The Connecticut labor press., 1920-01-31
zEanzEzEEa NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


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lumbermen who were in his way aside
seized the bottle from his hand. and
dashed it to the floor. His movement
and the ensuing action were SO swift
that it was only after their compile
ton that all the company awakened to
his presence.
He turned toward the plank table
which had been nailed across recess
for a bar counter. On this were a
number of bottles, all of brandy Or gin
il1icitly distilled and smuggled up the
river. On the floor were two hogs
heads. A quantity of glasses newly
bought, and still containing fragments
Of the straw in which they had been
| packed, stood on a packing case near
by.
| Hilary swept his arm along the
plank, knocking off the bottles, which
crashed to the floor, strewing 1t with
broken glass. A score of streams be-
gan to filter between the edges of the
boards, uniting in the depressions. The
| stencil Of the spirits rose into the air.
| He kicked the hogsheads over, and
they added their contents to the pool.
With another sweep he struck down
| the glasses. Then the lumbermen
rushed at him, cursing, fnfuriated. The
foremost hesitated as they came with
in reach of his arm, however, remem-
bering Pierres discontinue. The mo-
mentary delay was fatal to them. Hill
airy struck out with all his force, fell
| ing them, or sending them staggering
| backward against those behind, and
| clearing a passage in twinkling to-
ward Louis, with whom alone he had
| business at that moment.
Louis was a coward, unlike his
| brother and Pierre, perhaps pardon
| ably, on account of his physical weak
| ness. AS Hilary grasped him by the
| shoulders the liquor seller, who made
| up in adroitness for what he lacked in
| strength, twisted like an eel, dived
under the arms of those about him,
| and rushed toward the rear entrance,
shouting something as he ran.
What it was Hilary did not know.
He perceived dimly that the mob fell
back, except for a few who, unable to
| restrain themselves, surged about him
like a pack of wolves, snarling, and
which they had drawn from their
leather belt sheaths. Hilary, fighting
like a mailman, sent them smashing to
| the floor, cleared his way again, and
made for Louis, who was just open
ing the back door. He grasped at him,
but Louis was just second too quick.
He darted through, and the door,
thrown back violently, struck Hilary
upon the forehead. The next instant
Hilary passed through the doorway in
pursuit.
The shanty which Baptiste had once
occupied had formerly been a part of
| large structure used by the mill for
storing machinery. At the back, and
contiguous with it, had been the old
mill stables. The door connecting the
two places had been nailed up, but
Duval had opened it that morning in
the course of his preparations for Hill
ary's advent.
AS Hilary entered the stable the
door closed behind him, and he heard
the bolt shot. The yells of the lumber
men grew faint. It was only then Hill.
airy realized that he had run into e
trap.
The stable contained Louis, who haG
posted himself within the. stall fmme
diately opposite the entrance, anC
grinned at Hilary defantly. Between
the two stood Simeon Duval, gro
tesque grin upon his scholarlike fea-
lures. The man who had bolted the
door was Leblanc, and Black Pierre
stood beside him.
The four, executing f1anking move
ment simultaneously, advanced and
took up their position between Hilary
and the door. Nobody spoke, but
Simeon Duval took off his spectacles
quite methodically, folded them In
their case, and placed it back in his
pocket. Standing with his back close
enough to the wall of one of the horse
boxes to be able to prevent an attack
from behind, Hilary watched the four
CONTEMPORARY. They had got him
there to fight and there was nothing
he wanted more, even against the lot
of them. He half regretted having
drawn his cartridges, but he was con-
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