Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-01-09
cHAPrER Il.
Lafe connelI Explains.

After breakfast the next morning
Hilary hired Monsieur Tremblay's
buggy and started out with Late, with
the intention of covering a portion of
the limits and seeing the operations of
the jobbers; he also meant to keep
his eyes open as to the nature of
the timber.
The buggy sUrmounted a hill, and
another Hill appeared in the distance.
Here and there, scattered along the
roadside, were solitary cabins, with
little patches of cultivated ground
about them.
"And on the right of the road is the
Ste. Marie territory?" asked Hilary.
'Yep, Mr.. Askew. The two runs
r.eek and neck back into them noun
GAINS. We turn off presently. We haven't
touched this district yet"
Hilary noted the first-growth spruce
along the banks. "Why don't we cut
this, anyway, if the rest is mainly
Sir?" he asked. tsThere's enough lum-
Der here to fill our dam instead of
Che ste. Marie company's logs"
Lafe answered yolubly, but did not
meet Hilary's eyes.
"You see, Mr.. Askew," he began to
explain, 'it's this way. There's a
good deal Of fir on our property, and
what pine and spruce there is is small
ssh. There was a big fire over this
district fifteen years or so ago. Now
Mr.. Morris calculates that if we go
slow for while and give the trees a
chance to grow, they'll be worth twice
as much in few years. We're de-
yeloping the property slowly, Mr..
ASkeW-"
Hilary's hand fell on Lafe's shout
der. "Connell," he said, 81 brought
you up here with me to learn the truth
from you. You're going to sign on
again on October first, and it's me
you're going to sign with, not Mr..
Morris. Now tell me the facts about
all this"
LATE stammered and hung his head
like a schooIboy caught in wrong
doing. But Hilary's hand was grip
ping his shoulder, and at last Lafe
raised his head and looked straight
at Hilary.
'sIf I thought you'd stick here" he
said, II guess I'd back you to the linn
Il. But you'll never stand for st.
Bonifaee. Mr.. Askew. They're so in
formally slow here, they amt got hui
man ways, sir. And they're crooked.
I thought, when heard you was COM
Ing, you'd be like Mr.. Morris mean,
wise to the game-but you amt. /
guess most business is crooked every
where, but here it's crooked all
through. You'll be selling out to Mr..
Brousseau in a months time, and
that'E be my fnish.''
YOU'RE dead wrong, Connell," an
swered Hilary. 81 like the looks of
this country, and I'm here to stay.
Vow suppose You forget abodt MIR.
rrousseau for a while and consider
yourself to be what you are, my paid
euployee. And you can count on my
standing by you"
He held his hand out. For mo-
nient LATE Connell's keen gray eyes
net his searching inquiry; then he
took Hilary's hand and wrung it.
Il believe you mean what you say,
Mr.. Askew," he returned. Sand you
can reckon on me so far as my duty
goeS."
Il suppose that tale about the Ros-
ny seigniory being nothing but fir is
g lie, Connell?" asked Hilary pres
entity, as the pony ambled through a
valley overgrown with red pine.
Mostly" said LATE. ''There Is a
Seal of fir, but there's enough spruce
and pine to make the concession pay,
u Mr.. Morris wanted it to-
$50 Morris has been playing double?''
LATE nodded. 'fYou see, Mr.. Askew,
it's this way" he said. "When Morris
came up here / believe he meant TO
run straight. But he'd been lumber
man in small wey up in Ontario, and
he wasn't wise to the game as it's
played here. Here it's graft, and it's
never been nothing else. So when
Norris found your uncle didn't know
nothing about the business, and left
1t In his hands, he naturally fell for
the game Brousseau was playing.
"Brousseau is the big man up here
and he'd had his eye on the RosBy
seigniory for long time. He wanted
To buy, but Rosns was sore on him
and he closed the deal with your uncle
instead. But afterward Brousseau got
the mortgage on the Chateau. and the
little bit of land round it, to keep hold
on Rosny.
Well. the Rosny seigniory is the
only piece Of freehold up this way. Be
POND it's government land, and al
round it's government land. Brous
seau started in TO squeeze your uncle
ont. And Morris went with him. BE
Played double as you were saying
AZ. Askew. The point Of the whoit