The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1920-12-16
CHAPTER XIV.

she desired 1t sent over.
GOOD morning. Mr.. Cardigan" she
greeted him cheerily. How do you
feel this morning? Any the worse fol-
having permitted yourself to be hu
man being last night?'
"Why, | feel pretty fine, Shirley.
think 1t did me lot of good to crawl
out of my shell last night"
'You feel encouraged to go on liv-
ing. eh?'
Eyes"
.And fightingr
"By all means"
"Then something has occurred OF
late to give you new courageT'
'Oh, many things. BY the way. Shir-
ley. you may inform your uncle at
breakfast Friday morning about my
connection with the n. G. o. In fact.
I think II would be far better for You
If you made II point to do So"
"Why?"
Because both Ogilvy and myself
have very strong suspicion that your
uncle has a detective or two on our
trails. I Judge your uncle will learn
today that you dined with Ogilvy,
MORA and me last night"
ooh. 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 viii think It $3.50
strange"
Hell probably tell You about IT,
Better beat him TO the issue by Tossing
up. Shirley. Doubtless his suspicious
are already aroused, and If you inform
him that you know am the real build
err of the n. G. o.. he'll think you're
smart woman and that you've been
doing little private gum-shoe work
Of your own on behalf Of the Laguna
Grande Lumber company"
(Which Is exactly what have been
doing" she reminded him.
II know. But then. I'm not afraid
OF you. Shiriey-that Is, any mere.
And after Friday morning I'll not be
afraid of your uncle"
II feel as II were conspirator"
81 believe you are one. Your dicto-
graph has arrived Shall I send George
Sea Otter over with It? And have you
somebody TO install it?"
ooh bother Does 1t have to be In.
staledY"
at does. You place the contraption
hide IT, rather-in the room where
the consplrators eonspire; then you
run wires from It into another room
whore the detectives listen in on the
receivers"
Could George Sea Otter install lt7"
II think he could. There is print
ed card Of instructions. and dare say
George would find the job no more
battling than the ignition system on
the Napier"
"Wil he tell anyhody?"
Not If you ask him not to-"
VERY well. then Please send him
over Thank you so much. Bryce
Cardigan. You're an awful good old
sort. after all. Really. 1t hurts me 10
have TO oppose you. 1t would be so
much nicer If we didn't have all those
redwood trees TO protect, wouldn't itf"
Let US not argue the question, Shlr
ley think ! have my redwood trees
protected Good-by."
He had scarcely finished telephon.
Ing his home 70 instruct George Sea
OTTER to report with the express pack.
age to Shirley when Buck Ogilvv
strolled into the office and tossed
document on his desk There's vour
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 Oh
talned 1t. And now If you viii phone
up to vour logging camp and instruct
'he wo0ds-boss TO lay of about ffftp
men to rest for the day. pending q
hard nights work. aud arrange to
send them down on the last log train
today. I'll drop around after dinner
and well fly to that jump crossIng."
I'll telephone Colonel Pennington's
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
company-only to be informed by no
less person than Colonel Pennington
himself that 1t 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 mogul that hauled
the log trains would not have time to
attend to the matter, since the fats
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
til 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 llneT' Bryce
demanded pointedly.
Pennington, however, was not
trapped "My dear fellow" he replied
patronizingly, quite impossible, as
sure you. That old trestle across the
creek. my boy--it hasn't been looked
at for years. While I'd send the light
swttch-englne over 1t and have no