The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1920-05-13
CHAPTER III.

throughout the happy years OF
Bryce's boyhood his father continued
to enlarge and improve his sawmill.
to build more schooners. and to ac-
quire more redwood timber. Lands.
the purchase of which by Cardigan a
decade before had caused his neigh
bors to impugn his judgment. now
developed strategical Importance. AS
a result those lands necessary to con-
soiidate his own holdings came to
him at his own price, while his adj
verse holdings that blocked the log
ging operations of his competitors
went from him-also at his own price.
In fact, all well-laid plans matured
satisfactorily with the exception of
one. and since it has a very definite
bearing on the story. the necessity for
explaining it is paramount.
Contiguous to Cardigan's logging
operations to the east and north of
Sequoia. and comparatively close In,
lay a block of two thousand acres
ible. and inexpensive outlet for which,
when II should be logged, was the
Valley of the Giants. For thirty
years John Cardigan had played a
waiting game with the owner of that
timber, for the latter was as fully
obsessed with the belief that he was
going to sell 1t to John Cardigan at
dollar and a half per thousand feet
stumpage as Cardigan was certain he
was going to buy Ii for a dollar a
thousand-when he should be ready
to do so and not one second sooner.
Eventually the time for acquiring
more timber arrived. John Cardigan.
meeting his neighbor on the street.
accosted him thus:
Look here. Bill. isn't II time we
got together on that timber of yours7
You know you've been holding II to
block me and force me 10 buy at your
figure. I'll give you dollar a thous-
and stumpage for your timber. Bill"
81 want a dollar and q half"
"A dollar Is my absolute limit"
Then I'll keep my timber"
"And I'll keep my money. When
= finish logging in my present hold
ings, I'm going to pull out of that
country and log twenty miles south
of Sequoia. Remember. Bill. the man
who buys your timber will have to log
II through my land-and I'm not go
ing to log that quarter-section In the
valley. Hence there will be no outlet
for your timber In back"
'Not going TO log itf Why, what
are you going to do with it?"
"I'm just going to let 1t stay there
until / die. When my will is filed for
probate. your curiosity will be salts
fied-but not until then. Better take
a dollar. Bill. It's good, fair price.
as the market on redwood timber is
now, and you'll be making an even
hundred per cent on your investment.
Remember, Bill. If | don't buy your
timber. you'll never log 1t yourself
and neither will anybody else You'll
he stuck with 1t for the next forty
years-and taxes aren't getting any
lower"
"I'll hang on a little longer. /
think"
II think so. too" John Cardigan re-
piled. And that night. as was his
wont, even though he realized that II
was not possible for Bryce to gain a
profound understanding of the business
problems to which he was heir, John
Cardigan discussed the Squaw creek
timber with his son. relating to him
the details of his conversation with
the owner
Bryce pondered. But isn't it
cheaper to give him his price on Squaw
creek timber than go logging in the
San Hedrin and have to build twenty
miles of logging railroad to get your
logs to the millT
at would he. son. II had to build
the railroad. Fortunately. | do not.
I'll just shoot the logs down the hill
side to the San Hedrin river and
drive them down the stream to log
boom on tidewaterr
Bryce looked at bis father admir-
ingly. Il guess Dan Reyes is right,
Dad" he said. dan says you're
crazy-like a fox. Now | know why
you've been picking up claims in the
San Hedrin watershed"
mo. you don't. Bryce. I've never
told you. but TIL tell you now the
real reason Humboldt county has no