The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-05-13
BY VICTOR ~RO
Illustrations by Irwin Myers



at his elbow when he went In. followed
him inside the room. and took a chair
beside him.
Hilary looked at him with a whim-
steal smile. "We're finished. LATE.
This affair. coming on top of the can
ceiling of those jobbers' leases, has
ended me-"
LATE scratched his chin, but said
nothing to this.
you see," said Hilary, according 10
my reckoning we shall have about for
ty thousand dollars on hand about
September first. That will last Us till
Christmas. On the first of the year
we shall be up against 1t. We need
another sixty thousand TO carry us
through the winter, till D~avigation
opens and we call sell our cutting. No
banks going to lend is anything with
our record"
"We can ship six thousand cords by
December first" said LATE.
"Thirty-five thousand aollars-per.
haps less"
"We could get more out Of those
river bottoms" suggested Lafe.
"And shut down In the middle q
March,"
"As far as l can See" Lafe bIurted
out, you'll be about ten thousand shy,
Mr.. Askew, assuming thinge go fairly
well. That's why / came hare. You
see, it's like this. I've got nearly eight
thousand in. the First National bank
at Sh~oeburyport, Mass. Clarice-Mrs.
Connell, that is-wouldn't let me buy
her a house on the installment plan
as I wanted to. She said as I'd never
know when we'd need the money, and
If / couldn't pay up on time they'd get
It away from is somehow, no matter
what the contract said. 1t seemed
mighty unreasonable to me, Mr.. As
kew, but Pm 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. Conner
have been saving up for a home, and
put 1t into this bankrupt c%oncern?"
"Oh, shucks!' said Late. why
that amt nothing. / guess I know a
good thing when / 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: Urn
tempted. But I'm not going TO tax.
It."
'"Then ! guess I'll take the next boat
home !" shouted LATE. IT amt going
to work for a 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. sirl You take
that or I'll leave. 1t amt so crazy
as you think. It'll give me an interest
In getting the last ounce out of the
men-and I guess Clarice will ap
prove. And when the concerns on iti
own legs, you-why, you can raise my
wages"
"Connell, you're a trump" said Hill
airy. SRI take it. Yes, I'll take 1t, be
cause / know now that I am going t,
succeed. We can't fail, LATE, when
we're as much In earnest as we are
Good Lord, what a respondent foo
I've been"
"Same here" said LATE. 81 was JUS
hopeless. till you made mt sea
straight"
"Why. 1t was you made me see
| straight" said Hilary. "Now, Con
nell, well push things hard from thif
very minute. Wen start In cutting
along the river, and we'll float tn.
-. ~;~hA 5--,, +.,c~x - Az xafrI 80
wen keep Dupont and his schooner
coming and going till navigation closes
wen If we make Riviere Rocheust
look as bare as our bank account WA
looking just now. Baptiste will be
worth a score when he understands
He broke off suddenly. and the two
men, struck by the same thought.
looked at each other.
II wonder why Baptiste went off az
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"
"Wify, I guess that wasn't nothing,
Mr.. Askew. You know how excited
these people get over trifes. They're
Just like a flock of geese Cabling
around"
"What was II. Later"
"Just noGsepss. sir. Not worth 70
peating. but--well, you see. it's this
wesS. Some Garncd fool said that 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 boomi Look to your
boom I"
He hCng his head and flushed with
shame. 1t seemed impossible to- assoc
ciate that act of treachery with her.
Yet, struggle as he did. her last
words haunted him.