Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-03-03
Copyright by Peter B. kyne.
CHAPTER III.

Turnout the happy years CT Bryce's
boyhood his father continued TO en-
large and improve his sawmill. 10
build more schooners. and to acquire
more redwood timber. Lands. the
purchase of which by Cardigan a de-
cade before had caused his neighbors
10 inlpugn his judgment. now devel-
oped strategical Importance. As a
result those lands necessary TO con-
sOlJdate his own holdings came 20
him at his own price. while his aG-
verse holdings that blocked the log
ging operations Of his competitors
went from hiTn-also at his own
price. In fact. all well-laid plans ma
tured satisfactorily with the exception
OF one. and since it has a very def
nit bearing on the story, the neces-
sity for explaining il is paramount.
Contiguous TO Cardigan's logging
operations to the east and north of
Sequoia. ana com paratively close in,
lay a block OF two thousand acres
Of splendid timber. the natural. feas-
ible, and inexpensive outlet for which
when it 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 70 sell it TO John Cardigan at
dollar and a half per thousand feet
stumpage as Cardigan was certain he
was going TO buy it for dollar a
~ I. !,
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 it time we
got together on that timber Of yours?
! You know you've been holding It to
block me and force me to buy at your
figure. III give you dollar thous-
/ and stumpage for your timber. Bill"
Il want dollar and a haif.'
! a dollar is my absolute limit"
Then III keep my timber"
And III keep nay money. When !
I finish logging in my present holdings,
/ I'm going TO pull out of that country
and log twenty miles south Of Sc
! quota. Remember. Sill. the man VINO
| buys your timber will have to log
! it thru my land-and I'm not going
/ TO log that quarter section in the val
( lev. Hence there will be no outlet
| for your timber in back
! Not going to log it? Why, what
are you going to do with it?''
/ I'm just going to let it stay there
until die. When my viii is filed for
probate. your curiosity will be salts
! fied-but not until then. Better take
/ dollar, Bill. It's good, fair price
! as the market on redwood timber IL
now, and you'll be making an even
! hundred per cent on your investment.
Remember, Bill. if l don't buy your
| timber, you'll never log it yourself
and neither will anybody else. You'll
DE stuck with il for the next forty
years-and taxes aren't getting any
| lower"
'I'n hang on little longer. ]
| think"
~ think so, too" John Cardigan re-
piled And that night. as was his
wont. even tho he realized that 1t
was not possible for Bryce to gain a
profound understanding of the bust
ness problems to which he was heir,
John Cardigan discussed 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
Suuaw creek timber than SO logging
in the San Hedrin and have to build
twenty miles OF logging railroad to
ssss.s :.:.. leg. 70 the mill ?, ~
ut would he. son. II had to build
| the railroad. Fortunately. do not.
iIsll inst shoot the, logs down the fiIl-.