The Mena weekly star., 1921-02-24

i AN" tiVfh EtHiiN away.
 I've waited too long sweetheart ~
 he murmured. "Thank God. I can tee
 you at last all the things that bap
 been accommodating in my heart low
 you Shirley I've loved you from that
 nrst day we met at the station and : all these months of strife and renres-
 sion have merely served to make me
 love you the more, Perhaps you have ! been all the dearer to me because you
 seemed so hopelessly unattainable
 He drew her head down on his
 breast; his great hand patted her hot
 cheek :; his honest brown eyes gazed
 earnestly wistfully into hers. "I love
 you" he whispered. "All that have
 all that I am-all that I hope for-I
 offer to you, Shirley Sumner: and in
 the shrine of my heart shall hold you sacred while life shall last. You are
 not indifferent to me. dear. know
 you're not; but tell me-answer me"
 Her violet eyes were uplifted to his
 and In them he read the answer to hie
 cry. "Ah may T?" he murnured and
 kissed her.
 Oh my dear. impusive, gentle big sweetheart" she whispered-and then
 her arms went around his neck. and
 the fuilness of her happiness found vent in tears he did not seek to have ! her repress. In the safe haven Of his arms she rested and there quite
 without effort or distress. she managed
 to convey to him something more than
 an inkling of the thoughts that were
 wont 10 come to her whenever they met.
 "Oh my love !" he cried happily. "I hadn't dared dream of such happiness until today. You were SO unattain
 able-ihe obstacles between us wert SD many and so great'
 "Vhy today Brycef" she interrupt
 ed him.
 He took her adorable little nose in his great thnmb and forefnger and
 twoaked if gently, "The lighi began
 to dawn yesterday my dear little en- emy. following an interesting half hour which put ln with his honor the
 mayor. Acting upon suspicion only
 l told Tombstone was prepared to
 send him to the rock pile if he didn't behave himself in the matter of my prrranent franchise for the N. c. o. and he oily old invcrtehrate wept and l'roaised me anything if wouldn't disgrace him. So promised I wouldn' do anything urii the franchise mat ter should ho definitely settled after 1 which l returned to my office to find awaiting me there 10 less a person than Inc rightof-way man for tho Northwestern Pacific. He was a per fectly delightfu young fellow. and he had a proposition to unfold. It seems the Northwestern Pacific has decided to build up from Wfllits. and all thal powwow and publicity of Buck Ogil- vy's about the N. C. C. was in all probability the very thing that spurred them to action. They figured the c. NJ. X St r. was back of the N. C. O. that it was to be the first link in 6 chain Of coast roads to be connect q ultimately with the terminus of the
 ( N. x St. r. on Gray's Harbor. Wash ington. And if the N. c. 0. should he huil il meant that rival road woull
 get the edge on them in the matter
 of every stick of Humboldt and Del
 Norte redwood-and they'd be left
 holding the sack"
 "Why did they think that, dearf That amazing rascal. Buck Ogilvy used to be c. Nj. & St. P. man; they thought they traced an analogy. l dare
 say. Perhaps Buck tibbed to them. At any rate this right-of-way man was mighty anxious to knew whether or
 not the N, c. 0. had purchased from the Cardigan Redwood Lumber com pany site for 8 terminus on tide water (we control all the deep-water frontage on the bayl, and when I told him the des had not yet been closed
 he started to close one with me"
 'Dld you close?."
 My dear girl. will duck swim?
 or course I closed sold three-quar-
 ters of ail we had, for three-quarters of a million dollars. and an hour ago I received a wire from my attorney In
 San Francisco informing me that the
 money had been deposited in escrow
 there awaiting formal deed. That
 money puts the Cardigan Redwood Lumber company in the clear--no re-
 celvership for us now my dear one. And I'm going right ahead with the building of the N. c. O.-while our
 holdings down on the San Hedrin double in value. for the reason that
 within three years they will be acces- sible and can be logged over the rails
 of the Northwestern Pacifcw
 Bryce" Shirley declared, haven't I always told you I'd never hermit you to build the N c. O."
 "Of course" he replied, "but surely you're going to withdraw your objec- tious now"
 ''l am not. You must choose he tween the N. c. O. and me And she met his surprised gaze unflnchtngiy "Shirleyi You don't mean it?' q do mean it. have always meant 1t. love you. dear but for all that
 you must not build that road" He stood up and lowered above her sternly. "I must build it. Shirley. I've contracted to do if. and I must keep faith with Gregory of the Trinidad Timber company He's putting up the money. and I'm to do the work and operate the line. l can't go back on him now"