The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-06-26


A quick attempt to open it showed
him that it was. But he had a
chance, if he could break down the
door, for the sound might pass I'M
heard In the gale, with the crashing
of the ice against the sides of the
schooner, enabling him to pass into
the hold unseen in the darkness.
He hurled himself against the cabin
door, fists, shoulders, body, with every
\ muscle set tense. 1t broke upon its
hinges, and Hilary fell, sprawling into
the passage between the piles of
stacked lumber, which rose to height
Of twenty feet on either side of him,
running to within a few feet Of the
cabin and the deck ladder.
He crouched there for a few Sec
onds, hearing Madeleine behind him,
and looked upward. The wind was
roaring through the rigging with q
noise far louder than that made by the
falling door. No one had heard the
crash. Above him swung the great
mainSail, Obscuring the gibbous moon
that scurred like pale ghost among the
drifting clouds, haloed in the fog. Hill
airy could just discern the hazy fig
ures of three men, hard at work to
gain the middle channel, and the Ian
tern that hung from the mast above,
family Illuminating them.
He had seen, but had not conscious.
ly observed, till the remembrance
came to him then, that a pile Of lum-
Der, placed in the ship but not yet Sc
cured, lay about the center Of the
open space in front of the cabin. It
could not shift with the rolling of
the schooner, so as to destroy her eQui-
librium, on account of the stacks on
either side. 1t consisted Of the last
load of logs, which had been dropped
there from the end of the fume. Hil-
airy raised two In his arms and car
ried them in front of the broken door.
It was impossible to make his voice
heard, for the ship was staggering
through the clashing ice foes with a
noise like that Of artillery, but Made
leine saw his purpose, and In an In
slant was at work helping him. They
began swiftly building a barricade;
and, as Madeleine deposited her logs
by the side of Hilary's, Hilary wedged
the ends against the chained stacks on
either side, so that the whole would
form an immovable barrier. He toiled
furiously, for their scanty time was
precious beyond value. Soon Made
leine was behind the barricade, ad.
justing the logs that Hilary brought,
and It stood the height of his waist.
1t was improbable that either Du-
pont, Pierre or Leblanc carried re-
volver; but, even If they did. the bar
rfcade was bullet-proof. Hilary for
got his aching head, the retching nau.
sea. The barrier was shoulder-high.
He clambered behind it and took his
station there just as the grinding Of
the foes ceased, and the schooner
caught the clear water.
A ray of moonlight, struggling
through the fog, disclosed old Dupont
at the wheel above the poop, and the
great mainsail sweeping over it-and
two forms that crept along the pas
sage between the lumber piles. They
started back In sudden CONSERVATION
at the sight of the unexpected barri-
cade, and Hilary's club, aimed at
Pierre's head, descended upon the out.
laws arm, which dropped limp at his
side.
With a yell Pierre started back, but
Leblanc leaped forward, knife In hand.
| So sudden was the attack that it
drove within an inch of Hilary's
throat. Madeleine screamed, rushed
forward, and pulled Hilary back. As
Leblanc caught sight Of her he uttered
an exclamation and followed Pierre
back into the darkness of the lumber
piles.
Silence followed. That wait was
tense and nerve-gripping. Hilary tried
to get Madeleine to return into the
cabin. but she kept her place at his
side. Then, to Hilary's utter surprise.
he heard Brousseau's voice. and dis
cerned him moving out Of the dark.
ness Of the lumber.
Monsieur Askew, want to speak to
yOul" he called. II am coming to
you. can trust you"
Hilary returned no answer, but
BrOuSseau. apparently confident OF
Hllary's honor, pushed forward and
came up to the barricade,
"Ah, mademoiselle. you have done a
foolish thingl" he said quietly to Mad.
eleine. mo harm was meant to Mon.
sieur Askew. ] want those papers
that's all. heard he was coming
aboard and adopted this ruse to get
them. They are lies, written by dis
charged employee. and l can't afford to
be lied about. / want to clear my
honor In your eyes, mademoiselle."
But az neither answered him he
dropped his pose Of blandness and ad-
dressed Hillary.
"rve got more at stake than the
seigniory and the asbestos mine," he
cried. 'That's only drop In the
bucket. admit It's been fair fight
between us and you've won. didn't
want the seigniory. I wanted the fight
I'm willing to drop it now and give
you best. But ] want those papers.
"They amt yours, Monsieur Askew.
Morris forged them, but. you kept
them, and that's why / trapped you
here. 1t was me stopped Dupont from
killing you. because of his daughter"
Madeleine laughed contemporary