Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-07-14

stakes for the canal diggers, found o
visitor awaiting him in the camp head
quarters Office:
One glance at the thick-bodied,
heavy-faced man chewing an extinct
cigar while he made himself comfort
able in the only approach to loung
ing chair that the Office afforded was
sufficient to awaken an alert antago-
nism. The big man introduced him.
self without taking the trouble to get
out of his chair.
MY name is Hosford, and l repre-
sent the Niquoia Improvement COM
pany as it's manager and resident en-
gineer," said the lounger, shifting the
dead cigar from one corner of his
hard-bitted mouth to the other. You're
Brillard. the government man. l take
it,"
"Brouillard, If you please" was the
crisp correction. And then with a
careful effacement of the final saving
trace of hospitality in tone or manner:
What can we do for. you. Mr.. Hos
ford?"
"A good many things. first and last.
I'm two or three days ahead of my
outfit, and you can put me up some
where until / get camp of my own.
You've got some sort of an engineers
mess. / take it?"
I'VE have" said Brouillard briefly.
You'll make yourself at home with
US, of course" he added, and he tried
to say it without making it sound too
| much like a challenge.
"All right; so much for that part of
it," said the self-invited guest Now
for the business end of the deal-why
don't you sit DOWN."
Brouillard planted himself behind
his desk and began to fill his black
ened Office pipe. coldly refusing Hos
ford's tender of cigar.
You were speaking of the business
matter" he suggested bluntly.
Yes. I'd like to go over your plans
for the power dam in the upper can
yon. If they look good to me I'll adopt
them"
Il am very far from wishing to
quarrel with anybody" said Brouillard,
but his tone belied the words. AT
the same time, if you think we are
going to do your engineering work
or any part Of it, for you, you are
pretty severely mistaken. Our own
job is fully big enough to keep us
busy"
You're off," said the big man coolly
Somebody has bungled in giving you
the dope. You want to keep your job
| don't your"
That is neither here nor there
What we are discussing at present is
the departments attitude toward your
enterprise. | shall be exceeding my
friendly to the detriment of my OWL
work"
The new resident manager sat bach
in his chair and chewed his cigar re
fiectively, staring up at the log beam
ing of the Office ceiling.
You're just like all the other gov
eminent men I've ever had to do bust
ness with. Brouillard; pig-headed, oh
stinate, blind as bats to their own in
terests. l didn't. especially want t
begin by knocking you into line. bu
l guess it'll have to be done. l guess
the best way to get you is to send {
little wire to Washington. How doe!
that strike your"
Il haven't the slightest interest IL
what you may do or fail to do" sale
Brouillard.
But you have made the plans fol
this power plant. haven't you?"
| Yes; and they are the property o
the department. If you want then
I'll turn them over to you upon I
proper order from headquarters"
That's a little more like it. Wher,
did you say I'd find your wire Office?
Brouillard gave the information. an,
as Hosford went out Grislow came II
and took his place ct the mapping
table.
Glad you got back in time to saw
my life" he remarked pointedly. witt
a shy glance at his chief. Hes beel
blowing burrows up and down my littl
potato patch all day."
"Humph! Digging for information
l suppose?" grunted Brouillard.
Just that; and he's been getting Il
too. Not out Of me, particularly. Blu
out of everybody. Also. he was willin
to impart little. We're in for tn
time of our lives. Victor"
Il know it," was the grabbed rejoir
} der.
You don't know the tenth part G
: it," asserted the photographer slowl!
Its a modest name, The Niquoia In
provement company but it is goin
to be like charity-covering a multi
T tude of sins. Do you know what tina
plank-faced organizer has got up hi
7 sleeve? He is going to build US
neat. up-to-date little city right her
! in the middle of our midst II hadn
made him believe that | was only
craftsman. he would have had me OF
with a transit. running the lines fo
the streets"
"A city?-in this reservoir bottom
guess not He was only stringin
I you to kill time. Grizzly"
Don't you fool yourself!" e,
, claimed the mapmaker. Hes got tn
plans in his grip. We're going to
on a little reservation set apart for U
. by the grace of God and the kint
] ness of those promoters. The remail
der of the valley is laid off into cut