The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-04-15
VICTOR
illustrations by Irwin Myers


there. It's a tough place, Mr.. Askew.
/ 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 a man knitted there last
week; and not a policeman within ff-
ty miles, and nobody except Father
Lucy, and he can't hold EN-"
"What I want to know" said Hilary.
ais. what this company is that you
speak about, and how they come to $
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 MI. 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?"
mn. Morris leases the use OF our
mill by the year to the company"
Hilary vas staggered for the mo-
ment. Morris, as his uncle's manager.
leasing the mill to Morris, a 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 1t down
stream. I 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
EN-"
Hilary's suspicious, dormant even
after the interview with LamartiBe.
we're now thoroughly aroused.
"And Mr.. Brousseau has no concern
with us, except for the lease of the
mill and the right-of-way down the
river" unused Hilary. "Who is this
Mr.. Brousseauf"
"Why, l guess he's the big man Of
the district" said LATE. Hes the
nearest thing to a boss they've got up
here; tells EN- how to vote and gets
'em out of trouble. He amt good 10
his father, though. That was old
Jacques Brousseau in the store, the
trapper."
az didn't see him."
"He was Mr.. Rosny's slave, or what
ever they called them, in the old
times, before these people became
free"
He tapped the ashes out Of his pipe
and pocketad 1t.
"He's got old Rosny in his pocket"
he said, leaning toward Hilary. Hes
got him bound and mortgaged after
leading him to throw your uncle's
money away in crazy Investments. He
did it deliberately. Mr.. Askew. When
he was a kid, growing up among the
house servants up at the Chateau,
he wanted to be a big man, for which
I don't blame him. He got his way,
but that wasn't enough. He wanted
the Seigneur's place, because he found
that the folks up here thought more
of old Mr.. Rosny. with his broken
down house and debts, than they did
Of him with all his money. So he set
to work and got him cinched.
."The old man hates and despises
him, and he's been fighting against II
for a long time, but he seen wnat's
coming to him and I guess he's made
up his mind he'll have to stomach II.
Brousseau's staked old Mr.. Rosny's
pride against his love, and I guess he's
won his stake and won Mamzefbe
Madeleine into the bargain"
He rose. "That'l be all for tonight
Mr.. Askewf' he asked.
Hilary rose too. THANKS, Mr.. Con
NELL" he said. SIN the morning I shall
ask you to show me around the place"
He didn't follow LATE Connell In
side the hotel. but sat upon the porch,
musing. LATE bad enlightened him on
several points. He doubted whether
AohiuA tihC huu SpOhCu duytuiuS Az
preaching truth concerning the prop
erty, and he was sure that Morris and
Brousseau were the company In whose
behalf he had offered forty-fve thou
sand dollars. There would be need Of
a good many explanations from MOI.
ris. Yet Hilary felt instinctively that
1t was Brousseau. not Morris, with
whom he would have to contend.
On the face Of the soft night ross
the face Of Madeleine Rosny painted
with surprising clearness. He saw the
blue of her eyes. the curve Of her
flushed cheek, the dignity and gentle
ness and pride that blended In her
looks. If rel he had any quarrel with
Brousseau. he would show him.
Then he cursed himself for a fool,
and. entering the hotel, took his lamp
and went up to his room.