He struck an
attitude and demanded:
"Boss, what do you think of my new suit?"
"You lunatic! Don't you know red blonds should never wear light
shades? You're dressed like a Negro minstrel."
"Well, I feel as happy as an end-man. And by the way, you're all
chirked up yourself. Who's been helping you to the elixir of life.
When we parted last night, you were forty fathoms deep in the slough
of despond."
"No less a divinity than Miss Shirley Sumner! She called this morning
to explain that last night's fiasco was none of her making, and quite
innocently she imparted the information that old Pennington lighted
out for San Francisco at one o'clock this morning. Wherefore I laugh.
Te-he! Ha-hah!"
"Three long, loud raucous cheers for Uncle. He's gone to rush a
restraining order through the United States District Court. Wonder
why he didn't wire his attorneys to attend to the matter for him."
"He has the crossing blocked, and inasmuch as the Mayor feeds out of
Pennington's hand, the Colonel is quite confident that said crossing
will remain blocked, As for the restraining order--well, if one wants
a thing well done, one should do it oneself."
"All that doesn't explain your cheerful attitude, though."
"Oh, but it does. I've told you about old Duncan McTavish, Moira's
father, haven't I?" Ogilvy nodded, and Bryce continued: "When I fired
the old scoundrel for boozing, it almost broke his heart; he had to
leave Humboldt, where everybody knew him, so he wandered down into
Mendocino County and got a job sticking lumber in the drying-yard of
the Willits Lumber Company.
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