NORTH PLATTK SEMI-WEEKLY TRTDT'XE
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Illustrations by Irwin Myers
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(Copyright, 1010, by George n. Dornn Co.)
I fUU? dOl !F4 1W SlPiflf VICTOR ROUSSEAU
It WW ifiWa f!
t
"YOU HAVE SAVED MY LIFE!"
Synopsis. Hilary Askow, a young American, Inherits from an undo a
hundred squaro miles of forest In Quebec. Upon taking possession, no dls.
covers all sorts of queor tilings. Lamartlno, Ills unclo's lawyer, tolls lilm tho
property la comparatively Worthless nnd tries to Induce him to sell. Lafo
Connoll, tho mill foreman, tolls him his undo has been systematically robbed.
Morris, tho manager, Is associated with tho Sto. Mario company, a rival con
corn owned by Brousseau, tho "boss" of tho region. Madelelno, tho beau
tlful daughter of Seigneur Rosny, original owner of Askow's land, Is pur
suod by Urousscau, who has her father In his power. Tho hero decides to
stay and tnanago his property. Ho discharges Morrln nnd makos Connoll
manager. Ho whips "Hlack" Plorro, foreman of a gang of BroussoaU's men
cutting on his land. IU denes Urousseau. Loblanc, his boss Jobber, desorts
to tho enemy. From Father Luclen Askow learns tho story of Mario Dupont,
daughter of the captain of a lumber schooner. The girl's mothor, now dead,
had boon botrayod, and sho herself Is looked on askance and has few friends.
Mario knows tho namo of her mothor's botrayer, but has nover revealed It
to her father. Askow finds Madeleine nosny hostllo to him. Askow and Con
noll visit a Ste. Marie dance hall.
CHAPTER VI. Continued.
5
Baptlsto sprang "nt her, seized her
by the sleeve of her dress, nnd tried to
pull her from her sent, minry saw'
Nanette protesting nngrlly; he could
not henr Bnptlste's excited cxclamn
tlonB, but ho heard fnlntly tho screnin
that enmo from Mario's Hps. At once
there was n gcnernl movement townrd
the group. Some of tho lumbermen
Interfered. Baptlsto turned upon them
with mcnnolng fists. The little mnn
was beside himself with fury. Then
Simeon enmc wnddllng down the room
with lits duckllko shuflle, nnd took
Bnptlste by both arms. With slow
but Inexorable force he led him townrd
the door. It scorned nlmost ns If Hup
tlsto, struggling In vnln nnd mouthing
incoherently, wns In tho grip of some
machine, for tho momentum of Sime
on's movements wns composed much
more of bulk than of velocity. Amid
the Jeers of tho crowd Bnptlste wns
thrust from the door, nnd Simeon
turned and waddled back Into the
room, whero the dhnclng was In full
Bwlng once more.
Hilary saw Mnrle flying round In
tbe nrms of n gigantic woodsman. Bnp
tlste, ncntcd upon tho step before tho
dance hall, wns weeping pitifully. Tho
llttlo drnmn came homo to Lafo with
equal poignancy. Illlary snw that his
eyes wero blazing.
"We'll get that girl nway from
hro," ho Bald.
Lnfo nodded, nnd the two went In.
At first thoy were not recognized
through tho clouds of rolling smoke. It
was Nanette who saw Illlnry ilrBt. She
uttered a sharp cxclnmntlon nnd
pointed toward him. At once tho two
found themselvcB under the flro of nil
eycH.
Tho news reached Simeon Duval as
bo was reaching up for a bottlo in his
closet, nnd be camo pulling out nnd
waddled townrd Illlnry, his pale-blue
eyes fixed on him In malevolent
scrutiny.
"Eh, Mccstnlr Askew, you havo n
drink on ma?" asked Simeon, holding
out tho bottlo under Hilary's nose.
Tho action was nt onco n chnllcngo
and nn overture, to bo Interpreted In
either fashion, according to the hear
er's Inclination.
Hilary shook bis bend. "I don't
drink, Simeon," ho answered curtly.
"You wnnt to dnnce, then, eh? You
wnnt ,n lady to dnnce?"
"I do not."
"Nor to piny card, eh?"
"Not tonight, Simeon."
"Then wnnt tho h you como to
my plnco for?"
Simeon's blue eyes glnred Into Hil
ary's. In his younger dnys the man
had been tho bully of tho lumber
camps; still of great strength, he could
Baptlsto Sprana at Her, Seized Her
by tho Sleeve of Her Dress and
Tried to Pull Her From Her Seat
Jhnvo matched himself ngninst nny
iman, with the doubtful exception of
CBlnck Plerro ; but Hllnry's exploit upon
tho lntter hnd, n restraining effect upon
him.
"I've como to havo n look nt you
Simeon." said Hilary genially.
"Well, you see mo now, eh, Meestalr
Askew? What you think of me, oh?'
retorted tho dance-hall proprietor.
"Maybo you llko to look some more.
eh?"
"I think you'ro Just About what I ex-
rpected, Hilary nnswered. "I near
231
your brother Is thinking of opening n
hell like this one nt St. Boniface."
The lumbermen hnd begun to edge
In nbout them. Sentiment, while run
ning strongly ngntnst the Intruder,
wns not nngrlly hostile. The men were
eager to see how Hilary would bear
himself ngninst Simeon, nnd they
hoped for some fun. Hilary saw among
them the face of Simeon's brother
Louis, who looked like a small model
Upon a lighter scnle.
"My brother hero. He speak for
himself, Meestnlr Askew. He not
nfrnld. You think, p'r'nps, becnuso
you thrash Black Pierre, you boss In
Ste. Marie?"
"No, I don't. I wish I were," said
Hilary. "If I were, Simeon, I should
run you down to Quebec Jail right off
the reel. But I'm boss in St. Bonlfnce,
nnd if Louis opens n liquor den there,
I'll break his head open nnd run him
In afterward."
FcvA of thoso present understood his
exnet mcnnlng, but nn ominous growl
showed thnt this declnrntlon wns ap
preciated nt more or less Its correct
vnlue. The mob begnn moving for
ward. For a few moments tho situa
tion looked menncbig. Hilary took the
nggrcsslve, ns usual.
"Ah, LeblnncI" ho called out. "now
do you like your new Job? I'm start
ing In to cut out thnt limit you
handed back to me. There's some
good timber there, Leblnnc."
Leblnnc snarled nnd stnrtcd for-
wnrd, slinking his fist and muttering.
However, ho could not got through the
press, and It Is not probable that ho
tried very hnrd to do so.
"Well, that's about nil, Simeon,"
Illlnry called. "I Just enme In to look
nt your placo and give your brother u
friendly warning, becnuse I never
warn when I'm ready to strike."
"My brother tnko care of himself.
Ho ain't afraid of you," said Simeon,
who kept ns cool ns Hilary. Hilary
Intuitively summed him up na tho most
dangerous of his opponents. "But I
guess you nln't going like thnt, Mees
tnlr Askow," continued the liquor
seller. "I nsk you to have u drink on
mo an' you sny no. Now you going to
buy drinks nil round, eh?"
Hilary laughed out loud. "Not for
your crowd, Simeon," ho nnswered.
Simeon planted his fat body heavily
before him. "What you Bay7 You buy
drinks, eh?" he demanded truculently.
Hilary put his hands on Simeon's
shoulders and pushed him bodily back
ward. Simeon, who was plnnted
rather thnn stood, at first resisted ns
n tree might resist n gentle shove with
the hand; hut bo could not resist tho
strength behind Hilary's shoulders,
and ho began to sway nnd went top
pllng backward, landing, still rigid,
upon tho floor.
Some of tho girls shrieked, and tho
lumbermen came surging forwnrd
townrd nilary nnd Lnfo and began to
hustlo them. Yet, knowing Hilary's
reputation, they hesitated a moment
before Initiating hostilities; nnd that
moment brought an unexpected Inter
ruption,
For n boy ran screnming in at tho
door, nnd what ho cried stnrtled tho
entlro nsscmblnge. Simeon, who hnd
been struggling to his feet, wns upon
them In nn Instant. But before the
crowd had recovered from Its confu
slon two officers In the uniform of tho
revenue department enmo running In
Thoy carried revolvers In their hands,
nnd they pounced upon Simeon nnd
hnd him nt their mercy in nn Instant
At onco the whole Bceno wns dls
solved. Men nnd girls ran this wny
nnd that, a wildly Hying, panicky mass
It wns ono thing to drink nnd brawl In
Ste. Mario, but quite another to defy
tho tireless officials of the revenue de
partniont, who patroled tho river nt
uncertain Intervals, whoso nrms were
very long,
Whether any ono except Simoon wns
wanted In thnt pnrtlculnr placo was
never known, for It was nil tho officers
could do to hold on to him, while tho
crowd stampeded past them townrd
the door, n cursing, struggling mass
carrying Lnfo and Illlary along with It,
In tho street they pulled thomselve:
out of the crush and took refugo In nn
nlley. All Ste. Mnrlo was In n turmoil
News of the rnld hud sprend every
whero with lightning swiftness. Lights
were being extinguished, liquor hidden
nwny, lumbermen nnd girls wero run
nlug In wild panic through tho streets
Suddenly thoy porcolved Mnrlo Du
pout among tho crowd. Her eyes wero
j wiuo wun irignr, nnu sue was strug-
gllng helplessly In the crowd, borne
this wny nnd thnt by tho conflicting
currents. Illlnry forced his wny townrd
her nnd dragged her Into the nlley.
There she broke down; she fell upon
her knees In the mud, rocking to nnd
fro nnd moaning.
Illlnry bent over her. Lnfe snw thnt
his fnce wns stern. "I nm going to tnke
you home," he said.
She looked up at him pltcously. She
nppeared to recognize him, but wns too
terrified to understand. He drew her
to her feet and, with Lafo on the other
side, they began to make their way
quickly townrd the bench by a nnrrow
pnssngo among the cottages.
But as they started Lafo looked back
nnd Baw, wedged In the crowd behind
them, Jean Bnptlste. He had been try
ing to rench tho girl, but It was impos
sible to move a foot In that struggling
human torrent. He snw them, nnd his
eyes wero dllntcd with Impotent fury.
There wns murder In them ns they fell
upon Illlnry. Lnfo shuddered.
His Impulse wns to wnlt for the mnn,
but he recognized thnt Bnptlste was
beyond nil renson and self-control. He
had misinterpreted Hilary's action;
the only thing now wns to elude him
and get tho girl nway before Baptlsto
could follow. Ho was gliid Illlnry hud
not seen Baptlsto. He meant to say
nothing of It.
The three set out on their wny,
Marie at first sobbing nnd holding
back, then gradually growing calm un
der Hllnry's assurances, and nt Inst
going willingly. Her dress wns drag
gled with mud, her finery nwry; sho
looked pitiful nnd frightened. Illlary
felt n grent wrnth growing In him us
he looked at her. At last they gained
the shore road and presently reached
Mario's cottage.
She felt In her dress for tho key
with shaking flpgers. Illlnry took It
from her nnd opened the door. "Never
go to thnt place again," he snld stern
ly. "Let this bo n lesson to you !"
She went Inside. Lnfo nnd Illlnry
waited till the lamp was lit and,
through the torn shnde, thoy saw Marie
Dupont crouched before the stove, her
face on her arms.
"I guess we'd better be going, Lnfe,"
he said.
"She's had her lesson."
"I hope so. I've seen enough this
evening, Lnfe. It makes me sick to
think that there nre wretches vile
enough to epcournge this, for money or
for Influence." no turned on. him. "If
enn trace Broussenu's hand In this
work," he said, "hcavon help him I"
CHAPTER VII.
"Look to Your Boom!"
Bnptlsto worked nil the next Monday
on tho boom, fiercely nnd unspnrlng of
himself or his men. Illlnry, n little
puzzled by the llttlo mnn's sullen man
ner toward himself, attributed It to his
personal distress at what hud hap
pened In Sto. Mario. Ho did not know
thnt Bnptlste wns nwnro of his pres
ence there, and felt happy In tho con
sciousness thnt he hnd dono him some
service. Nothing would hnve plensed
him better thnn to hnve seen his suit
with Mnrlo Dupont successful.
Tho strengthening of tho boom was
finished. The wooden structure had
been Immensely fortified with great
trunks, lashed ami nailed together,
resting In concrete which had been
molded Into tho crovlccs of the rocks
on cither side of tho cataract. Hilary
examined nnd npproved of tbe work.
It seemed to remove nil possibility of
danger.
Everything depended on tho first
mluuto after tho Jnm wns broken. If
the torrent could bo carried off through
the sluice gates, In the main, the logs
would find nn easy pnssngo over tho
dam Into tho lnko. But actually tho re-
enforced boom seemed to resist tho
torrent without nny likelihood of
brenknge.
The chnrgo was to be exploded at
threo In the afternoon. That day Hil
ary was kept busy in nls onico, going
over tho pay roll In preparation for
the October changes. Gangs of men
had been returning from the south
shore, nnd ho had signed on n number.
Ho was aware that somo of Brous
seuu's agents hnd been at work at
tempting to dissuade them; however,
tho men wanted work, nnd evon
Broussenu could not hire them nnd
keep them idle upon his skoleton com
puny nt Ste. Marie, nilnry discov
ered that tbe Ste. Mnrle enterprise ex
Isted only upon that of St. Bonlfnce,
nnd, llko Uio parasitic plant, withered
wnen its prop nuu sustenance was
withdrawn.
It wns two o'clock by his wntch
when ho pushed his papers aside nnd
strolled up tho path thnt led through
the woods townrd tho gorge. Illlary
hud left St. Bonlfnce behind him nnd
wns approaching the gorge, from which
ho could hear the shouts of the gang
making preparations for tho discharge,
when ho saw Madololno Rosny riding
nlong tho road townrd him.
Sho hnd evidently been to tho Ste.
Mario territory, nnd, ho suspected, on
n visit to Broussenu. Tho path wns
nnrrow, with tho descending bnnk of
tho wooded gorge on one hund nnd n
steep, shelving uscont, overgrown with
young spruce and pine, upon the other.
Illlary drew to one side, to give the
girl pnssngo. Ho wns wntchlng tbe
trotting horse, now swiftly nenrlng
him, nnd wondering whether be ought
to mnko any sign of recognition, when
ho wns almost thrown from his feet
by n vibration of tho ground, followed
by n dull ronr that grew Into an In
fernal crescendo nnd rolled awny un
derground In n prolonged reverbera
tion. The charge hnd been exploded.
Illlnry saw the horse rear, curvet,
and then, maddened with fear, leap
wldly forward. An Instant later It be
came clear that jt was no longer un
der control. Tho terrified animal bolt
ed nt full speed nlong tho rond to
wnrd him, while the girl plucklly kept
her seat nnd pulled with nil her might,
but unnvulllngly, on curb nnd snnffle.
She wns n practiced horsewoman,
for none other could have kept her
scat when tho horso went rearing
backward; but no amount of skill
could avail unless the beast were got
under control before the downhill Into
tho vlllnge was reached. There was
n gnte ncross tho track, which Illlnry
hnd closed. Flung over this, It would
be a miracle If the girl escaped with
her life.
Hilary made his decision In nn In
stnnt, made It with the roar of tho
released torrent In his cars, nnd the
thunder of the breaking Jam, the crash
They Saw Marie Dupont Crouched Be
fore the Stove, Her Face on Her
Arms.
of logs hurled free nnd rebounding
from nnd buffeting ono unothcr. He
plnnted himself directly In tho course
of the "mnddened animal, whose hoofs
churned up n shower of stones.
"Keep, your seat 1" ho shouted to the
girl.
For one Instant he snw her, pnle,
with frightened eyes, but firm In the
snddle, still pulling against tho curb,
while the open mouth, distorted . by
the bit nnd chain that pressed tho un-
derllp, foamed, nnd tho white of tho
eyes glenmed wickedly bencnth tho
enrs, tint with tho head. Then Hilary
saw tho horse rear nnd tho shod hoofs
uprise. Then, somehow, he caught
tho reins nnd leaped for the shelving
bank, and missed.
He lost his foothold, but ho clung
to tho reins, whllo tho horso plunged
nnd reared, each Jerk almost tearing
his arms from their sockets. Now he
was swept against the branches of the
trees that overhung the road, and
blinded by tho swishing twigs nnd
boughs, now the precipice was under
him, and tho gorge below, where tho
logs crackled and thundered us they
battered their way down the river.
He saw the girl clinging to tho saddle,
then to the benst's mnne; he tried to
rench her with his nrms, hut ho could
not stop the bolting animal ; and then
ho wns flung free, nnd tho riderless
horse went galloping down the road
toward St. Boniface.
He must have been stunned for a
few moments, for when ho opened his
eyes he found himself lying upon a
ledgo a little distance from the top of
tho steep hank. On the snmo ledge
was Madeleine Itosny clinging to a
swaying sapling that overhung tho
river, nnd trying to rise.
Illlnry scrambled to his feet, to find
thnt, In spite of painful bruises, ho
wns uninjured. Ho gnvo Mndolclno
his hands nnd pulled her out of tho
branches; nnd they stood looking nt
ench other.
"Your horso bolted," explnlned
Hilary. "I am sorry you did not know
nbout the dynnmltlng."
At his words n look of fear camo
upon her face; and then It hardened
nnd her gray eyes flushed angrily.
"You hnvo 8nved my llfbl" sho
cried. "You hnvo saved mo, and
wish you were a thousand miles nwny.
I wish I had never seen you I"
"Thero Is no need to lot thnt troublo
you, Mndcmolsello Itosny," nnswered
nilnry, stung Into scorn by her In
gratitude. "There Is enough room In
this country for both of us. If you
will let mo help you up tho bank, no
doubt you can find your wny homo
I assure you that I hnvo no Intontlon
of Intruding on you further."
His scorn seemed to bent down her
nnger. She looked at him for tho first
time without hntred.
"Why hnvo you come Into my life?
Why do you begin to nlny n purt In
It?" she whispered, ns If In terror.
"Suppose you let mo nsslst you up
tho bnnk, Mademoiselle, before I nn-
swer your question. Wo can hardly
discuss that matter here," said Illlnry.
She seemed to recover her self-pos
session. "There Is no need to nnswer
me," she replied scornfully. Never
theless she permitted him to brush the
dust from her skirt nnd to give her
his hand. They scrambled up the side
of the gorge and stood breathless upon
tho road ngnln. Fnr nwny Illlnry
heard the crash of tho logs, flung over
the dnm nnd shooting toward the boom.
Madeleine Itosny turned and fnced
Illlnry. "Well, monsieur?" she de
manded.
"It Is because I want us to be
friends," he said. And he took the
girl's hand frankly in his.
She let It He there for n moment,
gnzlng nt him In astonishment nnd
puzzlement. Then, to Hllnry's sur
prise, he saw the look of fear como
Into her eyes again.
"It Is too late," she whispered.
"Surely not, mademoiselle. Wo have
misunderstood ench other, perhaps,
but"
"I tell you It Is too late. Oh, why
did you not come to me nnd say this
before?" she cried, and suddenly broke
Into unrestrnlnnble sobbing. "I thought
you were grasping nnd wicked, nnd I
hated you. I wished you evil. Look
to your boom I No, let mo go, mon
sieur I Look to your boom!"
And, snatching her hand nway, she
ran, still sobbing wildly, down the
road, leaving Illlary staring nfter her
in uncomfortable dlsmny.
no could not understand her menp-
Ing, though her Inst words still rang
In his ears. He 'watched her as she
fled through the trees like n hunted
deer. She was out of his sight nround
the bend of the rond almost In nn in
stant, her shoulders henvlng nnd her
hands outstretched In blind panic be
fore her.
Illlnry henrd the shouts of the work
men still more plnlnly, rising above the
awful smushlng of tho logs. Then,
while he still looked nfter Madeleine,
there came n sound louder thnn nny
he had heard, rivaling thnt of the ex
plosion Itself, ns If Thor's hnmmer had
clanged upon n leaden anvil, as If the
earth were rent In twain llko n stitched
garment.
There wns no need to wonder what
had occurred. Hllnry began running
down the rond. His eyes were fixed
ahead where the log boom lay rent like
n straw pipe, nnd the grent burden of
logs which tho Rocky river hnd borne
so long wns plunging down the cntn
ract. He ran on, breathless, and the stu
pendous spectucle went on before his
eyes. A mighty barrier, plied up for
n few moments ngninst the rocks thnt
spanned the cataract, gave promise of
nrrcstlng the. debncle. Behind It the
logs spun nnd twisted. All the freight
of the river, fnr bnck from the hills,
wns sweeping onward, nn Irresistible
army, forging past S(tone nnd boulder,
tossing, uphenvlng, mounting the dnm.
whose cement wall was now sub
merged, swept by tho njllk-whlte tor
rent to where had been the boom. The
clashing of the logs against that wood
en wall was like bntterlng rams against
a city wall. Then swiftly, ns Hilary
still ran, he saw the picture dissolve.
The wall of logs went down Into tho
cataract, and n column of spray rose
higher thnn the flume, flared funnel
wise nnd caught the sunlight Into prls
mntlcully banded hues like a rainbow,
nnd went down.
Over the cntnrnct swept the logs, un
Impeded now. The river hnd burst Its
chains nnd spewed Its burdens Into the
Gulf. Fnnllko, tho lumber begnn to
sprend and stnln tbe gray St. Lawrence
surface with mottled brown.
Illlary reached tho waste place be
side tho mill. The workmen stood
there, Impotently wntchlng tho ruin of
their toll. It was the wreck of every
thing. Thero could be no hope of build
lng up the boom In tho fnce of that
torrent of water until the river wns
low enough for the closing of tho dnm
gntes to keep It pent bnck. And long
before thnt time the entire lumber
lond of Rocky river would be In the
Gulf. Hllnry looked on In embittered
silence. Ho might ns well give up now
nnd go home. Broussenu nnd Nature
had united to thwart him.
The workmen had been Joined by
the mill hands, who had left their
work and hurried down to tho boom
when tho catastropho occurred. They
seemed nil to hnvo lost their hends.
Thoy wero chntterlng excitedly; Hll
nry could not undorstnnd n word, but
Connoll stnrtcd nnd looked ubout him,
"What Is It?" nilnry nsked.
"Where's Jenn Bnptlsto?" said Lafo,
"I don't know. Ho set off tho dynn'
mite, and thut ended his Job. Why?"
"Nothing," said Lafo, still glancing
nbout htm.
Hllnry looked nt him curiously, but
said no more. He began to push his
wny through the crowd In the direc
tion of tho omce. ue nnu not inviteu
Lafo to accompany him, but Lafo was
at his elbow when he went In, followed
him Inside the room, and took n chnlr
beside him.
Hilary looked at him with n whim
sical smile. "We're finished, Lnfe.
This nffnlr, coming on top of tho enn-
cellng of those Jobbers' lenses, hnn
ended me."
Lnfe scratched his chin, but said
nothing to this.
"You see," snld Hllnry, "nccordlng to
my reckoning we shnll hnve nbout for
ty thousand dollars on hand about
September first. That will Inst us till
Christmas. On the (frst of the year
we shnll he up ngninst It. We noed
nnother sixty thousnnd to carry ns
through the winter, till navigation
openB nnd we call sell our cutting. No
bnnk's going to lend us anything with
our record."
"We enn ship six thousnnd cords by
December first," snld Lnfe.
"Thirty-five thousnnd dollars per
haps less."
4 "Wo could get more out of thoso
river bottoms." suggested Lafe.
"And shut down in the middle of
March."
"As fnr ns I enn see," Lnfe blurted
out, "you'll bo about ten thousand shy,
Mr. Askew, assuming things go fnlrly
well. Thut's why I enmo here. Yon
see, It's llko this. I've got nearly eight
thousand In the First Nntlonal bank
at Shoeburyport, Mnss. Clarice Mrs.
Connell, that Is wouldn't let me buy
her n house on the Installment plan
as I wanted to. She said as I'd never
know when we'd need the money, nnd
If I couldn't pny up on time they'd get
it away from us somehow, no matter
what the contract said. It seemed
mighty unreasonable to me, Mr. As
kew, but I'm glad now I sure am
glnd." , . v
"Lnfe," said Hilary, "nre you crazy
enough to suppose I'm going to tnke
the money thnt you nnd Mrs. Connell
hnve been snvlng up for n home, nnd
put It Into this bnnkrupt concern?"
"Oh, shucks!" snld Lnfe. "Why
thnt nin't nothing. I guess I know n
good thing when I see one. I'm loan
ing it to you, Mr. Askew, at any rato
you want to pay me."
"Lafe, you're a fool," said Hilary,
trying to keep his voice stendy: "I'm
tempted. But I'm not going to tnko
it."
"Then I guess I'll tnke the next boat
home!" shouted Lnfe. "I ain't going
to work for n busted concern what's
going to leave me stranded up here In .
midwinter, not drawing n cent, nnd
Clnrlce my wife nnd tho kids In
Shoeburyport. No, sir! You tnke
thnt or I'll lenvc. It nln't so crazy
ns you think. It'll give me an Interest
In getting the last ounce out of the,
men and I guess Clarice will ap
prove. And when the concern's on Its
own legs, you why, you can raise my
wnges."
"Connell, you're n trump," said Hll
nry. "I'll tnko It. Yes, I'll tnke It, be
cause I know now thnt I am going to
succeed. We enn't full, Lafe, when
we're as much in earnest as we nre.
Good Lord, what n despondent fool
I've been!" (
"Same here," said Lafe. "I wns Just
hopeless, till you made me see
straight."
"Why, It was you made me see
straight," said Hllnry. "Now, Con
noll, wo'll push things hnrd from this
very minute. Wo'll start In cutting
nlong the river, nnd we'll float tho
logs right down stream to the mill, and
wo'll keep Dupont and his schooner
coming and going till navigation closes,
even If wo make Riviere Rochcuso
look as bare as our bnnk nccount wns
looking Just now Bnptlste will bo
worth n score when he understnnds."
He broko off suddenly, nnd the two
men, struck by the same thought,
looked nt each other.
"I wonder why Baptlsto went off as
soon us he'd dynnmlted the Jam," said
Hllnry.
He felt ashamed of. his suspicions.
Yet, remembering that day when
Baptlste was conferring with Pierre,
ho could not wholly rid himself of
them.
"Lafe," ho said, "what was It you
heard thoso men saying after the ac
cident? You started."
"Why, I guess that wasn't nothing,
Mr. Askew. You know how excited
theso people get over trifles. They'ro
Just like n flock of geese gabbling
uround."
"What was it, Lafo?"
"Just nonsense, sir. Not worth re
peating, but well, you see, it's this
wny. Somo darned fool said thnt some
body hnd snwed pnrt way through tho
logs of the boom."
Then for tho first tlmo tho words of
Madeleine Rosny came back to nilary:
"Look to your boom! Look to your
boom I"
Ho hung his head and flushed with
shame. It seemed Impossible to asso
ciate that act of treachery with her.
Yet, struggle as he did, her last
words haunted him.
Trouble, troublo and
more to come.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Thrift Is better than an annuity.