Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-11-26

safer in my possession than in my
unele's. In all probability he would
have logged this valley for the sake
Of the clear seventy-two-inch boards
he could get from these trees"
That does not explain satisfactor-
lily, to me. why you took sides with
stranger against your own kim" John
Cardigan persisted. There must be
deeper and more potent reason,
Miss Shirley Sumner"
"Well." Shirley made answer. glad
he could not see the flush of confusion
and embarrassment that crimsoned
her cheek, "when / came to SeQuoia
last May. your son and l met. quite
accidentally. The stage to Sequoia
had already gone, and he was gracious
enough to invite me TO make the jour
ney In his car. Then we recalled hav-
| ing met as children. and presently
| gathered from his conversation that he
and his John-partner as he called you,
were very dear to each other. ] was
witness to your meeting that night
| l saw him take you In his big arms
and hold you ti@t because you'd
! gone blind while he was away having
/ a good time. And you hadn't .old
| hint I thought that was brave of
you; and later. when Bryce and MORA
McTavish told me about you--how
| kind you were, how you felt your
responsibility toward your employees
and the community-well, l just
couldn't help leaning toward John
partner and John-partners boy, be-
cause the boy was SO fine and true to
his fathers ideals"
"Ah. he's man. He is indeed" old
John Cardigan murmured proudly. II
dare say you'll never get to know him
intimately, but If you should"
II know him intimately" she cor
rected him. "He saved my life the
day the log-train ran away. And that
was another reason. / owed him a
debt, and so did my uncle: but Uncle
wouldn't pay his share, and / had to
pay for him."
wonderful" murmured John Cardi-
| gan, wonderful But still you haven't
told me why you paid a hundred
! thousand dollars for the Giants when
! you could have bought them for fifty
| thousand. You had a woman's reason,
l dare say, and women always reason
! from the heart, never the head. How
ever If you do not care to tell me, /
shall not insist. Perhaps l have APP
peared unduly inquisitive."
81 would rather not tell you" she
answered.
A gentle, president smile fringed his
old mouth he wagged his leonine head
as is to say: why should / ask,
when I known. Fell again a restful
silence. Then:
Am l allowed one guess, Miss
Shirley Sumner?"
Eyes, but you would never guess the
reason"
II am a very wise old man. When
/ one sits in the dark, one sees much
that was hidden from him In the fun
glare of the light. My son is proud.
/ menly, independent, and the soul of
| honor. He needed a hundred thousand
dollars you knew it. Probably your
uncle Informed you. You wanted to
loan him some money, but--you
couldn't. You feared to offend him by
proffering it; had you proffered it, he
/ would have declined It. SO you
bought my Valley Of the Giants st
a preposterous price and kept your
action a secret" And he patted her
hand gently, as If to silence any denial,
while far down the skid-road voice
| a half-trained baritone-floated faint
| ~ to them through the forest some
body was singing-or rather chanting
Ia singularly tuneless refrain, wild
and barbaric.
"What is that?' Shirley cried.
"rhat is my son, coming TO fetch
| his old daddy bome," replied John
! Cardigan. THAT thing he's bowling is
| an Indian war-song or paean Of
| misunderstanding his nurse taught
! him when he wore plnsfores. If you'll
excuse me, Miss Shirley Sumner. TIL
leave you now. / generally contriye
to meet him On the trail"
He babe her gocd-bye and started
down the trail, his stick tapping
against the old logging-cable stretched
from tree to tree beside the trail aad
marking It.
Shirley was tremendously relieved
She did not wish to meet Bryce Cardi-
gan to-day, and she was distinctly
grateful 10 John Cardigan for his nice
consideration n sparing her an inter-
view. She seated herself I'm the Inn.
ber-jack's easy-chair so lately vacated.
and chin In hand gave herself up to
meditation on this extraordinary old
man and his extraordinary son.
A couple Of hundred yards down the
trail Bryce met his father. Hello
John Cardigan" he called. "What do
you mean by sEallyhooting through
these woods without pilot7 En-
Explain your reckless conduct"
"You great overgrown. dufTer," his
father retorted affectionately. 81