The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-01-31

loTt. NoW you Jake IL bht'liiHh VI u
| Dago-ther ways amt our ways, but
| they're more or less human These
people amt. They paint their houses
| yellow and green when they paint 'em
at all. l. never saw yellow house
| with green porch In my life TIL |
come up here"
"Just difference of taste, Mr. Con
nell"
Maybe" said LATE, splitting. May
be it's all right not to have sense to
| plaster their houses, so as to freeze to
death in winter time. Maybe it's all
right to run TO Father Lucy when
there's forest fire, instead Of getting
to work and putting it out. Maybe he
against the place, except that my wife
Clarice and the kids are in Shoebury-
port. and I'd rather rot here alone than
bring 'em up. But what's the usef
I'm here and / got to stay here he
ended, Struggling his shoulders.
Lafe was bad cross-questioner, and
the task put upon him by Brousseau
was not only uncongenial but impos-
sble for man of his temperament.
However, he made q valiant attempt
to draw Hilary out. you're thinking
of spending some time here, Mr.. AS
kewY he asked.
1--WE come to take charge. I'm going
to stay" said Hilary.
fn nt ny-in Iy IN
sort of man could this be who chose
of his volltion to reside In st. Boni-
face?
II guess you'll change your mind
when you've seen 1t a little longer" he
said incredulously.
"On the contrary, Mr.. Connell,
mean to take hold, and mean to make
1t pay. 1t hasn't paid very well, I'M
derstand?"
LATE foundered 1--WE heard 1t
don't pay as much as 1t ought"
II understand that most of the tim
Der is below the size at which cutting
Is allowed?'
LATE stared at him. "Why, them
rules are for government land!" he
answered. "You can cut any size on
freehold. The timber amt so bad
leastways, some of 1t amt"
Hilary began to think hard. On this
point Lamartine had clearly and def
nitely lied to him.
"TOo much fir on the property?' he
asked.
"Why, there is some fir" conceded
LATE. "But there's some good spruce
along the Rocky river" he added,
again obivious of his instructions.
II saw good pile In the river"
"Why, that amt our cutting-not
much of It," said Lafe. Most Of that
comes from the Ste Marie limits"
"Where is ste. Marie?"
"Ste. Marie's two miles along the
coast, beyond our settlement" said
LATE. "Most of our hands come from
there. It's 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 fif-
ty miles, and nobody except Father
Lucy, and he can't hold EN-"
"What want to know" said Hilary,
sis, what this company is that you
speak about, and how they come to use
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, If
Hilary meant TO know, nobody could
prevent it, Brousseau's instructions
Notwithstanding
Its this way, Mr.. Askew," he said.
"Mr. Morris and Mr.. Brousseau have
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?"
"Mr Morris leases the use Of our
mill by the year to the company"
Hilary was staggered for the mo-
ment. Morris, as his uncle's manager,
leasing the mill to Morris, a partner in
Brousseau's company, seemed queer
role.
"How do they tell our lumber from
theirs?" asked Hilary presently.
"Oh, that amt hard" said Lafe.
"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. guess there amt no diff
Guilty there, Mr.. Askew. And you see,
Mr.. Norris representing both concerns,
he naturally does his best by both OF
EN-"