The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1920-03-25
CHAPTER ~.

gan leCelNeu tIe Telegram from Bryce
saying that, following four years at
Princeton and two years of travel
abroad, he was returning to Sequoia to
take over his redwood heritage-that
he discovered that a stranger and not
the flesh of his flesh and the blood Of
his blood was to reap the reward of
his fifty years of endeavor.
For long time he sat there lethar.
gic with misery. Eventually he
reused himself, reached for the desk
telephone, and pressed a button on
the office eNchange-station. His man
ager, one Thomas Sinclair, answered.
Thomas" he said calmly, you
know, of course, that Bryce is COM
ing home. Tell George to take the
big car and go over to Red Bluff for
him."
George Sea Otter, son of Bryce
Cardigan's old half-breed nurse, was
a person in whose nature struggled
the whites predilection for advertise
ment and civic pride and the red
mans instinct for adornment For
three years he had been old man
Cardigan's chauffeur and man-of-all-
work about the latter's old-fashioned
home, and in the former capacity he
drove John Cardigan's single evidence
of extravagance-a Napier car, which
was very justly regarded by George
Sea Otter as the king of automobiles,
since it was the only imported car in
the county. Upon receipt of orders,
therefore, from Sinclair, to drive the
Napier over to Red Bluff and meet
his future boss and one-time play
fellow. George Sea Otter arrayed him
self in a pair of new black corduroy
trousers, yellow button shoes. a blue
wooden shirt with a large scarlet silk
handkerchief tied around the neck. a
pair of beaded buckskin gloves with
fringe dependent from the gauntlet.
and broad white beaver hat with a
rattlesnake-skin band. Across the
windshield of the Napier he fastened
an orange-colored pennant bearing
in bright green letters the legend
MY CITY-SEQUOIA. AS a safety
first precautiOn against man and
beast en- route, ne buckled a gun
scabbard to the spare tires on the
running-hoard and slipped a rifle into
the scabbard within quick and easy
reach of his hand; and arrayed thus,
George descended upon Red Bluff at
the helm of the king Of automobiles.
When the overland train cOasted
into Red Bluff and slid to a grinding
halt, Bryce Cardigan saw that the
Highest Living Authority had de-
scended from the train also. He had
elected to designate her thus in the
absence of any information anent her
Christian and family names, and for
the further reason that quite obvious
iy she was a very superior person.
Bryce could see that she was the
little daughter of some large rich
man. The sparsty of jewelry and
the rich simplicity of her attire proved
that, and moreover she was accom-
panied by a French maid to whom
she spoke in French in manner
which testified that before acquiring
the French maid she had been in the
custody of a French nurse She pos
sessed poise. For the rest, she had
wonderful jet-black hair violet eyes,
and milkwhite skin. a correct nose
but somewhat generous mouth
Bryce guessed she was twenty or
twenty-one years old and that she had
a temper susceptible Of being aroused.
The fact that this remarkable
young woman had also left the train
at Red Bluff further interested him,
for he knew Red Bluff and while Civ
ing credit to the many lovely damsels
of that little ambitious city, Bryce
had suspicion that no former Red
Bluff girl would dare to invade the
old home town with a French maid.
He noted, as further evidence of the
correctness of his assumption, that
the youthful baggage-Smasher at the
station failed to recognize her and
was evidently daZZled when, followed
by the maid struggling with two
sult-cases she approached him and in
pure though alien English inquired
Iilt lpCdlltu VI Tie pest nOU6l ana the
hour and point of departure of the
automobile stage for San Hedrn.
The youth had answered her first
question and was about to answer the
second when George Sea Otter, in all
his barbaric splendor. came pussy
footing around the corner of the sta
ton in old man Cardigans regal
touring-car.
The Highest Living Authority, fol-
lowing the gaze of the baggage
smasher turned and beheld George
Sea Otter. Beyond doubt he was of
the West westward. She noted the
rifle-stock projecting from the scab-
bard, and vision Of stage hold-up
flashed across her mind. All, yes, of
course-the express messengers weap-
on, no doubt! And further to clinch
her instant assumption that here was
the Sequoia motor-stage, there was
the pennant adjoining the windshield!
Diminishing the baggage smasher with
gracious smile, the Highest Living
Authority approached George Sea