topics scant attention—­formed the habit of expatiating at great length on the latter.  Moira described Bryce in minute detail and related to her eager auditor little unconscious daily acts of kindness, thoughtfulness, or humour performed by Bryce—­his devotion to his father, his idealistic attitude toward the Cardigan employees, his ability, his industry, the wonderful care he bestowed upon his fingernails, his marvellous taste in neckwear, the boyishness of his lighter and the mannishness of his serious moments.  And presently, little by little, Shirley’s resentment against him faded, and in her heart was born a great wistfulness bred of the hope that some day she would meet Bryce Cardigan on the street and that he would pause, lift his hat, smile at her his compelling smile and, forthwith proceed to bully her into being friendly and forgiving—­browbeat her into admitting her change of heart and glorying in it.

To this remarkable state of mind had Shirley Sumner attained at the time old John Cardigan, leading his last little trump in a vain hope that it would enable him to take the odd trick in the huge game he had played for fifty years, decided to sell his Valley of the Giants.

Shortly after joining her uncle in Sequoia, Shirley had learned from the Colonel the history of old man Cardigan and his Valley of the Giants, or as the townspeople called it, Cardigan’s Redwoods.  Therefore she was familiar with its importance to the assets of the Laguna Grande Lumber Company, since, while that quarter-section remained the property of John Cardigan, two thousand five hundred acres of splendid timber owned by the former were rendered inaccessible.  Her uncle had explained to her that ultimately this would mean the tying up of some two million dollars, and inasmuch as the Colonel never figured less than five per cent. return on anything, he was in this instance facing a net loss of one hundred thousand dollars for each year obstinate John Cardigan persisted in retaining that quarter-section.

“I’d gladly give him a hundred thousand for that miserable little dab of timber and let him keep a couple of acres surrounding his wife’s grave, if the old fool would only listen to reason,” the Colonel had complained bitterly to her.  “I’ve offered him that price a score of times, and he tells me blandly the property isn’t for sale.  Well, he who laughs last laughs best, and if I can’t get that quarter-section by paying more than ten times what it’s worth in the open market, I’ll get it some other way, if it costs me a million.”

“How?” Shirley had queried at the time.

“Never mind, my dear,” he had answered darkly.  “You wouldn’t understand the procedure if I told you.  I’ll have to run all around Robin Hood’s barn and put up a deal of money, one way or another, but in the end I’ll get it all back with interest—­and Cardigan’s Redwoods!  The old man can’t last forever, and what with his fool methods of doing business, he’s about broke, anyhow.  I expect to do business with his executor or his receiver within a year.”