The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-07-01
CHAPTER vI-Continued.

I'm afrair l do, my dear, the
Colonel admitted with his best air of
hearty expansiveness. I'm afraid |
do. However. Mr.. Cardigan. now that
you have-at least. I have been so In
ness, am hoping we will be enabled
TO get together on many little details
and work them out on a common basis
20 our mutual advantage. We lumber.
men should stand together and not
make 1t hard for each other. How
ever" he concluded, lets not talk
shop. / imagine we have enough of
that during the day. Besides. here
are the cocktails"
With the disposal Of the cocktails.
the conversation drifted into discus
sion of Shirley's adventures with
salmon in Big lagoon. The Colonel
discoursed learRedly on the superior
sport of muskelunge-fishin which
prompted Bryce to enter into descrip-
tion of going after swordfish among
the islands of the Santa Barbara chan
mel. "Once ! was fishing at San--"
The butler appeared in the doorway
and bowed TO Shirley, announcing that
dinner was served. The girl rose and
gave her arm to Bryce with her other
arm linked through her uncle's she
turned toward the dining room.
Just inside the entrance Bryce
paused. The soft glow of the candles
in the old-fashioned silver candle
sticks upon the table was reflected in
the polished walls of the room-wulls
formed of panels of the most ex-
Iuisitely patterned redwood burl Bryce
Cardigan had ever seen. Also the
panels were unusually large.
Shirley Summers alert glance fol-
lowed Bryce's as II swept around the
room. This dining room is Uncle
Seth's particular delight. Mr.. Cardl-
gan" she explained.
at is very beautiful, Miss Sumner.
And your uncle has worked wonders
Ia the matter OF having 1t polished.
Those panels are positively the largest
and most beautiful specimens of red
wood burl ever turned out In this
country. The grain is not merely
wavy; II Is not merely curly; It is
actually so contrary that you have
here. Colonel Pennington. a room ah-
so'utely unique, in that 1t is formed
of blrd's-eye burl. Mark the deep
shadows In It. And how II does reflect
those candles" !"
at is beautiful" the Colonel de
clsrsd. sand I must confess to Il
pardonable pride in II. although the
task of keeping these walls from be-
ing narred ty the furniture knocking
againRt them requires the utmost
care"
Bryce turned and his brown eyes
blazed into the COlonel's. "Where did
you succeed In finding such marvel
Gus treef" he querled pointedly. 81
know OF but one tree In Humboldt
county that could have produced such
beautiful curl"
For about a second Colonel Penning-
ton met Bryce's glance unwaveringly
then he real something In his guests
eyes, and hA glance shifted, while
over his benign countenance flush
spread quickly. Bryce noted 1t, and
his quickly reused suspicious were as
quickly klndled INTO certainty. "Where
did you find that tree?" he repeated
innocently.
'Rondeau, my woods-boss. knew
was on the lookout for something
understanding nobody else could
get so he kept ais eyes opep."
"Indeedw There was Just trace
OF irony In Brycr's tones as he drew
Shirley's chair end held II for her
you are fortunate TO have such a
woods-boss In your ! employ. ssuch
loyal fellows are usually too good to
he true. and quite frequently they put
their blankets on their backs and get
out OF the country when you least ex-
pect IT, l dare say II would be a
shock to you II Rondeau did that"
There was no mistaklng the yelled
threat behind that apparently innocent
observation. and the Colonel, being
4 man of more than ordinary astute-