The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-08-21

you zee good news. Bryce Cardigan
she puts i'll the crossing today. One
man of the law she comes from San
Francisco with papers, and Msieur
Sexton say to me: 'Rondeau, we are
whip. Deesmess your men, SO l have
deeSmesS dOZe men, and now | dees-
mess myself. MebbeSO bimeby l 90
to work for MSieur Cardigan. For
Mademoiselle have no weesh to make
trouble to fire me. l Queet. l will
not fight dose dirty fight some more.
Au reVOir, mademOiselle. | go"
And without further ado he hung
up.
What's this, what's this?" Sexton
demanded. You're going to quit!
Nonsense, ROndeaU, nGnsenser"
Il will have my time, Msieur," said
Jules RQndeau. Il so to work for Il
man. kbbeso I am not woods boss
for heeM butt work"
You'll have to wait until the Col
Onel returns, ROndeau."
Il will have my time" said Jules
Rondeau patiently.
'Then you'll wait till pay day for
! 1t, ROndeau. You know our rules.
Any man who quits without notice
waits until the regular pay day for
/ his money"
/ jules advanced until he lowered d.
rectly over the manager. Il tor
Msieur l would have my time" he
repeated once more. as Msieur
deaf in Re ears?' He raised his right
hand, much as a bear raises its paw !;
his blunt fingers worked a little and
there was a smOldering fire in his
dark eyes.
Without further protest Sexton
| opened the safe, counted out the
wages due, and took ROndeau's re-
ceipt.
THANK you, M'sieur," the woods
boss grOwled as he swept the coin
into his pocket. "NOw l work for
M'Sieur Cardigan; so, M'sieur, l will
have zee switch engine weeth two
fiat cars and zee wrecking Sar. Doze
dam trash on zee crOssing-~X' sieur
Cardigan does not like, and by gar.
take heem away. You Understand.
Msieur? l am Jules ROndeau, and I
work for Msieur Cardigan La la.
M'sieur!" The great hand closed
over Sections collar. mot zee pistol
no, not for Jules Rondeau."
Quite as easily as a woman dresses
baby, he gagged Sexton with Sex
tons own handkerchief, laid him gent
ly on the floor and departed. locking
the door behind him and taking the
key. At the corner of the building.
where the telephone line entered the
office, he paused, jerked once at the
wire, and passed on, leaving the brok-
en- ends on the ground.
In the rOundhouse he found the
switch engine crew on duty, waiting
for steam in the boiler. The with
drawal of both locomotives, brief as
had been their absence, had caused
glut Of logs at the Laguna Grande
landings, and Sexton was catching I'D
with the traffic by sending the switch
engine crew out for one trainload,
even though 1t was Sunday The crew
had been used to receiving orders
from Rondeau, and moreover they
were not aware of his recent action;
hence at his command they ran the
switch engine out of the rOundhouse,
coupled up the two fiat cars and the
wrecking car, and backed down to the
crossing. Upon arrival, Jules Ron
deau leaned out of the cab window
and hailed Bryce "Msieur," he said,
"d0 not b0zzer to make zee derrick.
I have here zee wrecking car-all you
need pretty soon we lift him off zee
crossing, 1 tell you, Ell, M'sieur Cardi-
GAM"
Bryce stepped over to the switch
engine and looked up at his late en-
envy. "By whose orders is this train
here?" he queried.
"Mine," Rondeau quickly answered.
IN sieur Sexton 1 have tie like one
leetle pig and lock her in her Office.
1 work now for M'sieur."
And he did. He waited not for
confirmation from his new master but
proceeded to direct operations like
the born driver and leader of men
that he was. With his late employ
er's gear he fastened to the old cast
ings and the boiler, lifted them with
the derrick on the wrecking car, and
swung them up and around onto the
fiat cars. By the middle of the after
noon the crossing was once more clear.
Then the Cardigan crew fell upon it
while Jules ROndeau ran the train
back to the Laguna Grande yards, dis
missed his crew, returned to the mill |
office, and released the manager.
you'll pay through the nose for
this, you scoundreI," Sexton whim-
pered. I'll fix you, you traitor"
"You feex nothing. M'sIeur Sexton" |
replied imperturbably. "Who |
Is witness Jules ROndeau tie you up? |
Somebody see you, no7 I guess you
dom feex me. Sacre! l guess you
dom try"
CHAPTER XVIII.