Cleveland County herald., 1920-08-26

his telegram, it might help me to get in right with J. r. M. at the start, his hopeful suggested.
 Guarantee tl' his father shouted t'Guarantee it! We'll I should snckeri We'll just show J. P NJ. and his crowd that they made no mistake when they picked you as tEeir Sequoia legal rep resentative. I'll call a special meeting of that little old city council of mine and jam that temporary franchise through while you'd be saying 'Jacll Robinson r"
 He carefully made copy of the telegram
 "H-m !" he grunted "Wants to cross Water street at B and build out Front street. Well, I dare say nobody will Kick over the traces at that. Nothing but warehouses and lumber-drying yards along there, anyhow. Still come to think of It Pennington will probably raise howl about sparks from the engines of the N. c. o. setting his lumber piles afire.'
 Hell be dead against it." Henry de- clared. q know, because at the We'd nesday meeting of the Lumber Manu facturers' association the subject of the N. c. o. came up and Pennington naaAe a talk against it. He said the N. c. O. ought to be discouraged, if 1t was a legitimate enterprise, which he doubted, because the most feasible and natural route for a road would be from Willits. Mendocino county, north to Sequoia. I tell you he's dead set against it."
 ''Then we won't tell him anything about it, Henry. We'll just pull off this special session of the council and forget to invite the reporters; after the job has been put over, Pennington can come around and howl all he wants. We're not letting a chance like this slip by us without grabbing a handful of the tail-feathers, Henry. No, sir-not if we know it."
 "You bet." said Henry earnestly.
 At eleven-thirty Thursday morning, young Henry Tombstone, having work ed the greater part of the previous night preparing the deeds, delivered both deeds and franchise to Buck Ogilvy at the latter's hotel. It was with difficulty that the latter could conceal his tremendous amazement when Henry casually handed him the | franchise. True, he had slipped that fake telegram among the contracts as bait for Henry and his father, but his 1 fcndest hope, at the time he conceived 1 would show the telegram to his father and thus inculcate in the old gentle | man friendly feeling toward the N c. o. not unmixed with pleasurable | anticipations of the day when Henry Tombstone junior, should be one of the most highly prized members of the legal staff of publsc-service corpora tiOn.
 When he could control his emotions, Mir. Ogilvy gazed approvingly upon Henry Tombstone. sMr. Tombstone, {" he said solemnly, "I have met some meteoric young attorneys in my day, but you're the first genuine comet l have seen in the legal Armament. Do you mind telling me exactly how you procured this franchise-and why you procured it without explicit orders 1 from mel"
 Henry did his best to look puzzled
 Why" he said you left that tele- gram with me, and I concluded that you regarded it as self-eXplanatory or 1 else had forgotten to mention it. knew you were busy, and didn't want l to bother you with details. so I just went ahead and filled that order for you. Anything wrong about that?"
 "Certainly not. It's perfectly won- derfuI. But how did you put it over?" Henry smirked. My dads the engi- neer," he said bluntly. If thirty days nn't enough time, see me and I'll get you thirty days more. And in the meantime nobody knows thing about tlis little deal. I figured Colonel Pen nington might try to hlock you at that crossing, so r."
 Buck Ogilvy extended his hand in benediction and let it drop on Henry Poundstone's thin shoulder.
 My dear Tombstone" he said ear nestly, T am not man to forget clever work. At the proper time I shall" He smiled his radiant smile. You understand, of course. that I am speaking for myself and can make you no firm premises. However," He smiled again. All I have to say is that you'll do!'
 "Thank you," said Henry Pound stone, 1T. ".rhank you ever so much'
 
 An experience extending over very active business career of thirty years had convinced Col. Seth Pennington of the futility of wracking his brai.Is in vain speculation over mysteries When. therefore. the Northern Califor- nia Oregon railroad commenced to encroacl on the Colonefs t.me-appro- priation for sleep. he realized that there was but one way in which to