The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-16

ulicu Will udHc1uS, .SpechS swain Uc-
fore his vision. Out of it he saw the
face of one of the nearest spectators.
It was filed 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, a fearful spec
tacle, dripping sweat and blood. Hill
airy 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 mum
bled.
sect 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.
'I'll 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. 'I'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 forked stick. When he
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 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
impotent. Physical force could bring
him nowhere in the end.
1t took about an hour for the embel-
lished story TO filter through to the
mill. Before work was knocked off that
afternoon Hilary became conscious of
a new Difference 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 VIC 0llll gu 4OIOuSSCdu,
said Hilary to LATE. when do you
suppose he's going to declare himself?"
'Soon," said LATE. you've seen to
that, Mr.. Askew."
"Well," answered Hilary cheerfully,
swell 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 gotfo get
out record load next month, and Pm
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 man whom he
had never seen before. He surmised
at once that it was Brousseau, but ne
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 a
glimpse of Medicines 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 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.
I'm Mr.. Brousseau," said the visitor.
'T've heard of you," said Hilary.
you'll 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. Lee
blanc had permission to cut that tract
for Mr.. Norris because our two COM
panies worked hand in hand. It is not
my way to make explanations, Mons:
ieur Askew. hut take that for what it
is worth"
81 do so, and it is worth nothing"
Hilary answered. 'What is your prop
ositionp
"You assaulted my man."
"Never mind your man. He started
it, and he needed it. If find him on
my limits I'll assault him again. You
haven't come here to complain about