The Rice belt journal., 1920-05-08

doWh the ROAD. His eyes were fixed
ahead where the log boom lay rent like
a straw pipe, and the great burden Of
logs which the Rocky river had borne
so long was plunging down the cata-
raCt.
He ran on, breathleSS, and the stu
pendouS spectacle went on before his
eyes. A mighty barrier, piled up for
a few moments against the rocks that
Spanned the cataract, gave promise of
arreSting the debacle Behind It the
logs spun and twisted. All the freight
of the river, far back from the hills,
was sweeping onward, an irresistible
army, forging past stone and boulder,
tossing, upheaving, mounting the dam,
whose cement wall was now sub
merged, swept by the milk-white tor
rent to where had been the boom. The
CEashing Of the logs against that wood
en- wall was like battering rams against
a city wall. Then swiftly, as Hilary
still ran, he saw the picture dissolve.
The wall of logs went down into the
cataract, and column of spray rose
higher than the flume, fiared funnel
wise and caught the sunlight into priS-
matically banded hues like a rainbow,
and went down.
Over the cataract swept the logs, un-
impeded now. The river had burst its
chains and speWed its burdens into the
Gulf, Fanlike. the lumber began to
spread and stain the gray st. Lawrence
surface with mOttled brown.
Hilary reached the waste place be-
side the mill. The wOrkmen stood
there, impotently watching the ruin of
their toll. 1t was the wreck of every
thing. There could be no hope Of build
ing up the boom in the face of that
torrent Of water until the river was
low enough for the closing of the dam
gates to keep it pent back. And long
before that time the entire lumber
load of Rocky river would be in the
Gulf. Hilary looked on in embittered
silence. He might as well give up now
and go home. Brousseau and Nature
had united to thwart him.
The workmen had been Joined by
the mill hands, who had left their
work and hurried down to the boom
when the catastrophe occurred. They
seemed all to have lost their heads.
They were chattering excitedly; Hill
ary could not understand a word, but
Connell started and looked about him.
Like many uneducated men, he had
the faculty Of getting en- rapport with
men Of other speech. Evidently he
had heard something said that puz-
zled and alarmed him.
What is it?" Hilary asked.
"Where's Jean Baptiste?" said Lafe,
II don't know. He set off the dyna-
mite, and that ended his job. Why?'
Nothing" said Lafe, still glaneing
about him.
Hilary looked at him curiously, but
said no more. He began to push his
way through the crowd in the direc-
tion of the Office He had not invited
Lafe to accompany him. but Lafe was
at his elbow when he went in, followed
him inside the room, and took chair
beside him.
Hilary looked at him with whim-
steal smile. "We're finished, Lafe.
This affair, coming on top of the can
ceiling of those jobbers' leases, has
ended me-"
Lafe scratched his chin, but said
nothing to this.
"You see," said Hilary, according to
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 it. We need
another sixty thousand to carry us
through the winter, till navigation
opens and we call sell our cutting No
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 of
March,"
"As far as / can see," Lafe blurted
out, you'll be about ten thousand shy,
Mr.. Askew, assuming things 90 fairly
well. That's why l came here. You
see, it's like this. I've got nearly eight
thousand in the First National bank
at Shoeburyport, Mass. Clarice-Mrs.
Connell, that is-wouldn't let me buy
her house on the installment plan
as wanted TO. She said as I'd never
know when we'd need the money, and
If l couldn't pay up on time they'd get
it away from us somehow, no matter
what the contract said. 1t seemed
mighty unreasonable to me, Mr.. AS
kew, but I'm 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. Connell
have been saving up for home, and
put it into this bankrupt contern?"
"Oh, shucks" said Lafe. "Why
that amt nothing. l guess l know q
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 fool" said Hilary,
trying to keep his voice steady: "Tm