Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1920-05-07
By VICTOR ROUSSEAU
Illustrations by Irwin Myers
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ut his elbow when he went In. followed
him inside the room. and took a chair
beside him.
Hilary looked at him with ybirn.
sical smile. Were finished. Lafe
This AFFAIR, coming on top of the can.
ceiling of those jobbers' lenses. has
ended me-"
Lafe scratched his chin, but said
nothing to this.
'You see" said Hilary, according tn
my reckoning we shall have about for.
ty thousand dollars on hand about
September first. That will last us TIL
Christmas. On the first OF the year
we shall be up against it. We need
another sixty thousand to carry us
through the winter, till navigation
opens and we call sell our cutting. No
banks going to lend us anything with
our record"
"We can ship six thousand cords by
December first" said Lafe
"Thirty-five thousand dollars-per-
haps less"
"We could get more out OF those
river bottoms" suggested Lafe.
"And shut down in the middle OF
March"
''As far as I can see" Lafe blurted
out, you'll be about ten thousand shy.
Mr.. Askew. assuming things go fairly
well. That's why l came here. You
see. it's Nke this. I've got nearly eight
thousand in the First National bank
at Shoebnryport. Mass. Clarice-Mrs.
hot DIT Lat
her a house on the installment plan
as l wanted to. She said as I'd never
know when we'd need the money. and
IL I couldn't pay up on time they'd get
IL away from us somehow, no matter
what the contract said. 1t seemed
mighty unreasonable to me, Mr.. As
kew, but I'm glad now-I sure am
glad"
"Lafe," said Hilary, "are you crazy
enough to suppose I'm going to take
the money that you and Mrs. Connell
have been saving up for a home, and
put it into this bankrupt concern?"
"Oh, shucksv' said Lafe. "Why
that amt nothing. / guess 1 know
good thing when l see one. I'm loan
ing it TO you, Mr.. Askew, at-any rate
you want to pay me.
"Lafe. you're a fool" said Hilary,
trying to keep his voice steady: I'm
tempted. But I'm not going to take
it,
"Then l guess I'll take the next boat
homer shouted Lafe. 81 amt goins
TO work for busted concern what's
going to leave me stranded up here In
midwinter, not drawing a cent and
Clarice-my wife-and the kids in
Shoeburyport. No, sir! You take
that or ri leave. 1t amt so crazy
in getting the last ounce out of the
men-and l guess Clarice will ap-
prove. And when the concerns on its
own legs, you-why, you can raise my
wages"
"Connell. you're a trump" said Hill
ary. "I'll take it. Yes, I'll take 1t. be
cause I know now that / am going to
succeed. We can't fail. Lafe. when
we're as much in earnest as we are.
Good Lord. what a Respondent fool
I've been -
"Same here" said Lafe. 81 was just
hopeless. till you made me see
straight"
"Why. 1t was you made me see
straight" said Hilary. "Now, Con
nell. we'll push things hard from this
very minute. Wen start in cutting
along the river. and We'll float the
logs right down stream to the mill. and
We'll keep Dupont and his schooner
coming and going till navigation closes,
even if we make Riviere Rocheuse
look as bare as our bank account was
looking just now Baptiste will be
worth score when he understands"
He broke off suddenly. and the two
men, struck by the same thought.
looked at each other
II wonder why Baptlste went off as
soon as he'd dynamited the JAM" said
Hilary.
He felt ashamed of his suspicious.
Yet, remembering that day when
Baptiste was comforting with Pierre,
he could not wholly rid himself OF
them.
''Lafe," he said "what was 1t you
heard those men saying after the ac-
cident? You started"
"Why, / guess that wasn't nothing,
Mr.. Askew. You know how excited
these people get over trifies. They're
just like a flock of geese gabbling
around"
what was 1t, Lafe?"
"Just nonsense, sir. Not worth re-
peating. but-well. you see. It's this
way. Some darned fool said CHAT some
body had sawed part way through the
logs of the boom"
Then for the first time the words Of
Madeleine Rosny came back to Hilary:
Look to your booml Look to your
boom |"