The Rice belt journal., 1920-05-22


the girl looking earnestly at Lafe. AS
their eyes met Lafe realized suddenly
that her agitation had more than an
imperSOnal cause behind it. The swift
knowledge came home to him with a
shock; it cleared up many things,
among them the fogs of rancOr that
had clOuded his mind.
"Pll do everything that's in my pow
er, MademOiselle," he said. "Ill stand
by him-Tll fight for him if there's any
fighting"
There will be nOne," said Father
Lucien. But Mademoiselle ROsny
understands now what BrOuSseau is.
She knows his character and his evil
mind. And she has learned, fortunate
ly, before it is too late"
Not another word was spoken. The
buggy descended the hill and rolled to-
ward st. Boniface. AS it crossed the
rickety bridge they heard the sound of
distant shouting in Duvals saloon.
About the front of it was gathered the
entire male population of st. BOniface,
gesticulating and clustering.
They fell back in diSmay as the cure
leaped from the buggy and assisted
Madeleine ROSny down. Lafe fol-
lowed. He tried to urge the girl to re-
main in the rig, but she paid no atten-
ton to him. She listened with anxious
intentneSs as the cure addressed the
crowd, her lips compressed, her bosom
rising and falling quickly. All eyes
were fixed on Father Lucien, but each,
as the priest turned to him, tried to
shrink back behind his neighbor.
They were pointing inside the sa-
loon. The cure hurried through the
doorway, Madeleine Rosny immediate
ly behind him, and Lafe following
them. The saloon, though lit by an oil
lamp, was empty, as seemed to be the
dark stable beyond it, seen through the
open doorway.
Father Lucien Snatched down the
lamp and carried it hastily toward the
stable door. He raised it and looked
in, then turned and tried to bar Made
leine from entering. But she pushed
past him, saw, cried, wrung her hands,
and ran into the middle space between
the rows of stalls. Lafe, following her,
saw her seated upon the floor, and
Hilary, covered with blood, lying
stretched out and motionless, his head
in her lap. She bent over him and
Lafe never forgot the look of anguish
In her eyes, or the tension Of the white
face.
Still supporting Hilary's head, she
began tearing long strips off her petit
coat, frantlcally, as If she hardly knew
what she was doing. Hilary's clothing
was so drenched with blood that IL
was difficult to determine where the
wound lay. There were livid bruises
about his mouth and cheeks, and or
his forehead, as If his asSailants, after
stabbing him, had kicked him.
Father Lucien half turned him oVel
and, uttering an exclamation, pointed
to the shoulder, from which fresh blood
was slowly yelling. Lafe saw thai
Hilary was alive; he breathed verJ
family, but his face was the color Of
death, more bloodless than that Of
Madeleine. The cure began cutting
away the coat, then the lining, which
would not come with it; then the shirt
He looked up.
Bring some water" he said.
Lafe hurried out, the few curious
lumbermen scattering In panic ant
scurrying before him. AS he stool
among them, shouting, window In
nearby house went up, and woman
handed out pail, three parts full
Lafe took it. AS he re-entered th'
shanty the crowd slowly gathered be
hind him again. He hurried into tint
stable. The cure took strip of th'
girls petticoat, dipped it In the pal
and began to cleanse the wound, purs
ing his lips and shaking his head tn
while. Lafe could see that the wound
while not long, was terribly deep, ant
it was still bleeding. 1t was impossi
BILE to do more than clean it superb
cially, owing to the need for haste
Having done this, Father Lucien mad
a pad and placed 1t in position, Will