The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-05-01


has been trouble between Monsieur
Askew here and Monsieur Morris"
II have heard Of it," replied the cap
tain.
ASK him if he is willing to accept
his orders from me-" said Hilary.
The cure translated, and the captain
answered him, stroking his gray beard
and speaking with slow emphasis.
ut is all right" said Father Lucien
finally. Captain Dupont takes his
freight where he finds it. He takes
from your company in accordance
with his contract. He will not break
1t. If BrOusseau refuses him freight
ne can pick up all he needs on the
south shore. You can rely on him."
Hilary felt deeply satisfied. If the
captain was staunch, not Morris nor
BrOusSeau nor all his men should pre-
vent him from getting out record
cutting before navigation closed.
"Tell Dupont We'll keep him busy"
Hilary said.
When he was with Father Lucien
upon their homeward way he asked
him a question about a matter that
had puzzled him.
"Why does Dupont look at me as if
1 were his mortal enemy?" he asked.
"Ah, Monsieur Askew," said the
cure, stopping to thump his stick upon
the shingle, "there is story there.
So he looks at every man when first
he meets him. He fears for the girl
Marie-and unfortunately he is right
in his fears. For she has her mothers
nature.
ut was many years ago, nearly
twenty, l think, and before / came
here, when Capt. Jules Dupont was a
fisherman in st. BOniface. He was
married to Marie Letellier, who was
much younger than he, and gay and
thoughtlesS. People said it was an ill.,
made match; but she loved him, and
they were happy.
"When he left his young bride to go
sealing off Newfoundland the tongues
wagged, but he trusted her, and when
he returned there was the child Ma
rie, and a warm welcome. So three
years passed.
"When Jules Dupont returned the
fourth year his wife was gone. With
whom2 Nobody knew. ! know more
than anyone in st. Boniface, but l
never knew. Some wanderer from the
south shore; and six months later she
was back with the child, pleading for
forgiveness. He sheltered her until her
death soon afterward. Since then his
fear has been that Marie will have in
herited the mothers nature. He
never makes voyage but he returns
in fear and haste. And he wishes her
to marry Jean-Marie Baptiste, who
loves her-but you have seen tonight
to what her mind is turning.
''The women recall her mothers
fate, and their dislike has made her
secretiVe and solitary. And it is lone
ly here, and Ste. Marie so near. Mon
sieur Askew, you saw the girl Nanette.
She is from st. Joseph, Of decent par
ents, who mourn for her. She was
lured from her home to Ste. Marie,
and l have fears that some one is
using her as q tool to get the girl Ma
rie Dupont into his clutches. But what
can I do save watch and wait?
Therefore, Monsieur Askew," con-
tinued Father Lucien, much agitated,
81 implore you to prevent this evil
from spreading to st. Boniface. 1t is
Brousseau who debauches those poor
people there. It is he who is response
BILE for all this evil. He cares nothing
for the people, so long as he Yields
their votes for his creature in the par
lament at Quebec. And this, mon
sieur, was chiefly the cause of my
visit to you tonight, to urge you to
keep the brandy and the dance halls
out of st. Boniface, for hear it being
said that one of the Duvals boasts he
will open a dance hall there"
"N0 brandy shall be sold on the st.
Boniface property, Father Lucien."
81 am glad, monsieur" answered the
cure. "But Simeon Duval and his
brother Louis boast of Brousseau's
protection and they are dangerous
men,"
"You have my promise" said Hilary,
shat they shall not sell liquor in st.
Boniface. And by heaven III smash
any man who tries to corrupt my peo-
ple!" he added, with a vehemence that
surprised himself.
Hilary slept poorly that night. Trou-
bic seemed to be thickening about him,
Had he, indeed, the power to handle
these wild people whose very tongue
he could hardly understand?
Then, out of the darkness, there
rose, in vivid portrayal, the face of
Madeleine Rosny. He admitted now
how much she meant to him, enough
to make any venture worth the while.
He thought of their last meeting; and
in spite of it he dared to dream Of
! happier one to come.
Before he fell asleep he had decided
to go to Quebec and try to secure
some jobber to take over Leblancs
lease. At the same time he would
look up the land records and get an
accurate idea of the extent of the
Rosny seigniory.
Enthusiastically, he put his plan
into practice two days later, when the
down boat arrived, inStructing LATE tt
hold up the dynamiting till his return
| Teo 49,, A{,,, soff ond ha had hardly