The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-04-10

fore. Now you take Dutchman or a
DagO-their ways amt our ways, but
they're more or less human. These
people amt. They paint their houses
yellow and green, when they paint 'em
at all. | never saw q yellow house
with a green porch in my life till |
come up here"
"Just a difference of taste, Mr. Con-
NELL"
Maybe" sale LATE, splitting May
be it's all right not to have sense to
plaster their houses, so as to freeze to
death in winter time. Maybe it's all
right to run to Father Lucy when
there's a forest fire, instead of getting
to work and putting it out. Maybe ha
can pray it out for them. l got nothing
against the place, except that my wife
Clarice and the kids are in Shoebury-
port. and I'd rather rot here alone than
bring 'em up. But what's the user
I'm here and I got to stay here" he
ended, Struggling his shoulders.
LATE was bad CrOss-queStiOner, and
the task put upon him by BrOusseau
was not only uncOngenal but impOs-
sible for man of his temperament.
However, he made a valiant attempt
to draw Hilary out. you're thinking
Of spending some time here, Mr. AS.
keW?" he asked.
i've come to take charge. I'm going
to stay" said Hilary.
LATE looked at him curOusly. What
sort Of man could this be who chose
of his vOlitiOn to reside in st. BOni-
face?
Il guess you'll change your mind
when you've seen it little longer" he
said incredulously.
"On the contrary, Mr.. ConnelI,
mean to take hold, and | mean to make
it pay. 1t hasn't paid very well, I'M,
derstand"
LATE foundered. I've heard it
don't pay as much as it ought"
Il understand that most of the tim
Der is below the size at which cutting
is allowedp
LATE stared at him. "Why, them
rules are for government land!" he
answered. "You can cut any size on
freehold. The timber amt so bad
leastways, some of it amt"
Hilary began to think hard. On this
point Lamartine had clearly and def
nitely lied to him.
"Too much fir on the property" he
asked.
"Why, there is some FIR" conceded
LATE. "But there's some good spruce
along the Rocky river" he added,
again oblivious of his instructions.
~ saw good pile In the river"
"Why, that amt our cutting-not
much Of IT," said LATE. Most of that
comes from the Ste. Marie limits"
"Where is Ste. Marie?"
Este. Marie's two miles along the
coast, beyond our settlement" said
Late. "Most Of our hands come from
there. It's tough place, Mr.. Askew.
I seen some tough towns in the West,
but this has got 'em all beat, with the
smuggling Of brandy, and the drinking,
and the fights every Saturday night
there was q man knitted there last
week; and not q policeman within ff-
ty miles, and nobody except Father
Lucy, and he can't hold EN-"
"What want to know" said Hilary,
us, what this company Is that you
speak about, and how they come to use
the Rocky river for their logs"
LATE hesitated, but only for a mo-
ment. Then he mentally cast Brous-
seau to the winds; for, after all, II
Hilary meant to know, nobody could
prevent it, Brousseau's instructions
Notwithstanding.
"It's this way, Mr.. Askew," he said
"Mr. Morris and Mr.. Brousseau have a
company of their own. Their limits
touch ours on the west, across the
river, and run ten miles or SO back
into the bush, right alongside ours
They got the right to float their logs
down the river"
"And use the mill?"
"Mr. Norris leases the use Of our
mill by the year to the company"
Hilary was staggered for the mo,
ment. Morris, as his uncle's manager
leasing the mill to Morris, partner in
Brousseau's company, seemed a queer
role.
"How do they tell our lumber from
theirs?" asked Hilary presently.
"Oh, that amt hard" said Late
"You see, the jobbers, who suitcase
the tracts, know how much their men
have cut. And it's scaled in the
woods before they shoot it down
stream. l guess there amt no diff,
Guilty there, Mr.. Askew. And you see
Mr.. Morris representing both concerns
he naturally does his best by both OF
'em."