The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-02-21
He failed entirely in his attempts TO

| Tor that. He returned to st. BOnt
face next day with only one thing &C
complished. He had seen the land maj
and ascertained that the upper reaches
of Rocky river had been surveyed anC
that the creek was wholly on his owl
land. He found, too, with some sur
prise, that a large island out in the
Gulf was part Of the ROsny domain
1t had not appeared on Morris rough
map.
LATE, who met him at the wharf
looked worried.
I'm glad you've come" he said. as
they drove to the mill together
Things were pretty bad on Saturday
night"
They're striking?"
mo, Mr.. Askew. That's the bright.
est point in the situation MACPHERSON
the foreman, tells me that it's called
off. Brousseau's dropped that maneu-
yer, for some reason of his own"
whats the trouble, then?'
81 guess Brousseau's off on another
tack, Mr. Askew. All the hands was
over to Ste. Marie on Saturday night
! by special invitation from Simeon Du-
val, who owns the biggest dance hall
there. There was free drinks for every
body, and the whole place was in an
| uproar till Sunday morning Not a
stroke of work has been done here till
yesterday, which means a four-day
week. The men are only just SOLDERING
up now.
However, that amt the worst. by q
long sight. It's sort of open secret
that they're going to open up st. Boni-
face wide, and Simeon's-"
"You mean Simeon has dared to
start one of his bells here while was
away?" cried Hilary angrily
mot yet" said LATE. There amt
no more liquor being sold here than
usual-yet. But they're going to open
up If they can. Smeon's brother Louis
has rented that house by the old sta
bles that Jean Baptiste used to occupy
last year before it began to go to
pieces and he's going to have a dance
hall there and sell brandy"
Hilary raped out an OATH mot if
have anything to say" he answered.
Nor me-" said LATE. 1.-THE trouble
is, where do we start in? We can't
fight the whole town single-handed. l
was wondering whether we couldn't
wire the revenue people"
mol" said Hilary sharply "WeT
fight our own battles, Lafe."
LATE subsidized in a hurt sort of way.
The evidences Of decentralization were
obvious in st. Boniface The men were
slow and surly, the women sullen,
slatternly and ss-looking. 1t was
clear that they had little hope Hilary
could counter this new project Hill
airy was aware of a feeling in the air,
as If he was being tested. He saw
furtive glances as he went by, he rec
ogniZed reluctance in the sullen touch
of the cap and the unsmiling faces,
while not hostile, watched him with
something like resentment, as if his
attitude toward the Duval proposal
was discounted beforehand
Hilary had kept In his mind a plan
of cutting along the bank of the river,
without waiting for the snow 1t SEEM
ed to him feasible plan to fell right
beside the water, and float the logs
down, this requiring no teams to haul,
a process impossible until the snow
was deep. On the Saturday he went |
out afoot to survey the timber in the |
upper reaches. In order to get q clear
er view, Hilary took the public road |
that ran along the eastern bank, with
in the Ste. Marie limits, and assembled |
to an elevation opposite the low-lying |
tract on the west side.
He had nearly reached the branch |
road which ran in toward Ste Marie, /
along which LATE and he had driven on
that first morning, when he perceived |
Madeleine Rosny and Brousseau ahead |
Of him, at the top of the rise. They /
seemed to be talking earnestly, and
Hilary held back, unwilling to surprise
them. Presently he saw Brousseau
spur his horse and gallop away in the
direction of Ste. Marie, while Made
eine came slowly toward him.
She saw him and turned her horse
aside to let him pass. She had been
frying, and there were traces of tears
still on her cheeks. She would have
waited for him to go by, her face
,verted, but Hilary placed his hand
lpon the horses bride.
"Mademoiselle Rosny-" he began
LET me go on" she said in a low
one.
81 want to speak to you. And if
1ou are in trouble / want to help
rou.''
She smiled YEARLY. II am not in
rouble and If / were | should hardly
Lsk your aid, Monsieur Askew," she
Then. with sudden We
lemence, "Why did you come here?'
he cried. "Why could you not have
eft st. Boniface alone, instead of STIR
ing up hatred? Is it not enough that
ny father should have been compelled
o sell your uncle our trees, without
our coming here to exuit over our .
hameY
81 have not exulted, Mademoiselle
sosny; am sorry"
'Take back your pity. We don't ;
rant it. What has Monsieur Brous- I
eau done to you-or Mr.. Morris 2" /
Morris. since you inquire, has swim
led me out of several thousand dol ,