Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-05-21

the counter in the general office, MORA
McTavsh left her desk and came over
to see what the visitor desired.
~ should like to see Mr.. Bryce
Cardigan Buck began in crisp bus
inesslike accents. He was fumbllng
In his card-tase and did not look up
Until about to hand his card to MORA
when his mouth flew half open, the
while he stared at her with consum-
mate frankness. The girls glance met
his mOmenlarily, then was lowered
modestly; she took the card and car
ried 1t to Bryce.
"Hum-m-m Bryce grunted. "That
noisy fellow Ogilvy, eh?"
Ellis clothes are simply wonderful
and so Is his voice. He's very refined.
But he's carroty red and has freckled
hands, Mr.. Bryce
Bryce rose and sauntered into the
general office.
"Mr. Bryce Cardigan Buck queried.
AT your service, Mr.. Ogllvy. Please
come in"
"Thank you so much, SIR" He fol-
lowed Bryce to the latter's private
office, closed the door carefully behind
him. and stood with his broad back
against 1t.
Buck, are you losing your mind?'
Bryce demanded.
Losing It? | should say not. I've
just lost It.
81 believe you. If you were quite
sane you wouldn't run the risk of be-
ing seen entering my office"
"Tut-tut, old dear! None of that
Am not the handspring of the North
en California Oregon railroad and
privileged to run the destnies of that
soulless corporation as I see fit?" He
sat down, crossed his long legs. and
ierkel speckled thumb toward the
outer office. ~ was sane when | came
in here, but the eyes Of the girl out
side-oh, VOW, them eyes l must be
introduced to her"
"Love at first sight, eh, Buck?"
81 don't know what 1t is, but It's
nice. Who Is she|
"She's Mora McTavish. and you're
not to make love to her. Understand
I can't have you shopping around this
office after to-day"
Mr.. Ogilvy's eyes popped with interest
"Oh," he brcathed. "You have an eye
TO the main chance youself, have you
Have you proposed to the lady as
YETI"
"No, you IDIOT"
"Then I'll match you for her-oi
rather for the chance to propose first.
"Nothing doing, Buck. Spare your
self these, agonizing suspicious. The
fact of the matter is that you give me
a wonderful Inspiration. I've always
been afraid MORA would fall In love
with some ordinary fellow around
Sequoia--propinqulty, you know
"You bet. proplnquity's the stuff
I'll stick around"
and I've been on the lookout fol
n fine man to marry her off to. She's
too wonderful for you, Buck, but II
time you might learn to live up t.
her."
"Duck! I'm liable TO kiss you"
"Don't be too precipitate. Her father
used to be our woods-boss. | free
him for b0ozlng."
81 wouldn't care two boots If hel
dad was old Nick himself. I'm going
to marry her-if she'll have me. All
the glorious creature" He waved his
long arms despairingly. 20 Lord, sent
me a cure for freckles. Bryce, you'll
speak kind word for me, won't you
sort of boom my stock, eh? Be
good fellow
Certainly. Now come down to earti
and render Il report on your steward
ship"
"rll try. To begin, I've secured
rights of way, at total cost of twelve
thousand, one hundred and three dol
lars and nine cents, from the cit,
limits of Sequoia to the southern boun
Diary of your timber in Township nine
I've got my line surveyed, and so fal
as the building of the road Is concern
ed, I know exactly what I'm going t
do, and how and when I'm going t
do 1t, once | get my material on thu
ground.
II have an option Of n rafting goot
secondhand locomotive down at thu
Santa Fe shops, and the Hawkins &
Barnes Construction company has offer
ed me steam shovel, half dozer
flat-cars, and lot of fresnOs ant
scrapers at ruinous prices. We car
buy or rent teams from local citizen!
and get half of our labor locally. Ant
as soon as you tell me how I'm to &c
my material ashore and out on the Job
I'll order II and get busy"
"That's exactly where the shoe be
gins to pinch. Pennington's mainline
tracks enter the city along Watel
street. with one spur into his log-dumI
and another out on his mill-dock
From the mainline tracks we alst
have built spur through our drying
yard out to our log-dump and {
switch-line out to our mill-dock. w,
can unload our locomotive, steam
shovel, and hat-cars on our owl
wharf. but unless Pennington give
us permission to use his maln-lin,
tracks out to point beyond the cit!
limits-where Y will letd off t,
where the point of construction be
gIns-we're up a stump"
Suppose he refuses, Bryce. Wha
| thnn ~,