The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-04-24

| deep CheStful OF air. A DlaCK CLOUD
filed with dancing speckS swan be-
fore his vision. Out Of it he saw the
face of one Of the nearest spectators
It was filed with an anticipation so
pungent that inStinctively Hilary leap
ed aside. Out of the cloud he saw
Black Pierre plunge forward, knife in
his hand. The spent blow cut Hilary
sleeve. Pierre recovered himself and
rushed at the American, fearful spec
tacle, dripping sweat and blood. Hill
airy caught him with the right under
the jaw, sending him fiat. The knife
went Whirling away into the under
brush. Black Pierre lay still.
Hilary turned to the nearest of the
awed lumbermen. Bring him cup
Of water" he ordered
The man understood and ran into
Pierre's hut. But Pierre was sham
ming; he opened his eyes, fixed them
with burning hate on Hilary, and mum
| bled.
Get upw said Hilary.
Pierre rose Sullenly. edging out of
| the reach Of the expected blow. He
was cOwed the fighting spirit was out
Of him, as it was ont of his compan-
ions. As civilized men fear the law,
the lumbermen feared the unknown
forces that lay behind Hilary and
manifested themselves through the
strength Of his arm.
TIL give you five minutes to get off
the st. Boniface territory into the Ste.
Marie limits the other side of Rocky
river" Hilary said. He turned to the
spectators. "Tll thrash every man not
employed by me who comes upon my
land" he announced.
Whether they understood the mean
ing of the words or not, they realized
the significance of the gesture. Black
Pierre, among his companions at the
edge of the clearing stopped his re-
treat He meant at least TO save his
face by threats But Hilary had de-
liberately turned his back on him and,
without apparent fear of. danger, was
examining the shacks and p0king the
moss out of the interstices between the
logs with a fOrked stick. When he
turned the last of the Ste. Marie men
was disappearing out of the clearing
down the road. He waited long enough
for them to reach the fork, before re-
entering the buggy.
He was thoughtful on the drive
homeward. He knew that it was only
the unexpected nature Of his action
which had cleared the concession. That
had been a paramount duty; at any
cost he must preserve the integrity of
his land. But, given Brousseau's lead
ership and active hostility, they could
put up a fight which would render him
impOtent. Physical force could bring
him nowhere In the end.
1t took about an hour for the embel-
lished story to filter through to the
mill Before work was knocked off that
afternoon Hilary became conscious of
new Difference in his hands manner,
Of gaping looks that followed him when
he went from Office to mill, or back.
For the first time ST. Boniface began
to believe that the Morris regime had
really passed.
We've still got Brousseau, though u
said Hilary to LATE. "When do you
suppose he's going to declare himself?'
"Soon," said LATE. you've seen to
that, Mr.. Askew."
"Well," answered Hilary cheerfully,
"well meet that trouble when it comes.
Meanwhile, don't spare the teams in
breaking up those piles and sending
them through the mill. I've got to get
out a record load next month, and I'm
going to credit all the wood that goes
through the mill to the st. Boniface
tract and let Brousseau take any ac-
| LiUu lie HIKES dDOut IL.
| BrouSseau was not long in declaring
war. On the following afternoon, as he
sat in his Office, Hilary, looking through
the window, saw Madeleine Rosny
driving rig along the road toward the
mill. Beside her sat man whom he
had never seen before. He surmised
at once that it was BrousSeau, but he
hardly expected that the girl was
bringing him to the office.
Such proved to be the case. The rig
stopped at the door and Hilary had a
glimpse Of Medicines averted, scorn-
| full face as she sat waiting, as if Hilary
was beneath her pride, as if to stop
there was no more than to stop at any
laborer's shack. Her companion leaped
out and came briskly to the door.
| He was a man of something more
than forty, but active and y0unglook-
ing. He came into the office and glared
down at Hillary, who at once rose and
| faced him.
"I'm Mr.. Brousseau," said the visitor.
eve heard Of you" said Hilary.
you'll hear more of me. You as
saulted one of my men yesterday. Do
you think you can come into this coun-
try and knock my men about like that
for doing their duty?"
HE was on the Rosny seigniory, and
cutting my timber"
"He was on the west side of Riviere
Rocheuse," sRarled Brousseau. "The
Riviere Rocheuse has never been sur
veyed. What you call the creek is the
upper part Of SRiviere Rocheuse. Lee
blanc had permission to cut that tract
for Mr.. Morris because our two COM
panies worked hand in hand. 1t is not
nv way to make explanations, Mons.
ieur Askew, but take that for what it