The Connecticut labor press., 1920-01-10

filled with dancing specks swan be- fore his vision. Out of it he saw the face of one of the nearest spectators 1t was filled 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's sleeve. Pierre recovered himself and rushed at the American. fearful spec tacle, dripping sweat and blood. Hil- ary 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 num- bled.
 "Get up!" 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 out 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.
 'IIl 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. ''T'll 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 poking 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 fight which would render him fmpotent. Physical force could bring him nowhere in the end.
 It took about an hour for the embel. Mshed story to filter through to the mill. Before work was knocked of that afternoon Hilary became conscious of q new deference 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" said Hilary to Lafe. "When do you suppose he's going to declare himselfT'
 "Soon," said Lafe. You've seen to that, MT. 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- ton he likes about it."
 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 a 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 glimpse of Madeleine's 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 young-look- ing. He came into the office and glared down at Hilary, who at once rose and faced him.
 "Tm Mr. Brousseau," said the visitor
 'sTve heard of you." said Hilary.
 ''Youu 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," snarled Brousseau. .'The Riviere Rocheuse has never been sur veyed. What you call the creek is the upper part of Riviere Rocheuse. Le- blanc had permission to cut that tract for MT. Morris because our two con- panies worked hand in hand. It is not my way to make explanations, Mons ieur Askew. but take that for what 1t is worth"
 'I do so, and 1t is worth nothing" Hilary answered. 'What is your prop osition2"
 sYou assaulted my man."
 "Never mind your man. He started 1t, and he needed 1t. If l find him on my limits I'll assault him again. You haven't come here to complain about TD-