Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-12-26

With shingled houses, hotels, tourists
Lawrence widened into the Gulf that
Hilary realized, almost with surprise,
that the ship was sailing into terri
tory as primitive as it had been a score
OF years after jacques Cartier landed.
Something of the primeval nature of
the land entered Hilary's heart and
gripped it. He had never known what
1t was he wanted. But he knew now :
it was to take hold of a virgin land
and tame it, to grapple with life, not
among the men of cities, but some
where with the smell OF the pines and
of the brown earth in his nostrils. Pac-
ing the deck of the little ship, he felt
that his desires had come to light at
the moment when their fulfllment had
become possible.
He looked about him with approval
when he stood upon the porch of the
tiny hotel at ST. Boniface. Nobody
else had got off the boat, and evident.
ly the landlord of the little hotel ex.
pected nobody. After an Intellectual
attempt to enter into conversation with
him, in which hardly word was mu
tually Ineligible, Hilary gave up the
effort and started up the hill road
which led, he surmised, toward the
lumber MILL
The whole settlement was gathered
about the shores of the little bay. Be
yond it were the mountains, on eithel
side the forest-clad hills, broken, or
the east. by an inlet, and on the wes
by the deep cleft of the Rocky river
whose mouth, closed by a boom, wa:
a congested mass of logs.
Hilary crossed the bridge and ap
preached the mill. Two or three men
lounging outside the store, looked a
him without any sign of interest
Everything was very still and peace
full; there was hardly a sound to bt
heard except the distant hum Of the
mill machinery.
Between the dam and the store
upon a terrain heaped with tin can.
and miscellaneous debris, were pile
of wood in four-foot lengths, each com
prising about two hundred cords
Kneeling at the narrow end of one O.
these piles was a little man, who's,
clean-shaven upper lip, the whitenes
of which contrasted with a sun-black
ened face, indicated that a mustach,
had grown there recently. He wa
scaling, or measuring, the pile, ant
muttering as he added up his figures
Hilary surveyed the lumber. 1t wa
unrossed, and most of it was blacl
| spruce; there was also some whit
spruce and little pine. The mass il
the river, if it consisted of wood O
the same quality, hardly substantiate,
Lamartine's statements.
"You seem to have some good spruc
on the seigniory," said Hilary.
The little man leaped to his feet
waving his arms. ''What you wan
here?" he demanded. Strangers ar
not permitted on the company's pror
erty. If you want to buy at the store
you go by the road"
Hilary looked down coolly at tn
excited little man. I'm Mr.. Askev
and I've come to take charge of m
property" he answered.
| The little man was bereft OF vocs
| powers for quite some time.
"But Mr.. Morris, he amt here"
| gasped at length.
"Well, he ought to be here. That
what I'm paying him for" said Hilar.
whats your name?'
I "Jean-Marie Baptiste."
perhaps you didn't expect me, MOI
sieur Baptiste?'
t'Holy Name, no! 1t was said ths
you had sold out to the company"
'What company?" demanded Hilar,
'The company at Ste. Marie. MOI
sieur Brousseau's company"
"See here, Baptiste," said Hilar.
taking the other by the arm. "Let L
begin by understanding each other.
know nothing about any company e,
cept myself. I own this district, tn
land, the timber, the mill. Have yo
| got that?"
/ Jean-Marie gaped again, and the
automatically disengaged himself.
II guess you want to see Mr.. Col
nell, the foreman" he said. "It ain
my job. You'll find Mr.. Connen in til
store"
Bring him here" said Hilary. "Te
him I'm waiting for him."
The little man departed at tro
quite evidently startled and scare,
and casting back comical looks frol
time to time over his shoulder as /
went.
His statement in the store must hay
created good deal of sensation, fl
presently two clerks, as well as tt
two loungers, who had gone insid
came to the door and stared. Disel
gaging himself from among these can
the foreman, tall, lean, lanky Ne
Englander, whose deliberate slouc
and typical bearing warmed Hilary
heart instantly. He knew the typ
knew it as only one with the New En-
land blood knows his own.
I'm Lafe Connell, at your servic
Mr.. Askew," said the foreman, comir
up to Hilary and standing respectful
before him.
Il suppose 1 should have let you pc
pie know that I was coming" sa+
Hilary.
He wondered why Lafe Come
whistled; he knew nothing abo1
Brousseau's telephoned warning.
81 guess you'll find things upset
little," said Connell. "Mr. Morris h;
been away for a couple of weeks, Sc
ing to his other interests, and I car
exactly do much for you till he COM
back. It's our slack month, you kno'
Mr.. Askew. The men don't go in
> the woods until September, and v
don't keep a large force employed
the mill work.
'Tomorrow's soon enough to sta
in," said Hilary. 'T'm pleased to ha'
met you, Mr. Connell."
"Wait a minute" said the forema
eff you don't mind having me, I'll
up to the hotel with you. May
therell be some things that you
want to ask me-"
"All right" said Hilary.
/ They went together silently aero