The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1920-02-06
CHAPTER !.
The Rosny White Elephant

1.
h,,iIdinp in an old part Of the Lower
,ro,vn Small. wiry. black-haired'
with an air of unconvincing plauslDh-
ity about him, Monsieur Lhliiai -.
was seated at his desk. drumming MS
6rgars staring out of the window. ana
turning again to look at letter slgheu
Hilary Askew. when his boy Drousnl
him n card with the same name upon
it Monsieur Lamartine frowned.
ssTeu Monsieur Askew that am
busy with an important court cast
no said ASK him to call at this time
tomorrow"
Mr. AsIlew says he's busy, 100 anu
nell wait" announced the boy, return
ing. IN
The notary considered "Weli, ten
him I'll see him in few minutes ne
answered.
When the boy was gone he TOOK
down the telephone receiver ana gave
q number.
as that YOU. Brousseau?" he asked
sAIonsieur Hilary Askew has turner
mp
There was a suffering at the other
end of the line which made the notary
emile.
81 can't say. I haven't seen MIN
vet said Monsieur Lamartine, in an
swer. But if / can't send him home
with n smile on his lips and check
I'm his rocket l shall try to keep him
I'm Ouehec until have seen you. And
vou'd better try to get Morris by long
distance and warn him. Good-by.
He hung up the receiver, rang for
the boy and told him to admit Mr..
Askew. Then he rose to receive MS
visitor.
He looked at Hilary keenly as he
shook hands with him. The young man
was different from what he had ex-
pected. He was about as big, and ne
had the same air of American energy !;
but he appeared more determined, ne
looked like one of those uncomfortaDie
men who have the knack of disentan-
cling themselves from sophistries.
However, Hilary looked good-natured'
And he was certainly inexperienced.
Monsieur Lamartine gave him chair
pnd looked very plausible indeed
.'Your visit has followed very close
anon YOUR letter, Mr.. Askew,' he SAID
g.Perhaps you did not get mine, advis-
yng YOU TO wait before coming TO que
bec?"
Mo- said Hilary, ''but would have
come anyway. I want TO get this mat
ter settled"
.sTbe American haste" said the no
tarv. looking almost ingenious. "Bu
the law is not 10 be taken by storm
least of all in Quebec. 1t is only
month since your uncle died. Perhap
IL will be months before we can turl
over the property to you. L under
stand that you were not in close touc
with YOUR uncle during his latte
years."
at hadn't seen him since / was DO.
That was what made the legacy SUI
prising one He had not shown an
interest in me. / had hard fight
get through my forestry course.
when / heard that / had become Tn
owner of a tract of a hundred squaf
miles it seemed like an Intervention
Prevalence. That is almost a kim
dom. sir"
a.ren miles by tenn" inquired I'll
notary smiling. "Well, i suppose
does seem a large territory to you, q
though the Rosny seigniory was one
the smallest of the old feudal grant
II f. almost the last on the north sho
of the ST. Lawrence that remains
the hands of the original family
"Fo1r hundred thousand dolla
seems a big sum for my uncle to ha'
paid for it." said Hilary.
.Your uncle" said Monsieur Lams
tine. beginning TO drum softly, 'Tla'
this investment against the advice
good many people. The Rosny til
her rights are practically valueless.
cause the wood is principally balsa
FIR instead of pine and spruce.
He noted that Hilary only watch
him instead of answering, and he
gan to feel that he would not be d
posed of rs easily as he had anti
pated.
1.-THE property has never begun
nav its way" continued Monsieur
MARITIME. Your uncle paid three HI
bred and fifty thousand for the cutti
rights alone. He found himself
against the law which places a liz
ON the size of trees. Seven inches
black, or swamp spruce, / belle,
twelve for white spruce; twelve
thirteen for pine. And nearly all
trees on the Rosny limits that are
fir are under the legal size. Your
Gle sank half his fortune in it.
vas-excuse me-eccentric. This
the case: the timber canQot be
except at loss, on account of
sparseness and the high cost of ira
portation- The balsam fir is too g
my to make any but inferior paper.
low the standard even of the news
pers- 1t occupies the greater pori
Of the tract. together with sec
growth birch. which Il, Of course,
nee only for arew0od- The expez
ore vssY considerable. In short