The Connecticut labor press., 1920-03-20

call me quitter, suppose" "I certainly should" answered Lafe ! coolly. "The same as you did me-"
 Maybe. But I came up here to play 8 certain game. I came to put the seigniory lumber business on its legs. And I've done 1t. I stayed to | fight BrOusseau after he nearly got me down, and I've beaten him. I've won that game on every point. Pm going to make Brousseau refund his steal ings, and I'm going to leave you here in charge for the present, to wind up. I shall go to Quebec to start proceed ings and try to find purchaser. Your contract will hold as long as you want it to. And I'm not coming back. I've done what I came for, haven't I?' he ended defiantly.
 That's the way all quitters talk." " said Lafe.
 Hilary's nerves were gone, of course. Lafe knew that the last lap of the race was the grueling one. Hilary need ed help, that was all. Lafe grew crafty with his idea.
 "Well, you're boss, of course," he said reluctantly. "If you've made up your mind, it ain't for me to interfere. When are you leaving, sir?"
 q shall go out with Dupont when he takes his last load" answered Hilary.
 "That'l be Friday. We can't have the logs through the mill before then. Dupont doesn't know yet?'
 "No."
 Lafe reflected. The weather had changed suddenly during the preceding night. Already the shores of the St.. Lawrence were thick with grinding foes. The middle passage was clear, but in a few days navigation would be impossible; a dog team would have to be procured and trained to run to- gether. Already it was a difficult jour- ney with a horse-sleigh between the camp and the mill. If the weather held, Hilary coI'1 be held until he, Lafe, had accomplished his purpose.
 Hilary put on his hat and overcoat. picked up his snowshoes and went to- ward the stables. In few minutes the horse had been harnessed to the sleigh and stood breathing great clouds of smoke into the frosty air. It started, and from the office door way Lafe watched the man whom he loved best in the world of men driving away.
 He waited till the sleigh had disap- peared among the trees behind the bridge. He allowed ten minutes more, to make sure that Hilary would not change his intentions and return. Then he coolly opened Hilary's desk with a Ko &ho% 6n after the burglary and took out the en- velope that contained the papers from Morris. He removed these and thrust them into his pocket. In the empty envelope he placed some discarded let ters from the waste-basket. Then he put back the envelope, closed the desk, strapped on his snowshoes and left the office.
 Five minutes after he left Hilary was back. His decision had suddenly come to him. He had resolved to leave St. Boniface, and there was nothing to be gained by procrastination.
 He wanted to leave St. Boniface forever, and to put the memory of the past months out of his mind, so far as it could be possible. He hated the lit tie village; even Lafe's presence had become intolerable to him.
 He went to Dupont on board his schooner and arranged for him to sail for Quebec the following evening with the little 1oad-one schooner full which he had. He instructed him to say nothing to anybody about the ar rangement. He saw nothing strange in Dupont's manner or aspect and, had he done so, he would not have thought anything about it.
 Having issued his instructions, he drove back toward the camp.
 But, seeing that the office was dark and unoccupied, he stopped there on his way, opened his desk and took out the envelope which he supposed to contain the letter and paper from Nor ris. In Quebec he meant to go through them again, mailing to Rosny those papers that had reference to his af- fairs and placing the others in law yer's hands for a civil suit.
 He packed a few of his personal ef- fleets in a bag and left the office, as he supposed for the last time.
 CHAPTER xV.