The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-01-31

went
| His statement I'm the store must have
created good deal of sensation. for
presently two clerks, as well as the
| two loungers, who had gone inside,
| came to the door and stared Olsen
| gaging himself from among these came
the foreman, a tall, lean lanky New
Engander, whose deliberate SLOUGH
and typical bearing warmed Hilary's
| heart instantly He knew the type,
knew it as only one with the New Eng
| land blood knows his own.
I'm LATE Connell, at your service,
Mr.. Askew," said the foreman, coming
up to Hilary and standing respectfully
before him.
81 suppose | should have let you peo-
pie know that ! was coming said
Hilary.
He wondered why LATE Council
whistled; he knew nothing about
Brousseau's telephoned warning.
Il guess you'll find things upset a
little" said Connell. "Mr. Morris has
been away for a couple of weeks, see
ing to his other interests, and / can't
exactly do much for you till he comes
back. It's our slack month, you know,
Mr.. Askew. The men don't go into
the woods until September, and we
don't keep large force employed on
the mill work.
"Tomorrow's soon enough to start
in" said Hilary. "Im pleased to have
met you. Mr. Connell"
"Wait a minute" said the foreman.
IF you don't mind having me, I'll go
up to the hotel with you. Maybe
therell be some things that you'll
want to ask me-"
"AlI right" said Hilary.
They went together silently across
the shaking bridge and assembled the
HILL each quietly taking stock of the
other At the top. where branch
road ran off at right angles to that
which crested the cliff. figure on
horseback appeared In the distance.
1t was a girl. riding side-saddle. As
the horse drew near she pulled In to
take the branch road without scatter
ing the dust. passing within few feet
of Hilary. He saw that she was about
twenty years of age. or little more,
slight. very straight upon the saddle,
with gray-blue eyes and brown hair
blown by the wind about her flushed
cheeks. There was a combination Of
dignity and simplicity about her, both
In her demeanor and in the way she
rode, and in her acknowledgment of
Connell's greeting.
Hilary watched her canter up the
road till she had disappeared among
the trees. Then he realized that he
had not taken his eyes off her since he
had first seen her.
"That," said Lafe, ais Mamzelle
Madeleine Rosny. Her fathers what
they call the Seigneur.'
1.-THE owner of the Chateau?" asked
Hilary, although he knew this per-
fectly.
eyes, Mr.. Askew. guess she
wouldn't have smiled so pleasant If
she had known who you was"
"Why, Mr.. ConnellT'
LATE jerked his thumb vaguely about
the horizon. proud old boy" he ex-
planned. "Family's been here nigh on
a thousand years. guess-leastways
since them Frenchmen first came to
this continent. Hated like thunder to
sell out to your uncle. But l guess
he was land poor. like the rest of them,
and Mamzelle Madeleine must have
cost him mint of money finishing up
in the convent at Paris, France"
Hilary turned this over In his mind
as they continued their walk along the
cliff and then down the road to the
hotel. The idea of any personal i'll
feeling on the Seigneur's part or on
that of his family had not occurred to
him. Though he did not expect to
meet Monsieur Rosny, except possibly
In the course of his business, he was
conscious of feeling Of regret. and
also of half-formed resolution, the
nature of which he would not admit,
to put relations upon a pleasant foot
Ing.
In the hotel the landlords wife was
already preparing supper. They ate
an omelet, washed down with strong