The Dolores star., 1920-05-07

what want" said Hilary. "is the
Rosny tract"
"The offer is too small2 I doubt
81 will discuss that after have seen
the concession
The notary sighed. "Well. at least
think the matter over for WHILE he
said. "Mr. Morris. the manager, Is
away on business. He should be In
Quebec tomorrow. and perhaps he can
arrange to take you up there"
II am thinking of going ut very
early date" said Hilary. sin fact. by
the boat tomorrow"
Mr. Askew. | assure you. you had
better wait for Mr.. Morris. He is ii
man of expert judgment. You cannot
have better adviser. and he has abso-
lutely no personal interest one way or
another. There are so many things to
consider: and then-you don't speak
French. do your"
"a little"
at would not help you, anyway.
The dialect up Mt st. Boniface is seven
teeuth century. They are wild lot
up there, very bad lot of people !;
smugglers and poachers, Mr. Askew.'
Hilary. who had already sensed La
marines objection to his going to st.
BOnface, awakened to suspicion at
last. 81 shall leave on tomorrow morn
ing's boat" he said. when l have
made my decision shall let you know.
| think | shall refuse your company'S
offer. VIII you let me have the pa
pcrs, Monsieur Lamnrtine. including
the last halfyearly statement and the
map of the limits?"
But It is entirely irregular, Mr. As
Kew. RI" Wy"
Let me have the papers. please"
said Hilary, smiling. And you need
have no fear that you will be held re
SpOnsible for my anticipating my in
hcrtance. l imagine | have as much
right there as Mr.. Norris"
"Of course, If that is your decision,
there is nothing more to say" an
sWercG the other bruS0ucly. He
pulled out n drawer and removed an
envelope containing some documents.
You will find the statement here" he
said. "NIr Morris has the books and
the map Of ST. Boniface. I wish yol,
a pleasant journey, sir. You wish me
to continue to represent yOuT
For the present. yes. Good-day"
When he was gone Monsieur Lamar
tin" sat back in his chair and drummed
his fingers for nearly minute Then
he called up Brousseau.
Hes just gone" he said. "And he
starts for st. Boniface tomorrow morn
ing, in spite of all my representa-
lions"
He smiled at the sputtering that
came over the wire.
1t was well into the afternoon when
Hilary reached St. Boniface on the
small tr-weekIy mail boat. For fifty
or sixty miles below Quebec the coun,
try. sparsely Inhabited though 1t is
and primitive, contains settlements
with shingled houses, hotels, tourists
In season; and II was not until the st
Lawrence widened into the Gulf that
that the ship was sailing into terri
tory as primitive as 1t had been a score
Of years after jacques Cartier landed
Something of the primeval nature OF
the land entered Hlary's heart anC
gripped it. He had never known wha1
1t was to take hold of virgin lant
and tame 1t, to grapple with life. no
among the men of cities, but some
where with the smell of the pines ant
OF the brown earth in his nostrils. Pac
ing the deck of the little ship, he fell
that his desires had come to light a
the moment when their fulfillment hat
become possible.
He looked about him with approva
when he stood upon the porch of tn.
tiny hotel ut st. Boniface. Nobody
else had got off the boat, and evident
ly the landlord of the little hotel ex
pected nobody. After an inetfectua
attempt to enter into conversation witt
him, in which hardly word was mu
tually ineligible, Hilary gave up tn.
effort and started up the hill roac
which led. he surmised, toward the
lumber mill.
The whole settlement was gathered
about the shores of the little bay. Be
y0nd 1t were the mountains, on either
side the forest-clad hills, broken, or
the east. by an inlet. and on the west
by the deep cleft of the Rocky river
whose mouth, closed by boom, was
congested mass of logs.
Hilary crossed the bridge and an
preached the mill. Two or three men
lounging outside the store. looked al
him without any sign of interest
Everything was very still and peace,
tul; there was hardly sound to be
heard except the distant hum of the
mill machinery.
Between the dam and the store
upon a terrain heaped with tin cans
and miscellaneous debris, were piles
OF wood in four-foot lengths. each com
prlslng about two hundred cords.
kneeling at the narrow end of one of
these piles was little man, whose
n uha