The Rice belt journal., 1920-05-15

lumbermen who were in his way aside,
seized the bottle from his hand. and
dashed it to the floor. His movement
and the ensuing action were so swift
that it was only after their compile
ton that all the company awakened to
his presence.
He turned toward the plank table
which had been nailed across a recess
for a bar counter. On this were a
number of bottles, all of brandy or gin
illicitly distilled and smuggled up the
| river. On the floor were two hogs
heads. A quantity of glasses newly
bought, and still containing fragments
of the straw in which they had been
packed, stood on packing case near
by.
Hilary swept his arm along the
plank, knocking off the bottles, which
crashed to the floor, Strewing it with
broken glass. A score of streams be-
gan to filter between the edges of the
boards, uniting in the depressiOns. The
stencil of the spirits rose into the air.
He kicked the hOgSheadS over, and
they added their contents to the pool.
With another sweep he struck down
the glasses. Then the lumbermen
rushed at him, cursing, infuriated. The
foremost hesitated as they came with
in reach of his arm, however. remem-
berfng Pierre's discontinue. The mo-
mentary delay was fatal to them. Hill
ary struck out with all his force, fell
ing them, or sending them staggering
backward against those behind, and
clearing a passage in a twinkling to-
ward Louis, with whom alone he had
business at that moment
Louis was a coward, unlike his
brother and Pierre, perhaps pardon
ably, on account Of his physical weak
ness. AS Hilary graSped him by the
shoulders the liquor seller, who made
up in adroitness for what he lacked In
strength, twisted like an eel, dived
under the arms of those about him,
and rushed toward the rear entrance.
shouting something as he ran.
What 1t was Hilary did not know.
He perceived dimly that the mob fell
back, except for few who, unable to
restrain themselves, surged about him
like pack of wolves, snarling, and
trying to thrust at him with the knives
which they had drawn from their
leather belt sheaths. Hilary, fighting
like mailman, sent then1 smashing to
the floor, cleared his way again, and
made for Louis, who was just open
ing the back door. He grasped at him,
but Louis was just second too quick.
He darted through, and the door,
thrown back violently, struck Hilary
upon the forehead. The next instant
Hilary passed through the doorway in
pursuit
The shanty which Baptiste had once
occupied had formerly been a part Of
large structure used by the mill for
storing machinery. At the back, and
contiguous with it, had been the old
mill stables. The door connecting the
two places had been nailed up, but
Duval had opened it that morning In
the course Of his preparations for Hill
ary's advent.
AS Hilary entered the stable the
door closed behind him, and he heard
the bolt shot. The yells Of the lumber
men grew faint. 1t was only then Hill.
ary realized that he had run into
trap.
The stable contained Louis, who haC
posted himself within the stall imme
diately opposite the entrance, anC
grinned at Hilary defantly. Between
the two stood Simeon Duval, gro
tesque grin upon his scholarlike fea-
lures. The man who had bolted the
door was Leblanc, and Black Pierre
stood beside him.
The four, executing Hanklng move
ment simultaneously, advanced and
took up their position between Hilary
and the door. Nobody spoke, but
Simeon Duval took off his spectacles
quite methodically, folded them in
their case, and placed 1t back In his
pocket. Standing with his back close
enough to the wall of one of the horse
boxes to be able to prevent an attack
from behind, Hilary watched the four
cOntemptuously. They had got him
there to fight and there was nothing
he wanted more, even against the lot
of them. He half regretted having
drawn his cartridges but he was con-
scious Of no sense of fear whatever.