise, old
thing" he announced; and with many
a hearty laugh he related to Bryce the
ingenious means by which he had OBJ
tained it. sand now If you will phone
up to your logging camp and instruct
the woods-boss to lay off about fifty
men to rest for the day, pending
hard nights work, and arrange to
send them down on the last log train
today. I'll drop around after dinner
and wen fly to that jump-crossing.
"Fll telephone Colonel Penningtons
manager and ask him to kick a switch
engine in on the Laurel creek spur and
snake those fiat cars with my rails
aboard out to the junction with the
main line" Bryce replied. And he
called up the Laguna Grande Lumber
eompany-only TO be informed by no
less a person than Colonel Pennington
himself that it would be impossible
to send the switch-englne in until the
following afternoon. The Colonel was
sorry, but the switch-engine was in the
shop having the brick in her firebox
renewed, while the moguI that hauled
the log trains would not have time to
attend to the matter, since the flats
would have to he spotted on the side
track at Cardigan's log landing in the
woods. and this could not be done I'M
I'll the last loaded log train for the day
had been hauled out to make room.
"why not switch back with the
mogul after the log train has been
hauled out on the main line?" Bryce
demanded pointedly.
Pennington. however, was not
trapped. My dear fellow" he replied
"quite impossible, / as
sure you. That old trestle across the
creek. nv bOy-it hasn't been looked |