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Show I THE VALLEY of the GIANTS --" Hp Author of "Cappy Ricks" WM Copyright by Tf ttff B. Kyne BjjlL CHAPTEn XIV Continued. K 1& BJJIff1 For (lie space of u minute (lio innyor Mw weighed hts sou'h future us n corpora- BjB tlon attorney ngnlnst his own future In u mayor of Sequoia and Henry lost. mgji "It might be arranged, Colonel," ho Ht murmured In u low voice the voice of HI shame. mKt "It Is already arranged," the Colonel H replied cheerfully. "Lcavo your Jit ut K (ho front goto and drive home In Shir- Hw - loy's car. I'll arrange matters with k hor." He laughed shortly. "It means, Mm of courHc, that I'll havo to telegraph MB to San Francisco tomorrow mid huy EmB her a later model. Thank goodness, laH" (the has n hlrthday tomorrow I lliue n Wje! fresh cigar, mayor." Bg. Colonel Pennington hud little dlfll- NT culty In explaining the deal to Shirley, Wm who wan sleepy and not at ult Inter- II csted. The Poundstnncs had bored her M to extinction, and upon her uncle's as-ll as-ll Buranco that sho would have n new car Hfij within n week, she thanked him and K for the first tlmo retired without offer-BjR offer-BjR Ing hor check for his goodnight Mss. H Shortly thereafter the Colonel nought jra his own virtuous couch and prepared WJ t0 surrender himself to the first good Wm. filccI thrco weeks. lie laid the lint-RBjF lint-RBjF tcrlng unction to his soul Hint Bryce v. Cardigan had doutt hint a poor hand Uk' from n marked AecU and he had played mm It exceedingly well. "Lucky I blocked Kflk the young beggar from getting those JjjfW rails out of (he Laurel Creek spur," he BD mused, "or he'd have hud his Jump-9P Jump-9P croMlng in overnight and then where MMfi the flavll would I have been? Up Salt ME' crcck without a paddle nnd all the A courts In Christendom would avail me MW nothing." ML Ite was dozing off, when n sound Hw smote upon his ears. Instantly ho was Si whin awake, listening Intently, his RjHjt hena cocked on ouo side. The sound UtP Krew louder; evidently It was up- mm prodchlng Sequoia and with a bound DK ' Colonel sat up In bed, trembling f HI In every limb. Nu Suddenly, out of the deep, rumbling tjflb diapason he heard a shurp click theji wMl another and another. Ho counted KM. (hem six lu all. ' JA locomotive nnd two lint cnrsl" ho KS' murmured. "And they Juat passed over IIS the switch lending from tho miiln-IIno IlK tracks out to my log dump. That EfH means the train Is going down Water S street to tho swllch Into Cardigan's MKI yard. Ily George, they've outwitted 1 With tho agility of a boy ho aiming B Into his clothes, raced downstairs, and PJj: leaped Into Muynr I'oundstono's Jitney, IS Mnndlng In the darkness at tho front H Cato. IlL. ' CHAPTtR XV. jMf The success of Bryco Cardigan's M't I,,UI fr getting his rails down from wM 1uirol crook depended entirely upon tm the whimsy which might seize tho crew BK of tho big mogul that hauled tho last B loud of logs out of Cardigan's red Ijtj woods on Thursday nftcrtioon. ShouSd Dl tho engineer and fireman decide to ML' leave tho locomotive nt tho logging jffir camp for tho night, Ilryco's task would BaM ho as slmplo ns turning a hose down a IJW; nqulrrol hole. On tho other hnnd, Bj flhould they run buck to Sequoia with IPJ" tho engine, ho and Ogllvy faced the at- " ternatlvo of "borrowing" It from tho ?' Laguna Grnndo Lumber company's Mf,; loundhouso; nnd that operation, In Jl, flow of tho fact that Pennington's night J;- WBtchmnn would bo certain to hear the l rnglnu leaving, olTered dllllculttos. ,f " Throughout tho afternoon, after 'My having sent his orders In writing to mfci . tho woods-boss, vhv George Sea Otter Jwf (for ho dared not trust to the tele- ut phone), ho waited In his otllee for n B& telephono call from the logging camp Mf to whnt action tho euglnu crew had 1B&' token. Finally, nt a quarter of six, fif'V Curtis, his woods-boss, rung In. .jl $ "Tliey'ro staying here all night, sir," W '&? he reported. M "House them ns far from thn log , a f 'Intidlng us possible, nnd organize n ! ft tt' Kker game to keep them busy In case rjlfj they don't go to bed before eight ! o'clock," Uryco ortlered. "In tho iuciiii- B' tlmo, send u man joti can trust Jim -nnrdlng. who runs tho big bull-donkey, JBJl 'will do down to tho locomotive to ifP keep steam up until I arrive." jS Ho '" scarcely hung up, when fig Uuek Ogllvy enmo Into tho olllw. vm WellT" ho queried cuMiutly. mk' "Safo-o,' Huckl" replied Ilryce. .tCr "Nothing to do but get a bite of din- Krv ",r 0'l proceed to business." i n Buck Insisted on keeping uu engage- laf ment to dlno with Molrn, and Hryce j( agrved to call for him nt tho lion jl R Ousto restaurant. Theu Uryco went 11: fcoino to dlno with his father. Old mUt& Cardigan was happier than his son WBm . had seen him slnco the return of tho inP'J' latter to Sequnlu. Ilc'i'. "Well, sonny, I'vo had u mighty jlfflEu pleabant aftonioon." he declared as fuKfi . Bryce led him to the dinner tnble. 1'ffilh? "rve ,,oun UI' l0 ",0 Valley of tho WKf Giants." RySr' Bryce was umnzed. "Why, how 11R wulll yiil" ho donmnded. "Tho old HW . skid rout! Is Impassable, and nfter you wwm ,eave ilut tnii Qf lllc sUld r01ld tl,u s F trm" lp 0 rooll,er'8 uravo Is so ovor- I I I Brown with buckthorn and vlld lilac 1 doubt If n rabbit could got through It comfortably." "Not a bit of It," the old man replied. re-plied. "Somebody has gone to work and planked that old skid rond nnd put up n hnnd rail on each side, while the trail through the Giants has been grubbed out and smoothed over. All that old togging cnblo I abandoned In thwe chopplngs has been strung from treo to tree nlnngslde the path on both sides. I can go up there alone now. once George sets me on the old skid road: I can't get lost." "How did you discover this?" Hryoe demanded. ".ludge Moore, representing the new owner, called round this morning nnd took me In tow. He suld his client knew the property held for me n cer-tnln cer-tnln sentlmentnl value which wasn't transferred In tho deed, and so the Judge hnil been Instructed to havo tho skid road planked and the forest trail grubbed out for me. It appears that the valley Is going to bo u public pnrk, nfter all, but for the present and while I live, it Ih my private park." "This Is perfectly amazing, partner." "It's mighty comforting," his father ndmltted. "Guess the new owner must bo one of my old friends perhaps somebody I did a favor for once nnd this Is his way of repaying. I'd like to know the name of the owner. I'd like mighty well to sny thnnk you to him. It Isn't usunl for people nowadays now-adays to li.ua as much respect for sentiment In an old duffer llko mo ns the fellow has. He sort of makes mo feel as If I hadn't sold ut nil." Buck Ogllvy enmo out of the Bon Gusto restaurant with Molrn, Just ns Bryce, with Oeorgo Sen Otter nt tho wheel of the Napier, drove up to the curb. They left Molrn nt her boarding board-ing house, and rolled noiselessly nwny. At nine o'clock they arrived nt Cnrdlgnn's log landing nnd found Jim Harding, tho hull-donkey engineer, plnclcjjy smoking his pipe In tho cnb. Bryce hnlled him. "Thnt you, Jlmr "You bet." "Bun up to Jnbo Curtis' sbnnty nnd tell him we're hero. Hnvo him gather his gnng nnd bring two pnlrs of overalls und two Jumpers largo size with hint when ho comes." Presently tho woods-boss, accom-panted accom-panted by thirty of his best men, camo down to tho log landing. At Ilryco's order they clambered nbonnl the engine en-gine nnd tender, hanging on tho steps, on tho roof of tho cnb, on tho cow-cntcher cow-cntcher nnywhero they could tlnd n too-bold. Uuck Ogllvy cut off the nlr; nnd tho locomotlvo nnd tender begnn to gllda slowly down the almost Imperceptible Im-perceptible grade. With n slight click It cleared the switch and slid out onto tho Cardlgnn lateral, swiftly gathering gather-ing speed. A quarter of n mllo down the lino Iluck Ogllvy nppllcd tho brakes nnd ensed her down to twenty tulles per hour. At the Junction with tho main line Huck backed briskly up Into the Lngunda Grande woods, nnd coupled to the two loaded tint enrs. The woods gang scrambled aboard the l Surveyed Pennington Calmly. 'iMtH, nnd the train pulled out for So-.quoin. So-.quoin. Forty minutes Inter they rumbled rum-bled down Water street nnd slid to n grinding halt at tho Intersection of It street. From the darkness of Cardigan's drying yard, where they had been waiting, twenty picked men of the mill crew now emerged, benrlng lanterns lan-terns nnd tools. Under Iluck Ogllvy's direction tho dirt' promptly Siegun to tly, while the woods crew uulouded the rails and piled them close to tho sidewalk. side-walk. Suddenly , voice, harsh and strident with passion, roo above tho thud of the picks and tho clang of metal. "Who's In ehnrgo here, nnd what In blazes do you mean by cutting my tracks?" Bryco turned In tlmo to behold Col, Beth I'cnulngton leap from an nuto-mobllo nuto-mobllo und advance upon Iluck Ogllvy. Ocllvy held n lontern up to the Colonel's Colo-nel's fnco nnd surveyed Pennington calmly. "Colonel," he began with exasperating exasperat-ing politeness, "I presume you nre Colonel 1'oimlngton my namo Is Kuchnunn P. Ogllvy, nnd I urn In chnrgc of these operations. I nm the vice president nnd general manager of the N. C. 0 nnd I nm engaged In the blithe task of making n Jump crossing of your rails. Hnvo n cigar." And be thrust a perfecto under the Colonel's nose. Pennington struck It to the ground, nnd on the Instant, half a dozen rough rascals emptied their shovels over him. Ho was deluged with dirt. "Stand back, Colonel, stand back, if you plense. You're In tho way of the shnvelers," Iluck Ogllvy wnrned him soothingly. Ilryce Cardigan enmo ovor, nnd nt sight of him Pennington choked with fury. "You you " he sputtered, tin-nblo tin-nblo to sny more. "I'm tho N. C. O.." Ilryce replied. "Nice little Action thnt of yours about the switch-engine being laid up In the shops nnd tho Laurel creek bridge being be-ing unsafe for this big mogul. He looked Pennington over with frank admiration. ad-miration. "You're certainly on the Job, Colonel. I'll say that much for you." "You've stolen my engine," Pennington Penning-ton almost screamed. "I'll hnvo tho Inw on you for grand larceny." "Tut-tut! You don't know who stole your engine. For nil you know,, your own engine crow mny havo run it down hero." "I'll nttend to you, sir," Pennington replied, nnd ho turned to enter Mayor Poundstonp's llttlo flivver. "Not tonight, nt lenst," nryco retorted re-torted gently. "Having gono this fnr, I would ho a poor general to permit you to escnpo now with tho news of your discovery. You'd ho down here In nn hour with n couple of hundred members of your mill crew nnd give us tho rash. You will obllgo me, Colonel Colo-nel Pennington, by remaining exactly whero you nro until I give you permission permis-sion to depart." "And If I refuse" "Then I shall inanhandio yon. truss you up like a fowl In tho tonnenu of your enr, nnd gng you." To Ilryco's Infinite surprise tho Colonel Colo-nel smiled. "Oh. very welll" ho replied. re-plied. "I guess you'vo got tho bulge on me, young man. Do you mind If I sit In the warm cab of my own engine? en-gine? I cntne nwny In such n hurry I quite forgot my overcont." "Not nt nil. I'll sit up thero nnd keep you company." Half an hour passed. An automo-bile automo-bile came slowly up Water street and pnused hnlf n block nwny, evidently reconnolterlng tho sltuntlon. Instnnt-ly Instnnt-ly the Colonel thrust his hend out tho cnb window, "Sexton I" ho shouted. "Cnrdlgnn's cutting In u crossing. He's holding mo here ngnlnst my will. Get the mill crew together and phono for Hondeau nnd his woods-crew. Send tho switch-engine switch-engine and a couplo of flats up for them. Phono Pouudstone. Tell him to hnvo tho chief of police" Uryco Cardigan's great hand cIoed over the Colonel's neck, while down Water street n dark strcnk that was Buck Ogllvy sped toward the automobile, automo-bile, Intending to climb lu nnd make Pennington's mnnnger n prisoner nisi.-. He was too Into, however. Sexton swung his ear nnd departed at full speed down Wnter streW. leaving the disappointed Iluck to return panting to the scene of operations. Bryce Cardigan released his hold on Pennington's neck. "You win, Colonel," Colo-nel," he announced. "No good can come of holding you here any longer. Into your car and on your way." "Thank you, young mnn," the Colo-nel Colo-nel nnswered, and there was a metal-lie metal-lie ring lu his voice. Ho looked at his watch In the glare of a torch. "Plenty of time," he murmured. "Curfew "Cur-few shall not ilng tonight." Quite deliberately he climbed lutit the mayor's late source of oe and breezed away. Colonel Pennington did not at once return to his home, however. Instead he drove up to tho business center of the town. The streets wore doorted, but one snloon the Sawdust Pile-was Pile-was still open. Pennington strode through the bar nnd Into the buck room, whero n num. her of poker games were In progress. For a moment he stood, his cold, ophidian glance circling the room until un-til It came to rest on no less a per-sonngo per-sonngo than the Ilbick Minorca, an Individual with whom tho reader has already had somo slljrht acquaintance. It will bo recalled that the ninclc Mlnorcn led the futile, rush ngnlnst Uryco Cardigan thnt day In Pennington's Penning-ton's woods. Tho Colonel approached the toblo whore the Black Minorca bat thumbing; thumb-ing; tho edges of his cards, and touched tho cholo on tho Khouldor, Tho Black Mlnovca turned, nnd Pennington Pen-nington nodded to lilm to follow; whereupon tho latter ensued In his chips nnd Joined his employer on tho sidewalk. Hero a whispered conver sation ensued, nnd nt Its conclusion the lilnck Minorca nodded vigorously. "Sine!" he assured the Colonel. "I'll fix 'em good nnd plenty." Together Pennington nnd the Black Minorca entered the automobile and proceeded swiftly to the Lngunn Grande Lumber company's mill ottlce. Pi oiii n locker the Colonel produced n repeating rlllo nnd three boxes of cartridges, which he handed to the cholo, who departed without further into Into the night. Twenty minutes Inter, from the top of n lumber pile In Cardigan's drvlng Bryce Cardigan Saw the Flath of a nine. yard, Bryco Cardigan saw the flash of a rlllo and felt u sudden sting on his left forearm. Ho leaped around In front of the cowcatcher to gain tho shelter of tho engine, nnd another bullet bul-let struck at his feet nnd ricocheted off Into tho night. It wns followed by n fusillade, the bullets kicking up the freshly disturbed enrth among the workers nnd sending them scurrying to various points of safety. In nn Instant In-stant tho crossing was deserted, and work had been stopped, while from tho top of tho adjacent lumber pile tho Black Mlnorcn poured n stream of lend and filthy Invective nt every point which ho suspected of hnrborlng n Cnrdlgan follower. "I'd llko to plug him," Buck murmured. mur-mured. "Whnt would be tho use? This will be his Inst night In Humboldt county" coun-ty" A rifle shot rang out from tho sldo of B street; from the lumber pile ncross tho street, Bryco und Ogllvy heard u suppressed grant of pain, and n crash as of u breaking board. Instantly In-stantly out of tho shadows George Sen Otter camo padding on velvet feet, rlllo In hand nnd then Bryce understood. "All right, boss," snld Oeorgo simply sim-ply ns he Joined Bryco nnd Ogllvy under un-der the lee of tho locomotive. "Now wo get busy ngnln." "Snfe-o, men," Ogllvy cnlled. "Bnck to tho Job." And whllo Bryce. fol-lowed fol-lowed by the cureless George Sea Otter, Ot-ter, went Into the lumber yard to suc-cor.tho suc-cor.tho enemy. Ogllvy set an example to the men by stepping Into tho open nnd starting briskly to work with u sliovel. At the bottom of tho pile of lumber the Black .Minorca was discovered with n severe llesh wound In his right hip; nlso he was suffering from numerous bruises and contusions. George Sea Otter possessed himself of the fallen eholo's rlllo. whllo Bryco picked tho wretch up and carried him to his automobile. auto-mobile. "Take the swine over to tho Lngiinn Grande Lumber company's hospital and tell them to patch him up," he or-dered or-dered George Sea Otter. "I'll keep both rllles nnd the ammunition hero for Jules Itoiidenu and his woods gang. They'll probably bo dropping In on us about 2 a. m., If I know anything about Colonel Pennington's way of doing things." Having dispatched tho Black Minor-en Minor-en to bold mi Mm uwirt.- ,,iii ,i,,. .... rival of re-enforcoments, Colonel Pen-nlngton Pen-nlngton fnlrly burned tho streets en route to his home. He wns desirous of getting Into n henvy ulster before venturing ven-turing forth again Into the night air. Tho violent slam with which ho closed tho front door nfter him brought Shirley, lu dressing gown and slippers, to tho staircase. "Uncle Sethi" sho called. "What's the matter?" "There's tho devil to pay," "ho nnswered. nn-swered. "Thnt fellow Cnrdlgnn Is bnck of the N. C. O., after nil, and ho and Ogllvy hnvo a gang of fifty men down at tho Intersection of Wnter und B streets, cutting In n Jump-crossing of our line." Ho dashed Into tho living room, and she heard him culling frnntlcnlly Into I tho telephone. I , "At last I" sho murmured, and crept I down the stairs, pnuslng behind tho heavy portieres at the entrance to tho living room. "That you, Poundstono?" sho heard him saying rapidly Into tho transmitter. transmit-ter. "Pennington speaking. Young Bryce Cardigan Is behind that N. C. O. outfit, and It's a logging rond nnd not Intended to build through to Grunt's Pass at all. Cardigan nnd Ogllvy nre nt Wnter nnd B streets this very Instant In-stant with a gnng of fifty men cutting In n Jump-crossing of my line, curso them 1 They'll luive It In by six o'clock tomorrow morning If something Isn't done and once they get It In, the fat's In the fire. "Telephone the chief of police and order him to take his entire force down there, if necessary, and stop that work. To blares with that temporary franchise 1 You stop that work for two hours, and I'll do tho rest. Tell tho chief of pollco not to recognize that temporary franchise. He can bo suspicious of It, can't he, and refuse to let the work go on until he duds out? And you can be hard to find for two hours, cnu you not? Delay, delay, man 1 Thnt's nil I wnnt. . . . Yes, yes, I understand. You get down about daylight day-light nnd ronst the chief of police for Interfering, but In the meantime! . . . Thnnk you, Poundstono, thank you. Good-by 1" He stood nt the telephone, the receiver re-ceiver still held to his enr nnd IiIh right forefinger holding down the hook while the lino clenred. When he spoko ngnln, Shirley knew he wns calling bis mill ofllce. He got n rcsponso Immediately, Immedi-ately, notwithstanding the lateness of tho hour. "Sexton? Pennington spenklng. I've sent over the Black Mlnorcn with n rlllo and sixty rounds of ammunition. . . . What? You con hear him shooting olrendy? Bully boy with a crockery eye! He'll elenn tho gnng out und, keep them from working until the pollco arrive. You've telephoned Ilondeau, havo you? . . . Good I He'll have his men waiting at the log landing, nnd there'll be no delny. Sexton, Sex-ton, we've got to block them. It menus a loss of millions to me If we fall!" Shirley was standing In tho doorwny as he faced about from tho telephone. "Uncle Seth," sho snld quietly, "use nny lionoralilo method of defentlng Bryco Cnrdlgnn, but cull off tho Blnck Minorca. I shall hold you personally responsible for Bryco Cardigan's life, and If you fall me, I shall nover forgive for-give you." "Silly, silly glrll" ho soothed her. "Don't you know I would not stoop to bush-whacking? There's somo shooting shoot-ing going on, but Its wild shooting, Just to frighten Curdlgan and his men off the Job." "You cun't frHiten him," sho cried passionately. "You know you can't. He'll kill the Black Minorca, or tho Black Mlnorcn will kill him. Go Instantly In-stantly nnd stop It." "All right, nil right!" he said rather humbly, nnd sprung down tho front steps into the waiting cur. "I'll piny tho gnmo fnlrly, Shirley, nover fear."' Sho stood In the doorwny nnd watched tho red tnll-llght, like it mulevolent eye, dlsnppcnr down tho street. And presently ns sho stood there, down tho boulovnrd a huge gray enr enmo slipping noiselessly so noiselessly, In fnct, thnt Shirley recognized recog-nized It by thnt very quality of silence. It wns Bryco Cardigan's Napier. "George!" sho culled. "Como here." The cue slid over to tho gato and stopped nt the sight of tho slim whlto figure running down tho gnrden wnlk. "Is Mr. Cnrdlgnn hurt?" she demnnd-ed demnnd-ed In nn agony of suspense. George Sen Otter grunted comtemp-tuously. comtemp-tuously. "Nobody hurt 'cent tho Blnclc .Mlnorcn. I urn taking him to your company hospital, miss, llo tried to shoot my boss, so I shot him myself onco through tho leg. Now my boss snys: 'Tnko him to tho Lngunn Graudo hospital, George. Me, I would drop this greaser lu tho bay If I was tho boss." She laughed hysterically. "On your wiiy back from tho hospltnl stop nnd pick me up, George," she ordered. He touched his broad hat, and sho returned to tho house to dress. Meanwhile Colonel Pennington hnd reached tho erosslm? nnn mum ui... ultnneously with tho arrival of Sam Perkins, the chief of police, accom-pnnled accom-pnnled by two automobiles crammed with patrolmen. Perkins strutted up to Bryco Cnrdlgnn nnd Buck Ogllvy. "Whnt's tho meaning of nil this row, Mr. Cnrdlgnn?" he demnnded. "Something has slipped. Sam," Bryco retorted pleasantly, "You've been calling me Bryco fnr tho past twenty years, und now you're mistering mister-ing me! Tho nieunlng of this row, you nsk?" Bryco continued. "Well, I'm engnged In making n Jump cross-Ing cross-Ing of Colonel Pennington's trucks, under a temporary frnnchlso granted mo by tho city council of Sequoia. Hero's tho franchise." And ho thrust the document under tho pollco clilers nose, (TO I)K CONTINUED.) |