NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE,
9
.By VICTOR ROUSSEAU
Illustrations by Irwin Myers
(Copyright, 1010, by Gcorgo n. Dornn Co.)
Q9
'F-
BUSINESS AND. ROMANCE
"Wooden 8poll" Is tho story of an American's lively adventures In
the- Canadian woods. He falls heir to a hundred square miles of forest
and a lumbering business. Upon taking possession he finds that he has
also Inherited trouble. Being young and two-fisted, he welcomes the
trouble, objects to being run out of the country and goes to work.
Doubtless the Seigneur's altogether adorable daughter has something to
do with his decision.
Love, Jealousy, loyalty, treachery all the passions of a primitive,
red-blooded people flguro In this stirring tale. Strikes, adventure,
fighting, hardships action crowds every chapter.
A manly hero, a lovable heroine, a real iove and a happy ending
it's a good story from start to finish.
CHAPTER I.
The Rosny White Elephant
Tho office In Quebec which Georges
iLnmnrtlne, the notary, occupied was
located Inconspicuously In n Btnnll
jbulldlng In nn old pnrt of the Lower
Town. Small, wiry, binck-halred,
with an nlr of unconvincing plnuslbll
11 ty about him, Monsieur Lnmurtlne
was seated at his desk, drumming his
'.Angers, staring out of tho window, and
turning ngaln to look at a letter signed
Hilary Askew, when his boy brought
him a card with tho same nnmo upon
it. Monsieur Lntnnrtlno frowned.
"Tell Monsieur Askew Mint I am
busy with an important court case,"
ho said. "Ask him to call at this time
tomorrow."
"Mr. Askow says he's busy, too, and
taa'U wait," announced Mao boy, return
ing. Tho notary considered. "Well, tell
him I'll sco him in n fow minutes," ho
answered.
When tho boy was gono ho took
down tho telephone receiver and gave
a number.
"Is that you, Broussenu?" ho nrfked.
"Monsieur Hilary Askew lias turned
up."
Thcro was a Bputtorlng at tho other
end of Mio lino which made the notary
smile.
"I can't say. I haven't seen him
yet," said Monsieur Lamartlno, In an
swer. "But If I can't send him homo
wlMi a srallo on his lips nnd n check
In his pocket I shall try to keep him
In Quebec until I havo seen you. And
you'd better try to got Morris by long
distance and warn him. Good-by."
' Ho hung up tho receiver, rang for
tho boy nnd told him to admit Mr.
Askow. Then ho roso to rcccivo his
visitor.
Ho looked at Hllnry keenly ns ho
hook hands with him. Tho young man
was different from what ho had ex
pected. Ho was about as big, and ho
had tho samo nlr of American energy ;
but ho appeared moro determined, ho
looked like ono of those uncomfortable
nion who havo tho knnck of disentan
gling themselves from sophistries.
Howovcr, Hilary looked good-natured.
'And ho was certainly Inexperienced.
(Monsieur Lamartlno gnvo him a chair
and looked very plauslblo Indeed.
"Tour visit has followed Very closo
upon your letter, Mr. Askew," ho said.
"Porhaps you did not get mine, advis
ing you to wait before coming to Que
bec?" "No," said Hilary, "but I would hnvo
como anyway. I want to get this mat
nste settled."
"Tho American hasto," said tho no
tary, looking almost Ingenuous. "But
tho law is not to bo taken by storm,
least of nil In Quebec. It Is only a
month slnco your undo dlod. Perhaps
It will bo months before wo can turn
ovor tho property to you. I under
stand Mint you wero not In close touch
with your undo during his latter
years?"
"I hadn't seen him since I wns aboy.
That was what mndo tho legacy a sur
prising ono. Ho had not Bhown any
Interest in mo. I had a hard fight to
set through my forestry course So
when I heard that I had become tho
owner of a tract of n hundred square
miles it seemed llko nn intervention of
Provldonco. That is almost a king
dom, sir."
"Ten miles by ten?" Inquired tho
notary, smiling. "Well, I suppose it
docs seem a lnrgo territory to you, al
though tho Rosny seigniory wns ono of
tho smallest of tho old feudul grants.
It is nlmost tho last on tho north sfioro
of tho St. Lnwrenco that remains in
the hands of the orlglnul family."
"Four hundred thousand dollars
eocms a big sum for my undo to hnvo
paid for It," Bald Hilary.
"Your undo," said Monsieur Lumnr
tino, beginning to drum softly, "mado
this Investment against the ndvico of
a good many people. Tho Rosiiy tim
ber rights uro practically valueless, bc
teuuso tho wood is principally balsam
fir Instead of plno and spruce."
no noted that Hilary only watched
him Instead of answering, and ho be
gun to feel Mint he would not bo dis
posed of ns cnslly as ho had antici
pated. "Tho property has never begun to
pny Its wuy," continued Monsieur La
tnurtlne. "Your undo puld three hun
dred and fifty thousaud for tho cutting
rights alone. Ho found himself up
ngalnst tho law which places u limit
on the slzo of trees. Seven Inches for
black, or swamp spruce, I bcllovo;
- -
iwuivu lor wimo spruce; twelve or
thirteen for pine. And nenrly nil tho
trees on tho Itosny limits Mint aren't
.....1 j .
fir nro under the legal size. Your un
cle sank hnlf his fortuno In it. He
was excuse me eccentric. This Is
tho case: tho timber cannot be cut
except nt a loss, on account of Its
spnrseness nnd tho high costiof trans
portation. The bnlsum fir Is too gum
my to make any but Inferior pnper, be
low tho standard even of tho newspa
pers. It occupies tho greuter portion
of tho trnct, together with second
growth birch, which Is, of course, of
uso only for firewood. Tho expenses
nre very considerable. In short, Mr.
Askew, I ennnot ndvlso you to consid
er your uncle's legacy seriously."
"I'm sorry to hcnrthnt," nnswered
Hilary. "But I suppose something can
bo done with tho wood. There nro
uses besides pulp-wood to which the
timber enn bo put?"
Monsieur Lamartlno drummed his
fingers for quite u while- boforo an
swering. "A company with a large capital
might find It commercially profitable
to develop your truct," ho said pres
ently. "But no man without an omplo
fortuno and a thorough knowledge of
lumber conditions In this province
could dream of pulling out even."
Hilary leaned forwnrd In his chair.
"Monsieur Lnmurtlne," ho said, "111
tell you how I vlow this matter. I
didn't build any extravagant hones
upon my uncle's legucy. I'm not con
structed Mint way. What I want prln-
clpnlly Is to settle somcwhero among
trees nnd do something with them. I'm
tired of whut I'vo been doing theso
past flvo yeurs.
"I'm tired of hunting n Job hero and
n Job Micro to tend somebody else's
trees. I'm tired of other people's trees.
I want my own trees. I want to see
them grow up, and thin them out, and
hnvo a real forest In bearing.
"So I'vo decided to tnko hold of Mint
St. Bonlfaco tract nnd see whnt I enn
mnko of It. I'm going to bIiow my un
cle, Monsieur Lumnrtlne, Mint ho sized
mo up wrong."
Monsieur Lamartlno smiled nt bis
caller's frankness.
"I undorstnnd how you feel, Mr. As
kew," ho said. "Whnt you wnnt is n
nico Httlo tract of a fow hundred
acres, not far from Quebec. A plnco
with a llttlo trout lake on It, to build
your enmp beside, ten acres freehold
und tho rest leased. You'll enjoy Mint,
nnd" ho paused and scrutinized him
with his fox look "I think I mny bo
nblo to disposo of tho Rosny whlto ele
phnnt for you."
Hllnry returned no nnswer, nnd
Monsieur Lamartlno could not dccldo
whether It wub a Blgn of strength or
Monsieur Lamartlne Could Not De
cide Whether It Was a Sign of
Strength or Weakness.
of weakness. Still ho was sure that u
man who loved trees npurt from their
commercial value was a dreamer and
unpractical.
"They would pay forty-flvo thousand
dollars, cash," said tho notary. "And
that would enable you to renllzo your
own usplrutlons. You nro fond of fish
ing, Mr. Askow? Think It over. Spend
a week here two weeks. Look about
you. Inspect our tlno old city. Do vou
know wo are tho only wulled city on
this continent?"
Ho stopped ; perhaps ho saw Hilary
redden, perhaps his Instinct warned
him to do so.
"Whnt I wunt," snld Hllnry, "is Mic
uosny trnct."
"Tho offer Is too smnll? I doubt"
"I will discuss that after I havo seen
tho concession."
Tho notary sighed. "Well, at least
think the matter over for u while," he
ruiu. "Mr. Morris, tho manager, Is
away on business. Ho should bo In
Quebec tomorrow, nnd perhaps ho can
urrnngo to take you up there."
"I am thinking of going nt n very
enrly date," said Hllnry, "in fact, by
the boat tomorrow."
"Mr. Askew, I assure you, you hud
better wait for Mr. Morris. Ho is a
mon of expert Judgment. You cannot
havo a better adviser, und ho has abso
lutely no personal Interest ono way or
nnothcr. There uro so many things to
consider; and Mien you don't speak
French, do you?"
"A little."
"It would not help you, anyway,
The dialect up at St. Boniface is seven
teenth century. They aro u wild lot
up there, a very had lot of people;
smugglers and ponchors, Mr. Askew."
Hilary, who had ulready sensed Ln-
mnrtlno's objection to his going to St.
Bonlfaco, awakened to suspicion nt
lost. "1 shnll leave on tomorrow morn
ing's bont," ho said. "When I have
mado my decision I shnll let you know.
I think I shall refuse your compnny's
offer. Will you let me hnvo tho pn
pers, Monsieur Lamartlne, Including
tho Inst hnlf-yenriy statement and the
mnp of the limits?"
"But It Is entirely lrregulnr, Mr. As
kew. Really"
"Let me havo the papers, please,"
snld Hilary, smiling. "And you need
have no fear that you will be held re
sponsible for my anticipating my In
heritance. I lmnglne I hnvo ns much
right there as Mr. Morris."
"Of course, If that Is your decision,
there Is nothing more to say," an
swered the other brusquely. Ho
pulled out a drawer and removed an
envelope containing somo documents.
"You will find the stntement hero," he
snld. "Mr. Morris hns the books and
tho mnp of St. Bonlfaco. I wish von
a pleasant Journey, sir. You wish mo
to continue to represent you?"
"For tho present, yes. Good-day."
When he was gono Monsieur Lnmnr
tlne sat back In his chair and drummed
his lingers for nenrly a minute. Then
ho called up Brousseau.
"He's Just gone," ho snld. "And ho
stnrts for St. Boniface tomorrow morn
ing, In spite of nil my representn
Mons." Ho smiled nt the sputtering that
enmo over tho wire.
It was well Into the afternoon when
Hilary reached St. Boniface on the
small trl-weekly mall boat. For fifty
or sixty miles below Qupbec the coun
try, spnrscly Inhabited though It Is.
and primitive, contains settlements
with shingled houses, hotels, tourists
In season ; nnd It wns not until the St.
Lnwrenco widened Into the Gulf Mint
Hllnry renllzed, nlmost with surprise,
tnnt the ship was sailing into a terri
tory ns primitive ns It had been a score
of yeurs after Jacques Cnrtler landed.
something of the primeval nnture of
tho land entered Hilary's heart and
gripped It. Ho hnd never known what
It was ho wanted. But ho knew now :
It was to take hold of a virgin land
nnd tnmo it, to grapple- with life, not
among tho men of cities, but some
where with the smell of the pines nnd
of the brown enrth In his nostrils. Pac
ing the deck of tho llttlo ship, ho felt
that his desires had como to light at
tho moment when their fulfillment hnd
becomo possible.
Ho looked nbout hlra wlMi npprovnl
when ho stood upon the porch of the
tiny hotel nt St. Bonlfnce. Nobody
else had got off the boat, nnd evident
ly tho landlord of the llttlo hotel ex
pected nobody. After an Ineffectual
attempt to enter Into conversation with
him, in which hardly a word was mu
tually Intelligible, Hilary gave up tho
effort and started up tho hill road
which led, ho surmised, toward tho
lumber mill.
Tho whole settlement was gathered
about tho shores of tho little bny. Be
yond It wero the mountains, on either
sldo the forcst-clnd hills, broken, on
the east, by an Inlet, and on the west
by tho deep cleft of tho Rocky river,
whoso mouth, closed by a boom, wus
a congested muss of logs.
Hilary crossed the brldgo and ap
proached tho mill. Two or three men,
lounging outside tho store, lookci at
him without any sign of Interest.
Uverythlng was very still and peace
ful; there was hardly a sound to bo
heard except tho distant hum of tho
mill machinery.
Between the duni and tho store,
upon n terrain henped with tin cans
und miscellaneous debris, were plies
of wood in four-foot lengths, each com
prising about two hundred cords.
Kneeling at tho narrow end of ono of
those piles wns a llttlo man, whose
elenn-slmven upper Up, tho whiteness
of which contrasted with a sun-bluck-ened
face, Indicated that a mustache
hnd grown there recently. Ho was
scaling, or measuring, tho pile, and
niuttorlng as he added up his figures.
Hilary surveyed the lumber. It was
unrossed, und most of it wus bluck
spruce; there was also somo whlto
spruco und a llttlo pine. The mnss In
the river, If It consisted of wood of
tho same qunllty, hardly substantiated
uimurtlne's stntcmcnts.
"You seem to hnvo some good spruce
on tho seigniory," snld Hllnry.
'iho little man leaped to his feet,
waving his arms. "What you want
hero?" he demanded. "Strangers aro
not permitted on tho compnny's prop
erty. If you wnnt to buy at Mie Btore,
you go by tho rond.7
Hllnry looked down coolly nt tho
excited little man. "I'm Mr. Askew,
and I've come to tnko charge of my
property," ho answered.
Tho llttlo mun wns bereft of vocnl
powers for quite some time.
"But Mr. Morris, he ain't here," he
gasped at length.
"Well, he ought to be hero. That's
whnt I'm pnylng him for," snld Hilary.
"What's your name?"
"Jcnn-Mnrlo Bnptlste."
"Perhaps you didn't expect me, Mon
sieur Bnptlste?"
"Holy Nume, no! It wns snld Mint
you hnd sold out to the compuny."
"What compuny?" demanded Hilary.
"The company at Ste. Mnrle. Mon
sieur Broussenu's company."
"See here, Bnptlste," snld Hllnry,
tnklng the other by the arm. "Let us
begin by understanding each other. I
"That," Said Lafe, "Is Mamzelle
Madeleine Rosny."
know nothing about any compnny ex
cept myself. I own this district, the
land, tho timber, the mill. Have you
got that?"
Jcan-Mnrle gnped ngnin, nnd then
diplomatically disengaged himself.'
"I guess you want to see Mr. Con-
ncll, the foreman," he said. "It ain't
my Job. You'll find Mr. Conncll In the
store."
"Bring him here," said Hilary. "Tell
him I'm waiting for him."
Tho little man departed at a trot.
quite evidently startled and senred,
and casting bnck comical looks from
time to time over his shoulder as bo
went.
nis statement In the store must have
created a good deal of sensation, for
presently two clerks, ns well ns the
two loungers, who hud gone Inside,
enmo to the door nnd stared. Dlsen
gnglng himself from nmong these came
the foremnn, n tall, lean, lunky Now
Englnndor, whoso deliberate slouch
and typlcnl benring wnrmed Hllnry's
heart Instantly. He knew the type,
knew It ns only one with the New Eng
Innd blood knows his own.
"I'm Lnfo Conncll, nt your service,
Mr. Askew," snld the foremnn, coming
up to Hllnry nnd stiindlng respectfully
before him.
"I suppose I should have let you peo
ple know that I wns coming," snld
Hllnry.
lie wondered why Lnfe Conncll
whistled; ho know nothing nbout
Broussenu's telephoned wnrnlng.
"I guess you'll find things upset a
little," said Connell. "Mr. Morris bus
been away for a couplo of weeks, see
ing to his other Interests, and I can't
exactly do much for you till be comes
bnck. It's our slack month, you know,
Mr. Askew. The men don't go Into
tho woods until September, and wo
don't keep n lnrgo force employed on
tho mill work."
"Tomorrow's soon enough to stnrt
In," snld Hllnry. "I'm plensed to have
met you, Mr. Connell."
"Walt a minute," said tho foreman.
"If you don't mind having me, I'll go
up to the hotel with you. Muybo
there'll bo somo things Mint you'll
wnnt to nsk me."
"All right," said nilary.
They went together silently across
tho slinking brldgo and ascended the
hill, each quietly tnklng stock of tho
other. At the top, where a brunch
roud run off at right angles to that
which crested the cliff, a figure on
horsebnek appeared In tho distance.
It wns a girl, riding side-saddle. As
tho horso drew near sho pulled In to
tnko tho brunch rond without senttor
Ing tho dust, passing within a few feet
of Hilary He saw that she wns nbout
twenty years of ace. or u llttlo more.
slight, very straight upon tho saddle,
with gray-blue eyes nnd brown hnlr
blown by the wind nbout her Hushed
cheeks. There was a combination of
dignity und simplicity about her, both
In her demeanor nnd In the wny she
rode, and In her acknowledgment of
Connoll's greeting.
Hilary wntched her enntor up tho
rond till she hnd disappeared among
Mie trees. Then he realized Mint he
had not taken his eyes off her slnco ho
had first seen her.
"That." snld Lnfe, "Is Mnmzelli
Mndelelne Rosny. Her father's whut
they call the Seigneur."
"The owner of tho Chnteau?" asked
Hllnry, although he knew this per
fectly.
"K's, Mr. Askew. I guess she
wouldn't have smiled so plensnnt If
she hnd known who you wns."
"Why, Mr. Connell?"
Lnfe Jerked his thumb vnguely about
the horizon. "Proud old boy," he ex
plained. "Family's been here nigh on
a thousand years, I guess lenstwuys,
since them Frenchmen first enmo to
this continent. Huted like thunder to
sell out to your uncle. But I guess
he was land poor, like the rest of them,
and Mamzelle Madeleine must have
cost him a mint of money finishing up
In the convent at Paris, France."
Hllnry turned this over In his mind
ns they continued their walk along the
cliff und then down the road to the
hotel. Tho Idea of nny personal Ill
feeling on the Seigneur's part or on
that of his family hnd not occurred to
him. Though he did not expect to
meet Monsieur Rosny, except possibly
In tho course of bis business, he wns
conscious of a feeling of regret, nnd
also of a lialf-formed resolution, the
nnture of which he would not admit,
to put relations upon a pleasant foot
ing.
In tho hotel the landlord's wife was
already preparing supper. They ate
nn omelet, wnshed down with strong
ten and followed by raspberries and
crenm. Then they went out on the
porch and lit their pipes.
"You nre the foremnn, I under-
stnnd?" asked Hllnry.
"Yes, Mr. Askew. I took the Job
soon ufter your uncle bought the tim
ber rights. I'd been up here for tho
Slioeburyport Gnzette, which was look
ing for a pulp supply. Mr. Morris of
fered me the Job, nnd I took it. And
I've been sorry ever since."
"Why?"
"It's a h of a country," nnswered
Lafe frankly. "I never guessed such
folks existed In a civilized land be
fore. Now you take a Dutchman or a
Dngo their wuys ain't our ways, but
they're moro or less human. These
people ain't. They paint their houses
yellow nnd green, when they pnlnt 'em
nt all. I never saw a yellow house
with a green porch In my llfo till I
come up here."
"Just a difference of taste, Mr. Con
nell."
"Maybe," said Lafe, spitting. "May-
bo It's all right not to have sense to
plaster their houses, so as to freeze to
death In winter time. Mnybe It's all
right to run to Father Lucy when
there's a forest fire, Instead of getting
to work and putting it out. Maybe h
can pray it out for them. I got nothing
ngalnst tho place, except that my wife
Clarice and the kids nro In Slioebury
port, and I'd rather rot hero alone than
bring 'em up. But whut's the uso?
I'm hero and I got to stay here," ho
ended, shrugging his 'shoulders.
Lnfo wns n bad cross-questioner, and
the task put upon him by Broussenu
was not only uncongenial but Impos
sible for a man of his temperament.
However, ho mnde a valiant attempt
to draw Hilary out. "You're thinking
of spending somo time here, Mr. As
kew?" he nsked.
"I've como to take charge. I'm going
to stay," said Hllnry.
Lafe looked at him curiously. What
sort of u mun could this be who chose
of his volition to resldo in St. Boni
face?
"I guess you'll cbnngo your mind
when you've seen It a little longer," ho
snld Incredulously.
"On the contrary, Mr. Connell, I
mean to take hold, nnd I mean to make
It pny. It hasn't puld very well, I un
dorstnnd?"
Lnfo floundered. "I've henrd it
don't pny as much ns It ought."
"I understand that most of tho tim
ber Is below the size at which cutting
Is allowed?"
Lafe stared at him. "Why, them
rules nre for government Inndl" he
answered. "You can cut any size on
freehold. The timber ain't so bad
leastways, some of it ain't."
Hllnry begun to think hard. On this
point Lamartlne had clearly aud defi
nitely lied to him.
"Too much fir on the property?" he
asked.
"Why, there Is somo fir," conceded
Lafe. "But there's some good spruce
along the Rocky river," he added,
again oblivious of his instructions.
"I snw n good pile In tho river."
"Why, that ain't our cutting not
much of It," said Lnfe, "Most of that
conies from the Ste. Marie limits."
"Where Is Ste. Mnrle?"
"Ste. Marie's two miles along- the
coust. beyond our settlement," said
Lnfe. "Most of our hnnds como from
there. It's a tough placo, Mr. Askew.
I seen somo tough towns In tho West,
but this hns got 'em nil bent, with tho
smuggling of brandy, nnd the drinking,
and the fights every Saturday night
there wns a man knifed thcro last
week; and not a policeman wiMiIn fif
ty miles, nnd nobody except FnMier
Lucy, and he can't hold 'cm,"
"What I want to know," said Hllnry,
"Is, what this company is that you
speak nbout, nnd how they como to uso
the Rocky river for their logs."
Lafe hesitated, but only for a mo
ment. Then he mentally cast Brous
seau to the winds; for, after nil, If
Hllnry meant to know, nobody could
prevent It, Broussenu's Instructions
notwithstanding.
"It's this way, Mr. Askew," he said.
"Mr. Morris and Mr. Brousseau have a
company of tlielr own. Their limits
touch ours on tho west, across tho
river, and run ten miles or so back
Into the bush, right alongside oura
They got the right to float their logs
down the river."
"And uso the mill?"
"Mr. Morris lenses the uso of our
mill by the year to the compnny."
Hilary was staggered for Mie mo
ment. Morris, ns his uncle's mnnngcr,
lousing the mill to Morris, a partner In
Broussenu's compnny, seemed a queci
role.
"How do they tell our lumber from
theirs?" nsked Hllnry presently.
"Oh, that ain't hnrd," said Lnfo.
"You see, the Jobbers, who subtense
the tracts, know how much their men
have cut. And it's scaled in the
woods before they shoot it down
stream. I guess Miere nln't no diffi
culty there, Mr. Askew. And you see,
Mr. Morris representing both concerns,
he naturally does his best by both ol
'em."
Hllnry's suspicions, dormnnt even
nfter the interview with Lamartlne,
were now thoroughly aroused.
"And Mr. Brousseau has no concern
with us, except for the lenso of the
mill and the right-of-way down the
river," mused Hllnry. "Who is this
Mr. Brousseau?"
"Why, I guess he's the big man ol
the district," said Lafe. "He's the
nearest thing to a boss they've got up
here; tells 'em bow to vote and gets
'em out of trouble. He ain't good tc
his father, though. That was old
Jacques Brousseau in Mie store, Mie
trapper."
"I didn't see him."
"He was Mr. Rosny's slave, or what
ever they called them, In the old
times, before these people became
free."
He tapped the ashes out of his pipe
and pocketed It.
"ne's got old Rosny In his pocket,"
he said, leaning toward Hilary. "He's
got him bound nnd mortgnged nftei
leading him to throw your uncle's
money nwuy In crazy Investments. He
did It deliberately, Mr. Askew. When
he was a kid, growing up among the
house servants up at tho Chateau,
he wanted to bo a big man, for which
I don't blnme him. He got his wny,
but that wasn't enough. He wanted
the Seigneur's place, because he found
that the folks up here thought more
of old Mr. Rosny, with his broken,
down house nnd debts, Minn they did
of him with nil his money. So he sei
to work nnd got hlra cinched.
"The old mnn hntes nnd despises
him, nnd he's been fighting ngalnst It
for a long time, but he seen what's
coming to him nnd I guess he's mnde
up his mind he'll hnvo to stomnch It
Broussenu's stnked old Mr. Rosny's
pride ngnlnst his love, nnd I guess he's
won his stnko nnd won Mnmzella
Mndelelne Into the bnrgnln."
ne rose. "That'll bo all for tonight,
Mr. Askew?" he nsked.
nilnry rose too. "Thanks, Mr. Con
nell," ho said. "In the morning I shall
ask you to show me around the place."
He didn't follow Lnfo Connell in
side the hotel, but snt upon tho porch,
musing. Lnfe hud enlightened him on
several points. Ho doubted whether
Lamartlno had spoken anything up
pronching truth concerning tho prop
erty, nnd ho wns sure Mint Morris and
Broussenu were the compnny In whose
behnlf he had offered forty-five thou
sand dollars. There would bo need of
a good many explanations from Mor
ris. Yet Hilary felt Instinctively Mint
It wns Broussenu, not Morris, with
whom he would hnvo to contend.
On the face of the soft night rose
the fnce of Mndelelne Rosny painted
with surprising clearness. Ho saw tho
blue of her eyes, tho curve of lior
Hushed cheek, the dignity and gentle
ness nnd pride Mint blended In her
looks. If ovor ho hnd nny ounrrel with
Broussenu. he would show him
Then he cursed himself for a fool.
nnd, entering the hotel, took his lnmp
nnd went up to his room.
A girl's hostility adds
zest to the game.
(TO HIS CONTINUED.)
"Know thyself," and also ascertain
how you uro rated by others.
