The Aberdeen weekly., 1920-03-05
lH9S1y105;esks


down the road. His eyes were fixed
a straw pipe. and the great burden OF
logs which the Rocky river had borne
SO long was piunging down the cata'
ract-
He ran on, breathless. and the stu
pendous spectacle went on before his
eyes. A mighty barrier. piled up for
a few moments against the rocks that
spanned the cataract. gave promise OF
arresting the debacle. Behind IL the
logs spun and twisted. All the freight
of the river. far back from the hills
was sweeping onward. an Irresistible
army. forging past stone and boulder
tossing. upheaving. mounting the dam
whose cement wall was now sub
merged. swept by the miik-white tor
rent TO where had been the boom. The
clashing of the logs against that wood
en- wall was like battering rams againsf
city wall. Then swiftly as Hilary
still ran. he saw the picture dissolve.
The wall Of logs went down into the
cataract, and column of spray rose
higher than the fliime. fiared funnel
matically banded hues like a rainbow.
and went down.
Over the cataract swept the logs. uu-
impeded now. The river had burst IT'S
chains and spewed it's burdens into the
Gulf. Fanlike, the lumber began to
spread and stain the gray ST. Lawrence
surface with notified brown.
Hilary reached the waste place be-
side the mill. The workmen stood
there. impotently watching the ruin of
their toll. 1t was the wreck of every
thing. There could be no hope of build
ing up the boom in the face of that
torrent of water until the river was
low enough for the closing of the dam
gates TO keep il pent back. And long
before that time the entire lumber
load of Rocky river would be in the
Gulf. Hilary looked on in embiitered
silence. He might as we'll give up now
and go home. Brousseau and Nature
had united to tnwart him.
The workinen had been joined by
the mill hands, who had left their
work and hurried down TO the boom
when the catastrophe occurred. They
seemed all to have lost their heads.
They were chattering excitedly; Hill
airy could not understand a word. but
C6nnell started and looked about him.
Like many uneducated men. he had
the faculty of getting en- rapport with
men of other speech. Evidently he
had heard something said that puZ-
zled and alarmed him.
u
where's Jean Baptiste?" said Lafe.
81 don't know. He set off the dyna-
mite. and that ended his job. Why?'
Nothing" said Lafe, still glancing
about him.
Hilary looked at him curiously. but
said no more. He began to push his
way through the crowd in the direc-
ton of the office. He had not invited
Lafe to accompany him. but Lafe was
ut his elbow when he went in. followed
him inside the room. and took a char
beside him.
Hilary looked at him with a whim-
steal smile. Were finished, Lafe.
This affair, coming on top of the cam
ceiling of those jobbers' leases, has
ended me-"
Lafe- scratched his chin. but said
nothing to this
You see." said Hilary, according to
my reckoning we shall have about for
ty thousand dollars on hand about
September first. That will last US till
Christmas. On the first of the year
we shall be up against 1t. We need
another sixty thousand TO carry us
fhrnr 01 hn xx-i1 ifr.lf ftnT
opens and we call sell our cutting. No
banks going to lend us anything with
our record"
I'VE can ship six thousand cords by
December first" said Lafe.
'aThirty-five thousand dollars-per-
haps less
I'VE could get more out of those
river bottoms" suggested Lafe
And shut down in the middle of
March,"
As far as j can see." Lafe bIurted
out, you'll be about ten thousand shy.
MIR. Askew. assuming things go fairly
well. That's why l came here. You
see. it's like this. I've got nearly eight
thousand in the First National bank
ct 'Shoeburyport, Mass. Clarice-Mrs.
ConneIl, that is-wouidn't let me buy
her house on the installment plan
as I wanted TO. She said as I'd never
know when we'd need the money. and
if couldn't pay up on time they'd get
it away from US somehow, no matter
what the contract said. 1t seemed
mighty unreasonable TO me. Mr.. AS
kew, but I'm glad now-I sure am
glad"
"Lafe." said Hilary. "are you crazy
enough TO suppose I'm going TO take
the money that you and Mrs. ConneII
have been saving up for a home. and
put 1t into this bankrupt ccncern?"
.Oh. shucks 20 said Lafe. "Why
that amt nothing. u guess / know a
good thing when I see one. I'm loan
ing it to you. Mr.. Askew. at-any rate
you want 10 pay me-
"Lafa. you're fool" said Hilary,
trying to keep his voice steady: I'm
tempted. But I'm not going to take
it,"
"Then ] guess I'll take the next boat
home." shouted Lafe. Il ain't going
to work for a busted. concern what's
going TO leave me stranded up here in
midwinfer. not drawing a cent. and