Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1920-04-29
EEEaEaEaMEaEaEaE
CHAPTER XIII.
The island.

spend three hours there and return on
the evening tide.
Hilary, seated opposite his friend,
'nsid him of the conversation with
Lsuis, who, manipulating the tiller,
heard nothing.
eff Louis will swear to what he in
formed me-" he said, at that
we can clap Brousseau into Jail. 9th
eerwise he'll never give up his schemes
against me, because he has a personal
grievance"
"Mr. Askew." said LATE, might I
put a question to you without giving
,offeuse?"
You may, C0nnell."
SET'm only saying what everybody's
saying in st. Boniface, and that is
about your cutting Brousseau out with
Mademoiselle Rosny."
II guess it's true. Lafe," said Hillary.
"Lafe, ~she's-well, you understand"
"T guess In do" said LATE. He
stretched out a sinewy hand and
gripped Hilary's warmly. II wish
Sfarlce my WA1S-SouIu ueet YOU, ue
said.
"I hope she will, LATE, some day.
But now about Brousseau."
81 asked you that" said LATE, "be-
cause there's a lot hangs on it. Now
as to Louis-he wouldn't swear. If
Ire did swear, he'd swear that he'd
been lying as soon as Brousseau
slipped him a ten-dollar bill. No, sir,
1t won't do. We've got to get the fox
right into the trap before we spring
1t"
"Tm afraid I am no hand at spring
ing traps, Lafe."
mo. But we've got to give him rope
enough to hang himself. We don't
want to go off at half-cock. That's
5ptainer, amt it? My advice is as be-
fore; lie low. You see, sir, when a
man schemes and schemes and plans
his crooked work, all that he's doing
lis to twist the rope tighter round his
W neck. We've got him now, but
we must get the moose tight, so that
he won't wriggle out of it. And he'll
twist it tight next time he wriggles.
That's my idea, Mr.. Askew."
Il guess you're right as usual LATE"
answered Hilary. "But I've been ly-
ing low a laundering long time"
Nc more vas said upon the subject.
Out in the Gulf the choppiness of the
waves had changed to a steady sweep
toward the island, which, lying in mid
stream, received and broke the full
force of the daily tides. The wind
aided them, and they swept through
the water. Hilary watched the near
ing land with interest that d~eepened
as he began to make out the luxurious
growth of conifers that covered 1t al
most TO the seas verge.
In the center he could now make
Out a ridge Of low hills, which seemed
20 ascend to a terminal cliff, having
on n side a gentle slope and, on the
other, a PERCEPTIONS descent toward
the water.
There ought to be some fine cut
ting there for US some day." said
Hilary. "Helloi What's that?"
somebody has got there before u.s."
said ConneI.
A boat came into view, a little fish
ing sloop, much like Duval's, beached
on the shore, the sails down, the bow
high above high water.
THAT boat belongs to Jacques
Brousseau," said Louis, pointing to-
ward it.
whats he doing on my limits, I
wonder" unused Hilary.
81 guess he's making this his winter
" CURRIERS' Hes trapped the seigniory
/: 50 long that he thinks it's his terri
+, cary"
They grounded. DuvaL, leaping
ashore, brought the bow round above
the water level. LATE and Hilary
stepped out and stretched their cramp-
ed limbs.
The wind blew keenly, but, once un-
y Ger the shelter Of the island, they
/ found it warm autumn weather.
! Leaving Louis stretched out in the
boat, under a tarpaulin, LATE and Hill
dIY SbdIICu Wy ulC SfUpiuS UcdCu lOWdEu
the interior. The first thing that they
noticed +as peculiar, when they had
passed the outer fringe Of trees, was
the existence Of q weil-defined trail.
They stopped and looked at it.
~SEJo you suppose old Jacques made
all thatY' asked LATE.
TOO wide"
sAnd too hard, MI. Askew. This
has been stamped out this summer
And Jacques has only been here 9
week, at most"
-"Then-Y" asked Hilary.
Somebody else has been on the
island all summer, or at least most o.
the summer. Maybe two or three o.
them. 1t looks like it"
The trail had disappeared. The!
were now scrambling up a gulley be
tween great rocks that lowered OF
either side of them. At the top o
the elevation appeared the point o
the island, and the face Of the grea
cliff, cleft into numerous assures, som
widening into small caves.
Suddenly LATE gripped Hilary's arr