NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
WOODEN
(Copyright, 1010, by Gcorgo H.
CHAPTER XIII.
10
The Island.
Lnfc and Hilary started for tho Is
land nt one o'clock. They planned to
upend threo hours there and return on
tho evening tide.
nilary, seated opposlto his friend,
told him of tho conversation with
Louis, who, manipulating tho tiller,
heard nothing.
"If Loulfl will swear to what ho In
formed mo," he said, "It means that
we can clap Brousseau Into jail. Oth
erwise he'll never glvo up his schemes
agnlnst me, becauso he has a personal
irrleTance."
"Mr. Askew," said Lafe, "might I
put a question to you without giving
offense?"
"You may, Connell."
"I'm only saying what everybody's
tmylng In St. Donlfnce, and that Is
about your cutting Brousscau out with
Madcmol8ello Itosny."
"I guess lt'fl true, Lnfo," said Hilary,
"Lafo, Bho'o well, you understand."
"I guess I do," Bald Lafe. Ho
stretched out a sinewy band and
gripped Hilary's warmly. "I wish
Clarice my wife could meet you," ha
said.
"I hopo sho will, Lafo, somo day.
But now, about Brousscau."
"1 asked you that," said Lafe, "be
cause thero's a lot hangs on It. Now
as to Louis ho wouldn't swear. , If
ho did swear, ho'd swear that he'd
beeu lying as soon as Brousscau
slipped him a ten-dollar bill. No, sir,
it-won't do. We've got to get tho fox
right Into tho trap beforo wo spring
It.",,
"I'm nfrald, l am no hand at spring'
(ngjtraps, Lafe."
"No, But wo'vo got to give him ropo
enough to hang himself. Wo don't
wanto go off at half-cock. That's
plainer, ain't It? My advice Is aa be
fore; Ho low. You see, sir, when n
man schemes and schemes and plans
his crooked work, all that ho's doing
is to twist the rope tighter round his
own neck. Wo'vo got him now, but
wonust get tho nooso tight, so that
ho won't wrlgglo out of it. And he'll
twist It tight next tlrao ho' wriggles.
That's my Idea, Mr. Askow."
"I guess you're right as usual Lafe,"
nswered Hilary. "But 1'vo been ly
ing low a thundering long time."
No more was said upon tho subject
Out In tho Gulf tho chopplness of tho
waves had clinngcd to a steady sweep
toward tho Island, which, lying in mid
stream, received and broko tho full
force of tho dally tides. Tho wind
aided them, nnd they swept through
tho water. Hilary watched tho nenr
lng land with Interest that deepened
as ho began to make out tho luxurious
growth of conifers that covered It al
most to tho sea's verge.
hi tho center ho could now inako
out u ridge of low hills, which seemed
to ascend to n terminal cliff, hnvlng
on one side a gentle slope and, on tho
other, a precipitous descent toward
tho water.
"There ought to bo somo One cut
ting thcro for us somo day," said
Hilary. "Hollo I What's that?"
"Somobody has got thcro beforo us,"
said Connell.
I A boat camo Into view, a little fish
ing sloop, much like Duval's, beached
ou tho shore, tho sails down, tho bow
high abovo high water.
1 "That boat belongs to Jacques
Brousseau," said Louis, pointing to
ward it
"What's he doing on my limits. I
wonder," mused Hilary.
"I guess he's making this his winter
quarters. He's trapped tho solgniory
ho long that ho thinks lt'fl his terri
tory." They grounded. Duval, leaping
ashore brought tho bow round nbovo
the water level. Lafo and Hilary
stepped out and stretched their crnmp
wl limbs.
l The wind blew keenly, but, onco un
der the sholtcr of tho Island, they
found It warm autumn wenthcr.
Leaving Louis stretched out In tho
boat, under n tarpaulin, Lafo nnd Hil
ary started up tho sloping bench toward
tho Interior. Tho first thing that they
noticed ub pccultnr, when they had
passed tho outer fringe of trees, was
tho exlstcnco of a well-dcflnod trail.
They stopped and looked at It
"Do you suppose old Jacques made
all that?," asked Lafo.
r""i!6Twlde."
i "And too hard, Mr. Askow. This
las beeu stamped out this summer.
And Jacques has only been hero a
week, at most."
oJThen ?" asked Hilary.
1 "Homebody else hns been on tho
lalund all summer, or at least most of
tho summer. Maybo two or thrco of
them. It looks like It"
The trail had disappeared. They
wore now scrambling up a gulley be
tween great rocks that towered on
lther side of them. At tho top of
n. .intinn ntmonrw tin nnlnt of
vtw lainnrt nnd tho face of tho creat
cliff, cleft into numerous assures, somo
widening into small caves.
--
Suddenly Lafo gripped Hilary's arm
sad nolnted. Through tho scrub thoy
cnuld see Jacques Brousscau coming
out of nn apcrturo lu tho cliff, a deep
Doran Co.)
but narrow cleft that opened toward
tho bnse into a wide recess.
Jacques saw thcra at the same time
and stood motionless. As Lufo and
Hilary advanced he seemed to bo gal
vanized Into life. He rushed toward
them, screaming, his faco convulsed
with fury.
Hilary cast his eyes about to ascer
tain tho causo of the old man's fury.
Ho saw, near tho envo's mouth, a largo
slab of granlto, and a heavy hammer
lying bcsldo It '
"Let's see what ho's got thcro," ho
said. "It doesn't look like traps to
mo."
Tho sun, now very low, shone full
into tho Interior. It revealed a cavern
ous depth, whose recesses wero lost In
gloom, a high arch, and tho remnants
of many fires on tho granlto slabs that
paved It almost as regularly as thoso
of a city sidewalk. Somebody had
camped hero for a long time pos
sibly Jacques, though he must have
burned a Vvholo cord of wood, to Judge
from tho charred remnants that were
scattered everywhere.
"Lqokl" Bhoutcd Lafe, pointing.
Tho ground was covered with frag
ments of some sort of ore, nnd n trail
of chips and dust led out of tho mouth
of tho cavo Into another recess nmong
tho rocks. Among the brambles, un
der a roughly constructed roof, was a
small hand machine, consisting In tho
main of two steel rollers, whlto with
crushed rock. ..
"Looks like a hand flour-mill," said
Lafo. "I thought maybo It might be
gold. But It ain't gold. Alluvlal's
washed In a stream, and quartz gold
has to bo got with cyanide."
A pick next caught their eyes. Some
body,' or porty, rather, had been work-,
lng at tho rockB, apparently., to, take
samples of somo oro; but therowas
certainly no gold in tho Laurcntlan
granite.
Suddenly Lafo uttered an exclama
tion and, stooping down, picked up a
matted handful of somo fibrous, wool-
like material that had been stuffed
into a cleft no pulled out yet anoth
er handful, nnd more and moro stiff
wool, yet of a stony consistency spun
stone, If such n thing wero possible.
"Rock flnxl" ho exclaimed. "I seen
It down Thotford way years ago, Mr.
Askow. Look there 1 Tho cliff's allvo
with It I"
"Asbestos I" cried nilary.
"A regular asbestos quarry I" said
Lafe. "Thero's thousands of dollnrs"
worth here. Look at It I"
nilary could see now thnt the coarso
fibers ran through tho Bldo of tho cliff
In every direction. They wero so
blended with tho mottled stone thnt
ho hnd not oven noticed them.
"Thnt accounts for everything," ho
snld.
"Yes, Mr. Askew. I guess Brous
seau wasn't paying nil thoso hands at
Ste. Mario und pretending to work his
limits Just to Jump your timber rights.
I know ho had something up his sleeve,
but I didn't know what I know thero
wasn't no gold round here."
"So that's why ho wants to get mo
out of tho way."
"That's tho wholo gamo, sir. no
know you'd hit upon thlB mlno sooner
or lator. though ho'd loft tho Island
off the map of tho seigniory. Lord,
what a fool I was not to have known t"
"There's moro to It thnn that, Lafe.
That's why ho tried to draw us off tho
scent on the subject of tho river boun
dary. Ho thought thnt If ho could get
They Saw Marie Dupont Struggtlna in
Pierre's Arms.
Into n fight with us over thnt wo
wouldn't be thinking of tho Island.
And this mlno belongs to Itosny. No
wonder Brousseau wants tho selgn
lory I"
"It's ns good as a play," 6uld Lafe.
"It gives us tho trump enrd," said
Ililarv. "It moans that ho'll lose his
hold over hlni, and well, Lnfe, I feel
too happy to say any more about It"
Lafo grabbed him by tho hund.
..... . ,, . ,., ... nii..
"wo-vo won, - no uui raiuuiV.
"And now I guess wo'd best bo sturt-
lng for tho boat"
ri
They retraced their 6tep3 along tho
trail. It wns a nervous experience,
with tho thoucht thut old Jucquea
might bo lurking In the bushes nearby.
However, by the time they renched the
little open space they satisfied them
selves that ho was not following them.
"Wo've passed our landing plnce,"
snld Hilary.
Looking out ncross tho gray waters
ho perceived, close at hnnd, and ap
parently benched on tho shore, tho
whlto sail of a sloop. It seemed to be
the vessel which they hnd seen cnrllcr
thnt afternoon, tncklng townrd the
south shore.
Tho men looked at each other, and
the same unspoken question was In
tho eyes of each. Then Lafo grabbed
Hilary by the shoulders.
"See herol" ho snld. "We ain't go
ing to stay and fight Brousscau's gnng
Just for the fun of It I guess It's
Pierre and Lcblnnc In that boat all
right, nnd thut they're on their wny
home. Wo bent It for ours ns hard ns
we can go see? You ain't fit to do
no more fighting anyway," he pleaded.
"And I won't, no matter what happens
that's straight to you. I'll fight any
mnn with fists If I got to, but I'm
darned If I'll stand up against thut
scum with camp knives."
"You're quite right, Lnfe," answered
Hllnry. "Come, let's get to the boat ns
quick as wo can."
But ns they stnrted thcro rang out n
womon's cry. Again camo the screnm;
nnd In an instnnt, forgetful of their
resolution, they had turned nnd raced
back along the trail.
Not many steps, nnd, brenking
through tho trees, they saw Mnrle Du-
pont struggling in Pierre's arms, while
Lcblnnc and Nanette stood near them,
laughing.
Lafe leaped at Pierre, and his bony
fist caught the outlaw beneath the
chin. Pierre went down In a heap.
Hilary made for Leblanc, whose ex
pression would, under other circum
stances, have been comical in its sur
prise.
He turned upon tho girl nnd
knocked her down savagely. Then,
without another glance at Hilary, he
mndo for the sloop.
Leaving Pierre where ho had fallen,
Lnfe Joined In tho pursuit But Lc
blnnc hnd several yards' start, and his
experience of Hilary's prowess lent
wings to his feet Ho plunged Into tho
water and, by a miracle of strength,
swung tho sloop clear of tho sand on
which sho had been beached. As the
vessel was carried clear by the swift
llowlng tide tho ex-Jobber scrambled
aboard, dripping, nnd pushed off with
tho onr. Lafo nnd Hllnry stood, bnf
llcd, upon tho brink of the water.
whllo Lcblnnc, at nn over Increasing
distance, began to put up tho sail,
shouting back defiant curses mean
while. They heard a sound of feet upon
tho shingle behind them, and turned
quickly. It was Pierre, but ho was
bolting for Ihe woods. They ran nt
him, but ho had gained tho shelter of
tho trees, nnd It wns growing too dnrk
to follow. They stopped nnd looked
back. Leblanc wns now aulte a dls-
tnnco from tho Island, and ranking for
tho north shore upon tho Incoming
tide.
"Let's go," said Hilary, and he took
Marie gently by the arm. She went
with him obediently, and Lnfo fol
lowed with Nanette, whoso Hp was
bloody from Lcblnnc's blow,
The tide wns running fairly for St.
Boniface. It wns nlmost dnrk now.
but tho wind hnd died nwny nnd the
stnrs were brilliant Hllnry. tnkluc
off his ovcrcont wranned It nbout
Mnrle. Tho girl's bewilderment hnd
yielded to nbject gratitude. She
raised HUnry's hand to her Hps and
pressed It Beside her Nanette,
wrapped m JiUfo's
waterproof, was
sobbing wildly and wiping her
wounded lip. The words that passed
woro drowned In the sound of the lap
ping waves beforo they reached, the
enrs of LtrMc, at Uio tiller.
"Now, whnt happcncuY' asked Hil
ary of Mario. "Tell me, and wo'll
clap thoso ruffians Into Jail, I nssuro
you. llow did they get you into that
bont?"
Mario sobbed out her explanation;
but when Hilary gathered, with diffi
culty from tho broken words, stam
mered in French, thnt she hnd gone
nboard with Plorre to mnrry him In
Quebec, ho could hurdly believe his
enrs.
'And your fnther knows nothing of
this?" ho inquired, when she had
ended.
"Ho knows nothing, monsieur. Ah,
monsieur, you saved me before, and I
I wns ungrateful. Promlso me,
swear to me, tnat no snail never
know I"
"Aim you, XNnnone, continued un
ary, addressing tno weeping girl,
"what have you to say, who lured her
here, knowing this?"
"I did not know, monsieur," cried
Nanette. "Pierre told mo thnt If I
bring her ho would got mo back my
sweetheart'
"Lebluuc, chr
"Oul, monsieur. Then ho tako mo
to Quebec, and wo get married. And
ho promised mo u wedding ring of
gold, monsieur."
"And ho told you that ho wub going
to marry Mario?"
"Oul, monsieur, wo nil go to Quebec
together. Only Just beforo wo land
he tell me that we nil stay on the I
Island together first, und havo a holi
day."
"Nanette, Leblanc never Intended
to marry you," said Hilary. "They
wero using you to get Mario Into
Pierre's power. Nanette "
Ho bent toward her nnd touched
her on the shoulder. Sho looked up at
him, her lips quivering, her faco pa
thetic as n scolded child's.
"is it long slnco you left your
homo?"
"Two yenrs, monsieur."
"Nanette, you were a child then, like
Mnrle here? Leblanc came to you und
told you of the great world outside,
and how he would marry you and bo
kind to you. Two years havo passed,
and he hns rulpcd your life, and he
has not kept his promise, and still he
deceives you with his promises. Would
you go buck to him?"
"Never, monsieur I ue strucK me
bcoI Not In Just nnger, ns a mnn
"I'll Kill Youl" Panted Baptlste.
strikes his wife who nags him, but be
cause ho wns afraid. Seo where his
fist fell seel"
"Yet, Nanette, even ns Leblanc did
to you, you would have had Pierre do
to Marie here."
"Monsieur 1 I thought ho wns to
mnrry her, Pierre told mc, If I bring
Marie to Ste. Mnrle no harm is done,
because ho loves her nnd he wishes to
save her from you, who mean no good
to her."
'From me, Nanette 1" exclnlmed Hil
ary, stupefied.
"Oul, monsieur, and then you go to
Ste. Mnrle to meet her nnd tako her
home. And everybody say Monsieur
Askew loves her, and no doubt ho hns
a wife in his own- country."
Hllnry looked uC her In amnzeracnt
He noticed that Lafo was staring over
the sldo of tho boat, as if he had not
heard.
"Nanette, if yom went borne, would
your father receive you?'
"All, monsieur, do not spcaK or it.
Perhaps he is dead. Perhaps they are
all dnd from grief.""
"Would you like to go- home, Nan
ette?"
"Yes, monsieur, I will go now, for I
havo nothlnc more to live for. I shnll
go nnd beg on my knees "
"I ahull send you home, then, Nan
ette. But now ask forgiveness from
Mnrle here, nnd then thank God thnt
Ho hns saved her tonight In splto of
all the evil thnt was ngulnst her."
Nanette crouched townrd Marie Du-
pont, whoso nrms stole round her neck,
and the two girls tried nnd whispered
together. Hllnry turned away. Ho
thought of Madeleine, and breathed a
prayer that their Hires might run to
gether, nnd thnt thy might strive to
gether for tho right all their days.
Ho turned bnck Uto the bont. "Now,
Mnrle, no word of this night's doings
shall ever pnss my Hps," he said. "Bnt,
Mnrle, your life is unhappy. There is
a good man In St, BoniJaco who cares
for you. Do you think that vou could
learn to enro for Mm?"
"Ah, pauvre Jean!" wept tho girl.
"I hnvo been ungrateful to him, uon
sleur. And now I nm not worthy thnt
ho should hnve anything to do with
me."
"He shall know nothing unless you
tell him." snld Hilary. "As to that. I
cannot advise. But you need havo no
fenrs ns to me.'
The blnck shadow of the wharf be
gnn to project out of the shore line,
with Baptlste's schooner moored along
side. Lights of lanterns wero moving.
and as the sloop drew near Hllury per
ceived a little group of peoplo near
tho whnrf-hcad. Louis Duval lot down
the sails and guided the vessel's prow
toward tho mooring ring, nilury
stepped out but before ho could turn
to glvo his hand to Mario n woman
stepped forward.
, It was Madeleine. She ran to him
with a llttlo cry of gladness. Sho
raised her Hps to his.
"Dear, I have been waiting since
dnrk," sho snld, prosslng his arm. "I
only got your letter this afternoon,
telling me that you hnd gone to the
Islund, and I wns frightened, Hilary."
Ho patted her arm, "I am quite
By
VICTOR
ROUSSEAU
Illustrations by
Irwin Myers
snfe, dour." ho nnswered, smiling.
There wns never any danger. Lafe
was with me, and wo went and camo
on the tide."
As he spoke ho noticed that the
crowd at tho whnrf-hcad hnd drawn
nearer. He heard a mnn shouting;
there seemed to bo some disturbance
which ho funded they wero trying to
quell. Lufo stepped upon the wharf
with the two girls, walking past Hil
ary. Madeleine turned.
Her eyes, lighting upon Mario's face,
and then Nanette's, sought Hllnry's in
astonishment. But she nsked nothing,
nnd wnitcd. Her hnnd, which hnd
rested upon his nrm, remained there.
But whereas it had been a living,
warm part of her, It now felt cold and
heavy, and lifeless.
Then out of tho crowd burst Jcnn
Bnptlste, screnming. Ho ran townrd
Ullnry. A knife was flashing in his
hnnd. His onset was so swift that It
took Hilary and Madeleine completely
by surprise. As tho little mnn closed
with him Hilary Just managed to
grasp his arm.
"I'll kill you 1" panted Bnptlste, and
tho breath whistled through his throat
as If the force of his passion hnd con
stricted It to a pipe's dimension. "It
Is she, und you took her from her
home Inst night. I sought for her; I
wns uniting and watchful; I did not
sleep. I swore you should die"
He fought for freedom of the stab
bing arm like a man possessed of a
thousand devils. He worked the hand
free, and It went up and down, tho
long knife flashing nnd slicing into
nilnry's cont. And Madeleine did not
utter a word.
She watched tho struggle like a
womnn In a dream. Twice Hilary felt
the point of tho knife as It drove
through the air and slashed to the end
of Baptlste's reach. Then the crowd
closed about them.
But Baptlste fought like a devil. He
hurled tho lumbermen aside; three
times he fought out of their grasp
nnd mnde for Hllnry, who, horrified
und still unccrtnin, made no attempt
to escnpe or strike. Each time ho
caught the knife hand by a miracle of
luck, nnd all the time he fought Bap
tlste never censed shouting.
"Let me get at him I" he panted. "I
wntched them. I wnlted. I did not
sleep. Ho took her last night to the
Island. I swore to kill him. Let me
gol Let me got"
His voice rang high above the
shrieks of the frightened girls and the
shouts of the men. They had closed
about him now, but for the fourth
time he broke through and made for
Hilary, the knife held low now, ready
for the rrpplng upward stroke. Hilary
grasped at his arm again and missed.
The knife flashed back and then In
an Instnnt Madeleine stood where Bap
tlste had been, nnd the blood dripped
from her sleeve. And atlll she- had
not uttered n sound.
They hnd got Bnptlste down now,
still fighting like a wild beaet. They
were holding him, one man to each
limb, and his body writhed and curses
broke from his Hps. And' Madeleine
stood before Hilary, quiet and cnlm
nnd silent
He- sprang toward her. "Madeleine 1"
Her seized her arm and' tnce the
sleeve- away. .There was a gash, long,
but not deep, from which the blood
wns welling. He felt beside himself
with mingled fury and fenr. Ho begnn
to bind it with hta handkerchief, the
icily cola arm that had been warm
ngnlnst his shoulder. But Madeleine
drew herself away.
"It is nothing," she said, and begnn
to wnllc townrd the head of the wharf.
Her rig: was waiting! there, the horse
held by a boy.
Hilary walked by her side, speaking
ho never remembered what It was he
said Imploring; Madeleine snld noth
ing. Nothing until sho renched the
cnrrinRO step. Drops of blood marked
her progress. There sho paused and
looked at him. He could seo her face
now in tho Ucht of tho boy's lantern,
nnil tous n-Ulipr srnrnfnl nor nrnuiL
but very hsrd like the Seigneur's,
Hilary thought afterwnrd.
But all his thoughts were on the
wound. "Madeleine, your arml" he
cried, catching at it. i
It Is nothing," she said once more.
turning to mount the step.
Then Hilary knew what he had not
let himself know he know. He caught
her hand nnd pressed It to his lips.
"Marolelno!" ho cried. "You do not
do not surely you nro not colnc to
condemn me when I "
She placed her foot on the step.
"I told you nothing but your faith
lessness could kill my love," sho salt!
la a whisper. And, in a lower whis
per, "Hood-by l"
Tho wheels were moving before Hil
ary could grasp the scene, bring It
homo to Ills consciousness. And after
ward he remembered that ho run be
side tho carriage, senselessly calling
to her to let him bind her nrm. He
must have been half way through tho
vlllngo before his reason camo back
to him.
CHAPTER XIV.
A Letter From Morris.
Tho weather continued mild, and
Hilary's financial prospects continued
to Improve. There was every likeli
hood now of being ublo to curry on
through the winter. Brousseuu hnd
showed no signs of further Interfer
ence with his men, nnd there was oven
tho possibility of getting out another
small lond.
Hllury had sent Nunetto homo to St.
Joseph. Sho hnd promised to wrl'e to
him, but, as he hnd expected, ho hnd
not heard from her. Baptlste had
thrown up his position with Dupont
and gone Into the Ste. Mnrle limits to
trap. Mnrle Dupont avoided Hilary;
he had not seen her since the duy of
their udventure.
As for Dupont, whatever ho know,
ho showed no signs. And things seemed
to scttlo Into equilibrium, though Hll
nry wns sure that n denouement was
to follow. He could only wait pa
tiently for that No action could como
from him. He could not violate hla
pledge to Mnrle in order to secure him
self with Madeleine.
Then came the news which stunned
Hilary out of his mental apathy. Mad
eleine was to mnrry Brousscau. It
wns to bo In three weeks at Christ
runs, nnd tho banns hnd been rend In
church thnt Sundny morning for tho
first time.
What hnd happened was this: Tho
Seigneur had not given his daughter
any sign of remembrance of the events
thut hnd transpired Immediately bo
fore his stroke, though ho wns In othor
respects normal, save for the paraly
sis of tho left side. But as the weeks
went by he grow more nnd moro
nervous nnd depressed, until one night
he blurted out:
"Where will you take me nfter the
cstnto changes hands? I cannot re
mnln In St Boniface, nor can I rcmnln
with you and the American. I am too
old to go anywhere but to the grave."
So ho hnd remembered all the timet
Madeleine put her arms about his
neck. "I am not going to murry Mon
sieur Askew," sho nnswered.
Then, without warning, the old
Seigneur fell to crying and laughing,
ns if n tremendous load of care had
been lifted from his shoulders. Tho
land, which hnd meant so much to him
all his life, now seemed to be every
thing, nnd lie interpreted Madeleine's
answer to Indlcnte her willingness to
mnrry Brousseau.
"Well, why not?" she thought with
Intense bitterness, ns she listened.
"Hnve I nny other duty now, snve to
my fnther?"
She never doubted her Judgment of
Hllnry. Tho story had been dinned
into her enrs by Broussenu since Hll
nry's first visit to Ste. Murle. Sho hnd
henrd it from tradesmen's wives, the
postmistress, until their attachment
wus known; then had come silence
nnd furtlvencss. And she had scorned
to think of its possibility until that
night
And she had given him his chance
and he had said nothing.
She accepted the situation and sat
down and penned a short, formal let
ter to Brousseau.
He came the next day, driving fo
rlously up to tho Chateau. He thrust
Robltaille out of his wny nnd pushed!
into the living room, where he found
Madeleine, denthly white, seated alone,
waiting for him. He opened his arms?
to embrace her.
"Sit down, Edouard," she said with
chilling apathy. "I nra going to talk
frankly to you. Yooi wish to marry
mcr
"I want yon for my wife." snld
Brousaeau. "You know that. You
know I don't think anything of thut
affair" Madeleine winced at tho word,
but he did not notice it "with Mon
sieur Askew. The man's a scoundrel,
a thief, and a libertine "
"I do not wish to hear that, mon
sieur," snld Madeleine peremptorily.
"Diablo, that's natural enough! And
so that" forgotten." Broussean eouldi
"Edouard," Said the Girl Quietly,
"How Much Are Vou Willing to Pay
for Me?"
afford to le magnanimous. "I've heard
for n week past that you'd quarreled,
but I'm not the sort of mnn to push
In where lie Isn't wanted."
"Edouard," said tho girl quietly,
"how much are you willing to pay for
mo?"
Broussenu stared. "Eh? Ah, mon
D!ou, why do you talk about money?
Haven't 1 enough?"
"I nm going to hnvo nn agreement
in place of nn indefinite understand
ing. If I. mnrry you nt Christians you
will, on the morning of the ceremony,
destroy my fnther's mortgage, and you
will wait until his denth to own the
seigniory. It won't tako long," sho
ended, with a flicker of scorn.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
In the Birmingham district of Eng
land there nro several factories which
turn out 10,000,000 or more pins a day.