The Adair County news., 1921-04-27

ppm the Caguna Grande Lumber Com
pany."
with his stick and dreaming dreams
which for the first time in many years
were rose-tinted. Beside him Shirley
sat, her glance bent musingly out
across the roofs of Sequoia and on to
the bay shore, where the smoke and
exhaust steam floated up from two
sawmills-her own and Bryce Cardi-
CAMS. To her came at regularly spaced
intervals the faint whining of the saws
and the rumble of log trains crawling
out of the log dumps; high over the
piles of bright, freshly sawn lumber
she caught from time to time the flash
of white spray as the great logs tossed
from the trucks hurtled down the
skids and crashed into the bay. At
the docks of both mills vessels were
loading, their tall spars cutting the
sky line above and beyond the smoke
stacks; far down the bay a steam
schooner, loaded until her main deck
was almost flush with the water, was
putting out to sea, and Shirley heard
the faint echo of her siren as she
whistled her intention to pass to star
board of wind TANNER inward bound
in tow of Cardigan tug.
"It's wonderful" she said presently
apropOs of nothing.
"Aye," he replied in his deep. melo-
dious voice, I've been sitting here, my
dear, listening to your thoughts. You
know something, now, of the tie that
binds my boy to Sequoia. This"-he
waved his arm abroad in the dark
ness-"this is the true essence of life
to create, to develop the gifts that
God has given us-to work and know
the blessing of wearineSS-to have
dreams and see them come true. That
is life, and I have lived. And now
am ready to rest" He smiled visit
fully. 1.-The king is dead. Long live
the king l wonder if you, raised as
you have been, can face life in SequOia
resolutely with my son. 1t is a dull
drab sawmill town, where life unfolds
gradually without thrill-where the
years stretch ahead of one with only
trees, among simple folk. The life
may be hard on you, Shirley; one has
to acquire a taste for it, you know"
81 have known the lit of battle,
JOhn-partner," she answered; "hence
1 think can enjoy the sweets of vic
tory. I am content"
"And what run you did give that
boy Bryce!"
She laughed softly. 81 wanted him
to fight; had great curiosity to see
the stuff that was in him." she ex-
planned.
Next day Bryce Cardigan, riding the
top log on the end truck of a long
train just in from Cardigan's woods
in Township Nine, dropped from the
end of the log as the train crawled
through the mill yard on its way to
the log dump. He hailed Buck Ogilvy.
where the latter stood in the door of
the Office.
big doings up on Little Laurel
creek this morning, Buck"
do tell" Mr.. Ogilvy murmured
morosely.
"It was great" Bryce continued.
"Old Duncan McTavish returned. |
knew he would. His year on the
mourner's bench expired yesterday,
and he came back to claim his old job
of woods boss"
Hes one year too late" Ogilvy de-
clared 81 wouldn't let that big Cana
dian Jules Rondeau quit for a farm.
Some woods boss, that-and his first
Job with this company was the dirtiest
you could hand him-smearing grease
on the skid road at dollar and a half
day and found. He's made too good
to lose out now. don't care what his
private morals may be. He can get
out the logs, hang his rascally hide,
and I'm for him."
"Pm' afraid you haven't anything to
say about it, Buck" Bryce replied
dryly.
II haven't Ell? Well, any time you
deny me the privilege of hiring and
firing you're going to be out the serv-
ice of rafting good general mana
ger, my son. Yes, sir! If you hold
me responsible for results 1 must Sc
lect the tools want to work with"
"Oh, very WELL" Bryce laughed.
"Have it your own way. Only if you
can drive Duncan McTavish out of
Cardigan's woods I'd like to see you
do 1t. Possession is nine points Of
the law, Buck-and Old Duncan is in
possession"
"What do you mean-in possession"
II mean that at ten o'clock this
morning Duncan McTavish appeared
at our log landing. The whisky fat
was all gone from him and he ap-
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