"
"If that is so, and Rondeau felled that tree--I do not believe he
did--I am sincerely sorry, Cardigan, Name your price and I will pay
you for the tree. I do not desire any trouble to develop over this
affair."
"You can't pay for that tree," Bryce burst forth. "No pitiful human
being can pay in dollars and cents for the wanton destruction of
God's handiwork. You wanted that burl and when my father was blind
and could no longer make his Sunday pilgrimage up to that grove, your
woods-boss went up and stole that which you knew you could not buy."
"That will be about all from you, young man. Get out of my office.
And by the way, forget that you have met my niece."
"It's your office--so I'll get out. As for your second command"--he
snapped his fingers in Pennington's face--"fooey!"
When Bryce had gone, the Colonel hurriedly called his logging-camp on
the telephone and asked for Jules Rondeau, only to be informed, by
the timekeeper who answered the telephone, that Rondeau was up in the
green timber with the choppers and could not be gotten to the
telephone in less than two hours.
"Do not send for him, then," Pennington commanded. "I'm coming up on
the eleven-fifteen train and will talk to him when he comes in for
his lunch."
At eleven o'clock, and just as the Colonel was leaving to board the
eleven-fifteen logging-train bound empty for the woods, Shirley
Sumner made her appearance in his office.
Pages:
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144