Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-03-10
CHAPTER VII.

Colonel Seth Pennington looked up
sourly as a clerk entered his private
office. "Well?" he demanded brusque-
! T.. When addressing his employees
the Colonel seldom bothered to as
sumo his pontitical manner.
mir. Bryce Cardigan is waiting TO
see you, sir"
Very we'll Show him in
Bryce entered. Good morning,
Colonel" he said pleasantly, and bra
zenly thrust out his hand.
Not for me, my boy" the Colonel
assured him. u had enough of that
last night. Well just consider the
please. Have a chair; sit down and
tell me what ! can do. TO make you
, happy"
I'm delighted to find you in such
q generous frame of mind. Colonel,
You can make me genuinely happy by,
renewing, for ten years on the same
terms as the original contract, your
arrangement 70 freight the logs of
| the Cardigan Redwood Lumber Com
pany from the woods TO tidewater."
| Colonel Pennington cleared his
throat with prer!.i2tcry "Aheiii :
m-m!" Then he removed his gold
spectacles and carefully wiped them
with a silk handkerchief. as care
! fully replaced them upon his aristo-
cratic nose. and then gazed curios-
| ly at Bryce.
I Nv
dear young friend. l must protest
( at being asked to discuss this mat
ter. Your father and | have been
| over il in detail: we failed to agree,
and that settles it
| II did not expect you to agree to
my request. l am not quite that
| optimistic" Bryce replied evenly. Il
thought that possibly. if re-opened
negotiations You might have a rea-
sonable counter proposition to sug-
gest."
| II haven't thought of any"
Il suppose if ! agreed TO sell you
that quarter section of timber in the
little valley over yonder" (he point
ed to the easD land the natural
outlet for your Squaw creek tim
Der. you'd quickly think of one,'
Bryce suggested pointedly.
mo, | am not in the market fol
that Valley of the Giants, as you,
idealistc father prefers to call it
The possession OF that big timber is
an advantage / expect TO enjoy be-
fore ! acquire many more gray hairs
But l do not expect to pay for it"
DO you expect me to offer it to
you as bonus for renewing our
hauling contract"
The Colonel snapped his hneers.
| by George" he declared, that's a
! bright idea. and q few months ago
/ would have been inclined to con-
slider It very seriously. But now"
! You figure you've got l,s wing
ing. EN-" Bryce was smiling pleasant
lily.
II am making no adrir~'ons. "
! PENNINGTON responded enienpa''caI-
| 'y."-nor any hau';n~ contracts for
! my neiEhnor's fo,r." he e1d~d..
Y suppose I'll have I" abandon log
ging in Town h'p rt7a and 80 lack
70 the San Hedrin," Bryce sighed re-
signrd,v.
IF you Go. yor'! 20 rrore. Vow
! can't afford it. You're on the verge
| of insolvency this minute"
Il suppose sine" you decline to
| haul our logs, after the expiration
! Of our present contract. and in view
| OF the fact that We are not f7nn-
CinIIr able TO build our own Ioeyin.
| railroad that the wisest cnII,,sc my
! father and could pur.u" v".l'd he
/ to sell our timber In Township nine
70 YOU. 1t adio'nr your holdings in
/ tho same township"
| Il had n notion -he situation would
begin to dawn upon you" Tn COL
| onel was smiling row: his handso,ne
! face WAS era dualv as~uminc the ex-
| Dre sion pontifcal. tn give you a
! dollar thousand feet stumpage for
| it,
Tn af"nid car't accept that Of
! fer. We paid a dollar and a ha,f for
! II, YOU know. and II we sold II to
| You at dollar. the sa1o would not
! bring US suff' cent money to take
| up our bonded ird@h.odnnr<. wo'd
J ~'-'s +'''' {. t!i' sun Il'il u IlITEpr ana
the Valley Of the Giants left and
since we cannot log ether of these
Iat present naturally we'd be out of
| business"
That's the way I figured it, my
boy
"Well-we're not going out of bus
| mess -.
Pardon me for disaGreeing with
You. | think you are" .
| Not muchi We can't a fford It"
! MY dear boy, my very dear young
TREND listen to me. Your paternal
ancestor Is the only human being
who has ever succeeded in making a
perfect monkey of me- When I want
ed to purchase from him a right of
| way thru his absurd Valley of the
Giants, in order that 1 might log nv
Squaw creek timber. he refused me.
And to add insult to injury, he spout
ed a lot OF rot about his big trees,
how much they meant to him. and
| the utter artistic horror of running
a logging-traia thru the grove
| particularly since he PLANNED tn he-
queath it to Sequoia as a public
park.
81 will not renew your logging con
tract. That is final. young man. No
man can ride me with spurs and get
away with it."
"Oh. knew that yesterday"
Then why have you called on me
today, taking up my time on dead
\ issue 2"
II wanted to give you one final
chance to repent. ] know your plan.
| | YY0u have it 1t in your power to smash
the Cardigan Redwood Lumber COM
pany, acquire It at fifty per cent Of
Its value and merge its assets with
| Y0fif, Il ,axnfia Eararlde I4lirYfhsr com :