The Rice belt journal., 1920-05-08


ton looked menacing. Hilary took the
aggressive, as usual.
"Ah, LebIancw he called out. "How
do YOU like your new job? I'm start
ing in to cut out that limit you
handed back to me. There's some
good timber there, Leblanc"
Leblanc snarled and started for
ward, shaking his fist and mutteriug.
However, he could not get through the
press, and it is not probable that he
tried very hard to do so.
"Well, that's about ALL Simeon"
Hilary called. II just came in to look
at your place and give your brother a
friendly warning, because l never
warn when I'm ready to strike"
my brother take care of himself.
He amt afraid of you" said Simeon,
who kept as cool as Hilary. Hilary
intuitively summed him up as the most
dangerous of his opponents. But 1
guess you amt going like that, Mees-
tair Askew," continued the liquor
seller. 81 ask you to have a drink on
me an you say no. Now you going to
buy drinks all round, eh%
Hilary laughed out loud. "NOt for
your crowd, Simeon" he answered.
Simeon planted his fat body heavily
before him. "What you say? You buy
drinks, eh?' he demanded truculently.
Hilary put his hands on SimeOn's
shoulders and pushed him bodily back
ward. Simeon, who was planted
rather than stood, at first resisted as
a tree might resist q gentle shove with
the hand; but he could not resist the
strength behind HiIary's shoulders,
and he began to sway and went top
pling backward, landing, still rigid,
upon the floor,
Some of the girls shrieked, and the
lumbermen came surging forward
toward Hilary and Lafe and began to
hustle them. Yet, knowing Hilary's
reputation, they hesitated a moment
before initiating hostilities; and that
moment brought an unexpected inter-
ruptiOn.
For a boy ran screaming in at the
door, and what he cried startled the
entire assemblage. Simeon, who had
been struggling to his feet, was upon
them in an instant. But before the
crowd had recovered from its cOnfu-
sion two officers In the uniform of the
revenue department came running in.
They carried revOlvers In their hands,
and they pounced upon Simeon and
had him at their mercy in an instant.
At once the whole scene was dis
solved. Men and girls ran this way
and that, a wildly flying, panicky mass.
1t was one thing to drink and brawl in
Ste. Marie. but quite another to defy
the tireless officials of the revenue de-
partment, who patroled the river at
intervals, whose arms were
very long.
Whether any one except Simeon was
wanted in that particular place was
never known, for 1t was all the officers
could do to hold on to him, while the
crowd stampeded past them toward
the door, a cursing, struggling mass,
carrying Lafe and Hilary along with it,
In the street they pulled themselves
out of the crush and took refuge in an
alley All Ste. Marie was in a turmoil.
News of the raid had spread every
where with lightning swiftness. Lights
were being extinguished liquor hidden
away. lumbermen and girls were run
ming in wild panic through the streets.
Suddenly they perceived Marie Du-
pont among the crowd. Her eyes were
wide with fright, and she was strug-
Cling helplessly in the crowd, borne
this way and that by the conflicting
Hilary forced his way toward
her and dragged her into the alley. |
There she broke down; she fell upon
her knees in the mud, rocking to and
fro and moaning.
Hilary bent over her. Lafe saw that
his face was stern. 81 am going to take
you home," he said.
She looked up at him piteously. She
to recognize him, bat was too
terrified to understand. He drew her
to her feet and. with Lafe on the other
side, they began to make their way
quickly toward the beach by narrow
among the cottages.
But as they started Lafe looked back |
and saw, wedged in the crowd behind |
them, Jean Baptiste. He had been try.
ing to reach the girl, but 1t was impos-
sible to move foot in that struggling
human torrent. He saw them, and his
eyes were dilated with impotent fury. |
There was murder In them as they fell
upon Hilary. Lafe shuddered.
His impulse was to wait for the man.
but he recognized that Baptiste was
beyond all reason and self-control. He
had misinterpreted Hilary's action /:
the only thing now was to elude him
and get the girl away before Baptiste
could follow. He was glad Hilary had