The Washington times., 1938-02-19

Old Diomede whirled on thu
stump Of his right leg and jerkec
the pipe out of his mouth. The
rese blazed an indignant glance al
Townsend.
You don't mean it," Diomede
exclaimed.
Its a shame" Therese cried
"Old Sentinel has stood up there
on the Painted Ridge-my good
neSs!-three or four thousand
years, they say. How can they dc
it?"
"Superintendents ord s."
Townsend proceeded. And added
with a significant look at the only
silent one of the quartet on the
veranda: And I'm the guy that
has to do the job"
In other words" Dan Turner
remarked, you're the fall guy"
ThereSe laughed. AS punS go, it
wasn't such a bad one. For Town.
send was number one faller of the
Columbia Pine and Redwood Co.,
q top hand at the highest paid
craft in the woods save one, the
high-riggers.
You and me both" Townsend
retorted. las long as the super has
showed YOU off on me for a
helper"
A faller has the responsibility
Of telling the gigantic monarchs
of the forest, gauging the direction
of their drop so that their huge
boles crash earthward exactly as
he desires them to do, for should
he miScalculate there is always the
danger that one of the 500-ton
monsters may carry devastation
and death in its roaring descent
II certainly never asked for the
job," Turner said.
And I never asked for you,'
Townsend snapped back. "a fall
er's helper ought to be a woods
man instead of a greenhorn."
LILY WHITE HANDS
"Now, Ed" Diomede cut in. 81
wouldn't hardly take Dan for q
greenhorn. He's been in the woods
before like told you"
"Oh, yeah?" Townsend sneered
"How long ago? Look at them
lily.white hands of his. Why
StumpS, d'you know what he does?
Puts on a pair O. gloves to swing
the AK"
Townsend glared at both Tur
ner and Therese, watching the girl
for the effect his words might
have. A direct chap. Townsend
with a one-track mind and not toe
scrupulous conscience. He might
have been more tolerant of Turner
If Diomede'S daughter had moi
shown such a marked preference
for Turner'S company over hi!
own,
That puzzled him. His expert
ence had been that a girl of thu
woods learns to admire a man o1
the woods.
He might have been less puz
Zled If he'd known more about
Dan Turner. For Dan, too, hac
been brought up in the woods
up in the spruce and fir country
OF Northern Oregon, true, where
there were no giant redwoods and
pines awaiting the destruction
called civilization.
And it was there that he hao
known Diomede and dandled lit
tie ThereSe on his knee when she
was a youngster and he just out
OF his teens. He left the woods
and lived in the cities until the
imperious call of the majestic for
estS summoned him back.
There's more" said Oar
shortly, ito being a woodsmar
than having hands like the undel
side of an elephants hoof. Come
on, Therese, We'll be missing the
movie in the village"
Driving home Therese was
thoughtful.
whats worrying you, honey?'
Dan Turner wanted to know.
ME? Oh. I'm not worried,
she answered, too quickly. CT
was just thinking. about yol
and Ed. and Old Sentinel. Dan
I'm going to miss Old Sentinel
really I am. Why, it seems tt
me that ever since dad brought
me here after mother died Ole
Sentinel is the first thing I've
seen after I open my eyes il
the morning. And now he's go
ing to be chopped down. It's
its like losing an old friend"
Dan was silent awhile, too
Then he said: It know, darling
I feel that way about the big red
woods, too. AS if they were al
friends. But we've got to b.
sensible.
We've got to remember tina
out in the big world houses havC
to be built, railroads must be laic
down, civilization must go on.
Destruction is the law of life
Something has to be destroyed S,
that something else may live.
And Old Sentinel is going to b.
a tough nut to crack. He's &C
ing to make some splash"
Therese shivered and snugglet
closer.
"I feel kind Of afraid" sh
whispered.
Old Sentinel stood naked an,
alone at the highest point of
lofty ridge.