The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-04-17
CHAPTER II.
,fe ConneII Explains.

After DItdhl"'' - , s.,
az, az hired Monsieur Tremblay's
i hn", ! and started out with LATE, with
s ~ iotention of covering a portion OF
" limits i'm and seeing the operations OF
=. ,ohbers: he also meant to Keep
q avos open as to the nature OF
the timber ,,r o,d
The buggy surmounted a hiII' anu
,ratber hill appeared in the distance.
rr and there, scattered along the
y. we're solitary cabins, with
T,go matches of cultivated ground
about them.
'' @sod On the right of the road is the
ca Marie territory" asked Hilary.
~ yen. Mr.. Askew. The two runs
,oot and neck back into them noun
tslus We turn off presently. We haven't
,onchpd this district yet"
Hilary noted the frst-growth spruce
.,ong tbe banks. "Why don't we cut
mis- anyway if the rest is mainly
srT bp asked. "There's enough lum-
=, here to fiji our dam instead Of
tbo Ste Marie company's logs"
Iefe answered volubly, but did not
meet Hilary's eyes.
"YOu see, Mr.. Askew," he began to
oynlain. ITS this way. There's a
good deal of fir on our property, and
what nine and spruce there is is small
M There was a big fire over this
asriet fifteen years or so ago. Now
Mr. Morris calculates that if we 60
sIow for while and give the trees a
chance to grow, they'll be worth twice
g much In a few years. We're de-
yeloplng the property slowly, Mr..
Askew-"
Hllary'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"
Iafe stammered and hung his head
Ike a schoolbOy caught in wrong
doing. But Hilary's hand was grip
ping his shoulder, and at last LATE
raised his head and looked straight
at Hilary.
IF thought you'd stick here" he
said, q guess I'd back you to the lin
It. But you'll never stand for st
BOnlfaee Mr.. Askew. They're so in
ternally slow here, they amt got hu
man ways, sir. And they're crooked
Thought. when heard you was com
Ing, you'd be like Mr.. MOrris-I mean
wise to the game-but you amt.
guess most business is crooked every
where, but here it's crooked al
through. You'll be selling out to MI
Brousseau in a months time, ant
that1l be my finish"
You're dead wrong, COnnell," an
@ered Hilary. II like the looks o
this country, and I'm here to stay
Now suppose you forget about MI
Rousseau for a while and conside
Yourself to be what you are, my PAL
employee. And you can count on m
Standing by you"
He held his hand out. For a me-
ment LATE ConnelIs keen gray eye
met his searching inquiry; then h
took Hilary's hand and wrung it.
7 believe you mean what you So!
M. Askew,' he returned. "And 20
can reckon on me so far as my dut
goes
Y suppose that tale about the ROt
ny seigniory being nothing but fir
q lie, ConneIl? asked Hilary pre-
entity as the pony ambled through
valley Oyergrown with red pine.
Mostly" said LATE. "There is
zeal Of fir, but there's enough spruc
and pine to make the concession pa
I Mr.. Morris wanted it to"
so Norris has been playing double
LATE nodded. "You see, Mr.. Aske1
rs this way" he said. "When MOrr
came up here | believe he meant
'Qn straight. But he'd been a lumbr
man In a small way up in Ontario, az
ne wasn't wise to the game as II
played here, Here it's graft, and il
never been nothing else. So wht
Norris found your uncle didn't kno
nothing about the business, and lie
IN his hands, he naturally fell f
ne game BrOusseau was playing.
Brousseau is the big man up hel
and he'd had his eye on the Rosl
selgniory for long time. He want
Q buy but Rosny was sore on hi
and he closed the deal with your unC
instead. But afterward Brousseau 9
ne mortgage on the Chateau and t
mule bit Of land round it, to keep he
On Rosny
INV =,
Wen, the Rosny seigniory is t
Oliy piece Of freehold up this way. T
yoad it's government land, and
round It's government land. Bro,
aa started in to squeeze your I'm,
ON and Morris went with him.
saSed double as you we're sayiI
vi Askew. The point of the VIII
sane was to freeze out your I'm
s g get the property for a so
mats how it stands. Here we IL
y INTO Mr., Leblanc's lease"
Who's hep
Your chief iobber," said LATE.
me buggy turned off through
.Osest along a new road. Here v
sylle Splendid timber, black and WI
spruce and tan white pine. The sol
!. axes began to be audible, and pl
sa.iy they reached a clearing, in VIII