The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-03-20
Bv VICTOR ROUSSEAU
Illustrations by Irwin Myers

| nun iiSliC tiit A"N'i "-N> -
| beside him.
, Hilary looked at him with within.
steal smile. "We're finished Lafe,
This affair, coming on top Of the AN
ceiling of those jobbers' leases. has
ended me"
Lafe scratched his chin, but satt
nothing to this.
"You see" said Hilary, according te
nv 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 ii. We neec
| another sixty thousand to carry US
through the winter, till navigation
opens and we call sell our cutting Nc
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 Cd
March"
"As far as I can see" Lafe bluTtec
out, you'll be about ten thousand shy.
Mr.. Askew, assuming things go .airly
well. That's why / came here. You
see, It's like this. I've got nearly eish,
thousand in the First National bapk
at Shoeburyport, Mass. Clarice-Nrs,
Connell, that is-wouldn't let me buy
her O house on the fnstallment plan
as I wanted to. She said as I'd never
know when we'd need the money. and
if I couldn't pay up on time they get
it away from US somehow, 10 matter
what the contract said. 1t seenet
mighty unreasonable TO me, Mr.. AS
! kew, but I'm glad now-I sure an
glad"
'Lafe," said Hilary, "are you crszy
enough to suppose I'm going TO take
| the money that you and Mrs. Council
have been saving up for home, and
put it into this bankrupt concern
| "Oh, shucks!" said LATE. "lVh.
that amt nothing. / guess / know
| good thing when / see one. I'm loan
ing it to you, Mr.. Askew, at-any rats
you want to pay me-
"Lafe. you're a fool" said Hilary
trying to keep his voice steady: TN
| tempted But I'm not going to takt
| it."
Then guess I'll take the next boat
| home!" shouted Lafe. II amt Soint
to work for a busted concern What,
| going to leave me stranded up here il
| midwinter, not drawing a cent, and
| Clarice-my wife-and the ki.,J In
Shoeburyport. No, sir! You cake
that or III leave. It amt so crazy
as you think. It'll give me an inseres,
in getting the last ounce out cf thu
men-and / guess Clarice will ap
prove. And when the concerns on 1t,
own legs, you-why, you can raise al
wages"
Council. you're trump" said Hi
airy. "I'll take it. Yes, I'll take il, hl
cause / know now that am going I,
succeed. We can't fail, Lafe, whei
we're as much in earnest as We ara
Good Lord. what Respondent foo
Eve BEEN"
Same here" said LATE. IT was ian
hopeless. till you made ne g.,
straight"
why, it was you made NE ss
straight" said Hilary. "Now. Cop
nell. Wen push things hard from TIL
very minute Wen start in cuttin,
along the river. and Wen float IL,
logs right down stream 10 the mill. AT
we'll keep Dupont and his schoonc,
coming and going till navigation close.
even II we make Riviere Rocheus
LOOK as bare as our bank account VA
looking just now. Baptiste Will u
worth score when he underestimate
He broke OFF suddenly, and the tu,
men, struck by the same thor,hs
looked ut each other.
Il wonder why Baptiste went o- y
soon as he'd dynamited the jam" salt
Hilary.
He felt ashamed Of his susplclors
Yet. remembering that day whn
Baptiste was comforting with Pierre
ne could not wholly rid himself q
them.
LATE" he said. what was II 70,
heard those men saying after the nc
cident? You started"
Why, l guess that WASN'T ra.h,n,
ar ASSew. You know how excg,ss
.hese people get over tribes. Theyr
just Ike flock Of geese gabei'u,
around"
what was II. Lafer'
AUST nonsense, sir. M. r.,r,,
peattng, hut--well. YOU see ,r.s ii,
way. Some darned fool said thar ~,,,o
body had sawed part way thronvh a..
logs OF the boom"
Then for the first ,ise the word,
Madeleine ReSny came back ro uiIxr~
Look to your soom' Look 10 van,
boom."
Tie hung his head and flushed usst
Shame, II seemed Impossible 70 ss2s..
slate that net Of treaehery VITA hs-
Aet. struggle as he did. Ter rs
words haunted him.