The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-04-10


whispered.
YES, mademoiscIle," said Lafe. "Hut
it was you l wanted chiefly io see"
You saw me. What else is there to
say? Mr.. Cornell t you have come
here on any other mission It is hope
less why did you let him send you
for-for that" She continued. reading
his face
Because he's my friend. said Lafe.
But he didn't send me here. He's
. talking of going away That's why /
came"
He saw her start, then control her
self.
I'm forty years old" said LATE. and
conscious Of the ineptness Of the be
ginning hrSirated I'm forty years
old" he continued. Not old enough
to be your father. mademoiselc. bm
old enough to b. sort of uncle.
though l amt GOT your education That
don't matter It's experience that
counts, and knowledge Of the world.
And l seen Il good bit more of life
than Won, madruoiscIle
Il seen enough to learn one thing.
and that is that miNunder~taudng- 4g
the cause of nearly all the trouble ia
the world When Mir .t~kew COP.
here I wasn't altogether too much
pleased. I'd been meshed into the
crooked work that Morris and Mo-
sieur BrouSseau Uas doing Win H.
seigniory lumber Then when ! g1t
TO know Hilary As'lew I saw That IL
was clean straight through"
He let his hand fam lightly on lie
girls shoulder The gesture. which
might have been an oifeuSe fn SOME
was instructive and. like most in
stinctive actions. fitting. Lafe. an
coUth, unIettered, standing before
Madeleine RoSny, seemed like a be-
neyolent guardian.
"When he came to like YOU ! was
glad" continued Lafe. But when you
came to like him | was just about az
happy as when | was leading CIarice-
my wife, | mean-out of the First
Methodist church at Shoeburyport.
Mass, on August II, 1902. with her
white veil hiding her, AID them orange
flowers she was carrying seeming up
the place not quite 50 glad may
be, but not far shy Of it, And you
think he wasn't true to you? What
man in his senses wouldn't be?'
Il won't hear you!' cried the girl,
summoning her defiance to her aid.
''He should have spoken for himself.
What right have you to speak for him.
sent or unSent?'
"Why, | thought I'd explain that,
mamzelle Just because I'm his
friend" said Lafe at amt true. Not
a word of that stOry's true. I'm going
to tell YOU the truth. But first Pm 60
ing to say what got to say, because
it's true. You haven't acted rightly
toward him-no. you haven't, man.
zelle.'
The passionate gesture, the sincerity
of his tone dominated her. She tried
to find her voice and could not; she
tried to find Indignation and could not.
Eve went to Ste Marie together to
see conditions there, to see what
sort of place Simeon Duval was run
ming The girl was there 1t was the
night of the raid and we helped her
away. She got home, and her father
never knew. Little Baptiste knew, and
others who'd seen her with us. They
told Brousseau, and he started those
lies about Mr. Askew, who never knew
about it-never knew anything.
THAT fellow Pierre, Brousseau's
man, had his eye on the girl. You know
the sort of work he's done along this
coast. Maybe you don't, but it's devils
work, mamZeIle, and he and Leblanc
lured Marie into a boat by means of
their decoy, Nanette Bonnat, and took
her to the island. We found them
there, and saved her, and brought the
girls back That's ALL Now you
know. Now you understand how
you've done Hilary wrong. If you
don't believe me-" Lafe continued dog
gedly, lust tell me how much you
don't believe, and I'll prove it. I'll
prove every word; you don't have to
take me on trust"
do you think am capable of seek
ing evidence that man is true to
me?" cried Madeleine. 'Do you think
| am going into st. Boniface to pry
into your friends actions?
"You love him, mamzelle," said LATE,
with patience that would not be
thwarted Il can read that in your
face. You love him, and you've done
him a wrong. Well, mamzelle, You
can't lie down under that. You can't
bear it. You've got to right it,"
She burst into helpless tears 81
hoped that he would come to me-" she
whispered.
Hilary Askew amt that kind of a
man." said LATE.
HE refused to defend himself"
He'd promised Marie TO say moth
ing
'Iet me pass. have heard you"
But Life stood in the way. you're
going to tell him it's all right" he said
I'm arrange if so it won't hurt your
pride, if that's worth keeping"
"How dare you insult me? Let him
come to me! Let him come and
pleadv'
''Mamzelle"
81 shall never go to hint"
And LATE had reached the end. His
outraged justice had led him to the