The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-04-01

He rose, splitting the blood out OF
his mouth, and rushed Mt Hilary again
This time he managed to lock his arms
about him and, holding him securely
with the left. pummeled him. Hilary
forgot his science and shot his right
upward between the arm and the body.
landing on Pierre's chin. Pierre reeled,
but he did not let 20 his hold. He
grasped Hilary like u bear, hugging
him till the breath was nearly out of
his body, and forcing the point Of his
chin In under Hllary's collar-bone.
Pierre was several years the older,
and winded by fast living, but his mus
cles were as firm as young mans.
Knowing that his enemy's science was
more than a match for his superior
strength. he maintained the clinch, but
gradually shifted his grasp upward.
first pinioning Hilary's arm. then grip
ping his shoulder. until he had him by
| the throat
Hilary, gasping under the relentless
pressure. saw the faces of the lumber
men swim round him. lie saw the tri-
umph and the joy, the mockery and
the hatred on each; there was no pity
for the American; many an old land
question, many racial conflict had be-
come incarnate In that fight under the
pines. Hilary realized that It was a
battle, not for the timber tract, but for
his own life.
Plerre's face grinned into his own
Indignantly, plastered with dust and
smeared with the sweat that drove
white burrows across 1t. Hilary let his
hands fall Imply. For just a second
Pierre relaxed his grasp, to shift 1t so
the thumb-knuckles should close on the
carotds. Then Hilary put all his
strength into a terrific drive with the
left. The blow caught Pierre between
the eyes, his arms went up, releasing
Hilary, and he tottered backward. The
yells of the lumbermen. which had
been continuous, suddenly ceased.
Before Pierre could recover himself
Hilary let him have II with the right
Pierre went to the ground. Hilary
still only half conscious, and hardly
seeing the PROSTATE body. drew In {
deep chestful of air. A black cloud
filled with dancing specks swan be
fore his vision. Out Of It he saw the
face of one of the nearest spectators
1t was filed with an anticipation 81
pungent that instinctively Hilary leap
ed aside. Out of the cloud he saw
Black Pierre plunge forward, knife II
his hand. The spent blow cut Hilary
sleeve. Pierre recovered himself ant
rushed at the American, n fearful spec
tacle, dripping sweat and blood. Hill
airy caught him with the right unde
the jaw, sending him fiat. The knife
went whlrling away into the under
brush. Black Pierre lay still.
Hilary turned to the nearest Of tn,
awed lumbermen. "Bring him a cuI
of water" he ordered.
The man understood and ran int
Pierres hut. But Pierre was sham
ming; he opened his eyes, fixed then
with burning hote on Hilary. and mum
bled
"Get up!" said Hilary.
Pierre rose sullenly, edglng out o
the reach Of the expected blow. ii,
was cowed. the fighting spirit was ou
Of him, as 1t was out of his compan
ions. As civilized men fear the law
, the lumbermen feared the unknown
forces that lay behind Hilary AM
manifested themselves through tn
strength of his arm.
'Tli give you five minutes to get OF
the st. Boniface territory into the Ste
Marie limits. the other side of Rock
river" Hilary said. He turned to tn
spectators. "Tll thrash every man no
employed by me who comes upon m
land" he announced.
Whether they understood the mean
ing of the words or not, they realize
the significance of the gesture. Blac
Pierre. among his companions at tn
edge of the clearing, stopped his rt
treat. He meant at least to save hi
face by threats. But Hilary had dc
liberately turned his back on him ant
without apparent fear of danger. wa
examining the shacks, and poking tn
moss out Of the interstices between tn
logs with forked stick. When h
turned the last Of the Ste. Marie me
was disappearing out Of the clearln
down the road. He waited long enoug
for them to reach the fork, before rs
entering the buggy.
He was thoughtful on the driv
homeward. He knew that II was onl
the unexpected nature Of his actio
which had cleared the concession. Tha
had been paramount duty; at an
cost he must preserve the integrity O
his land. But, given Brousseau's lead
ership and active hostility, they coul
put up fight which would render hir
/, impotent. Physical force could brln
, him nowhere In the end.
II took about an hour for the embe
lished story to filter through to tn
: mill. Before work was knocked Off tina
: afternoon Hilary became conscious O
e a new Difference In his hands manner
I OF gaping looks that followed him whe