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Show rg. ''flfeWOODEN &ffiM; JfiM Vicioroitsseau CHAPTER IV. n The First Encounter. Next morning Hilary drove slowly through lils property. He noticed with approval u splendid growth of whlto spruce. It was u great timber country; coun-try; Hilary had already come to Hint conclusion, and to this: that, properly worked and managed, the St. Ilonlfnco tract hud the possibilities of considerable consider-able prolltH, perpetual ones, if lie cut wisely nnd carefully. After driving nt n slow pace for half an hour lie emerged Into n little burned-over district, from which lie could sec for a good distance on every Hide of lit in. He xtopped the pony and looked about him, trying to get his bearings. The road must run down to the gorge, where was the main way between be-tween the mill nnd the Interior of the seigniory, Hilary decided. He drove on again. The track lint! been disused tbnt season nnd was overgrown over-grown with creeping raspberry briers, which made progress difficult. Suddenly Sud-denly the undergrowth fell away, and the road rnn upward again, hard am! Ilrtn, toward a bridge that spanned u wide creek tributary to Rocky river. Now Hilary knew where he was. It was the creek which lie lint! passctl that morning when he drove out with Connell to inspect the seigniory. He was about to continue his way along the main road to tho mill, but nn Impulse urged him to turn the horse about and seek the road that led to Le-IiIiuic'r Le-IiIiuic'r old concession. Presently he heard the sound of fixes among the trees. He came upon the clearing, to find tho old camp stil! standing, and u great pile of newly hewn tlmbor stacked up under the trees. At Hilary's appenranee two or three men looked up from the logs which they were snwlng and whispered. They seemed to draw together. At that moment mo-ment Hilary lind u clearly denned impression im-pression of approaching trouble. He got down from the buggy ant! fastened the horse to a tree. He approached ap-proached a little group that had formed. form-ed. "Where's Monsieur Leblanc7" ho nsketl the nearest mnn. The mnn bcowled and shrugged his shoulder. He glanced toward tho camp. Hilary, looking that way, saw niack Pierre emerging from one of the huts. He went towartl him, and tho two men met fnce to face. Still without reason to believe In Pierre's hostile Intention, Hilary suddenly sud-denly became aware that they wero ringed by u circle of men, who gradually gradu-ally drew In toward them. "Morning," said Hilary, nodding. "Where Is Monsieur Leblnnc?" "I don' know," answered Pierre, scowling. "Look for him If you want him. He's your man, ain't he?" "He Is, but you are not. What nro you tlnlug on my land? And these men nro they yours?" "What you mean, your land?" demanded de-manded Pierre. "I work here for Monsieur Mon-sieur IlrousKcnii, with Monsieur Brous-semi's Brous-semi's men." Hilary saw, out of tho corner of his eye, that the ring was swiftly contracting. con-tracting. It struck htm that Pierre and he were posted face to face, like prize- lighters. lie trletl to keep his temper and to remember Conncll's counsel. Pierre thought bo was afraid. He sneered openly. "Last time I came hero," snld Hilary calmly, disregarding the other's trucu-lence, trucu-lence, "Monsieur Leblanc was In charge of this territory. Now I find you hero in Lcblanc's plnce. I liavo not hired you. Again I ask what you are doing here." "I don' know what you mean," snorted snort-ed Pierre, "an' I got no time to wnste In damn foolishness. This here Is tho Ste. Marie limits. Monsieur llrousseau an' Monsieur Morris run the Ste. Mnrle limits. Leblanc lie work for them las' year. Now I got Lcblanc's place." "The Ste. Marie limits nro on tho other Hide of tho Riviere Rocheuso," said Hilary. "Holy Name, ain't I this side of Riviere Ri-viere Rocheuso? Dldn' you cross hlru coming here?" "That creek Is not the Rlvlero Rocheuso. Ro-cheuso. as you know very well, Pierre." Illack Pierre thrust his face forwartl Into Hilary's. "Say, I got no tfmo to wnsto wit' you," lie snarled. "If you come to light, say so." "I'll give you five minutes to got off my land." "You wan' to light, eh? All right," growled the other, suddenly stripping off bis short, open Jacket. Hilary hud Just time to fasten tho top button of Ids coat before Pierre, with a bellow, charged him. his head down, his arms working like Halls. Pierre made short, vicious stabs at him; he was muscle-bound and could not extent! tho elbow-Joint with any force, but any of his short blown, delivered deliv-ered from a shoulder like a muttoii Joint, would linvo knocked u man tsense-less. tsense-less. Hilary stepped ahlde as Pierre precipitated pre-cipitated himself upon him, and gavo him a Miort uppercut with tho left, l'lerro went reeling past him, tripped ever a .projecting trunk of a tree, nnd it sprnwling to tne grounn. A second later be was up ngaln, rushing rush-ing nt Hilary. ItopHe Hilary's blows, which nmrly blinded him, and covered his face with blood, be managed to g4t homo two body deliveries which knocked knock-ed the wind out of the American. Hilary Hil-ary wns forced to give ground. Ho had boxed nt college u good deal ; that was several years before, but the memory mem-ory Instinctively came back to him. "It's foot-work wins," his teacher had told him. He stepjied from side to side, guarding himself against Pierre's furious furi-ous lunges dexterously, until the opportunity op-portunity for u telling cross-counter with tho right sent Pierre crashing backward. Ho rose, spitting the blood out ot his mouth, nnd rushed at Hilary again. He Rose, Spitting the Blood Out of His Mouth, and Rushed at Hilary Again. This time he managed to lock his arms about him and, holding him securely with tho teft. pummeled him. Hilary forgot bin science and shot his right upward between the arm and the body, landing on Pierre's chin. Pierre reeled, but lie did not let go his hold, lie grasped Hilary like n bear, hugging lilm till tho breath wns nearly out of his body, and forcing the point of his chin In under Hilary's collar-bone. Pierre wns several years tho older, and winded by fast living, but his muscles mus-cles were as firm ns u young man's. Knowing thut his enemy's science wns more than n match for his superior strength, be maintained the clinch, but gradually shifted his grasp upward, first pinioning Hilary's arm, then gripping grip-ping bis shoulder, until ho had him by tho throat. Hilary, gasping under the relentless pressure, saw the faces of the lumbermen lumber-men swim round him. He saw tho triumph tri-umph and the Joy, the mockery nnd the hatred on each ; there wns no pity for the American; many an old land question, many a racial conflict lint! lie-come lie-come Incarnate In that fight under tho pines, nilnry realized that It was a battle, not for tho timber trnct, but for his own life. Pierre's face grinned into his own mallgnnntly, plastered with dust nnd smeared with tho sweat that drove white furrows across It. Hilary let his hands fall limply. For Just u second Pierre relaxed his grasp, to shift It so the thumb-knuckles should close nn thu carotids. Then Hilary put all his strength Into n terrllle drive with tho left. The blow caught Pierre between the eyes, his nnns went up, releasing Illlnry. and ho tottered backward. The yells of tho lumbermen, which had been continuous, suddenly censed. Ileforo Pierre couhl recover himself Hilary let him have It with the right. Pierre went to tho ground. Hilary still only half conscious, nnd hardly seeing the prostrate body, drew In n deep chestful of air. A blnclc cloud tilled with dancing specks swam before be-fore his vision. Out tif It lie haw tho face nf one of the nearest spectators. It was filled with an anticipation so pungent that InstlnctlVely Hilary leaped leap-ed aside. Out of tho cloud ho saw Ulack Pierre plunge forwartl, knife In his band. Tho spent blow cut Hilary's sleeve. Pierre recovered himself and rushed at the American, n fearful spectacle, spec-tacle, dripping sweat and blood. Hilary Hil-ary caught him with the right under the Jaw, sending him lint. Tho knlfo went whirling uwny Into tho underbrush. under-brush. Illack Pierre lay still. Hilary turned to the nenrest of tho awed lumbermen. "Hrlng him n cup of water," he ordered. The mnn understood nnd rnn Into Plorro's hut.. Hut Plerro was shamming; sham-ming; ho opened his eyes, Axed them with burning hnto on Hilary, and mumbled. mum-bled. "Get up I" said Hilary. Pierre roo sullenly, edging out of tho reach of tho expected blow. IJ was cowed, the lighting spirit wns out nf him, ns It was ou. of his compan- us. -'llzed nieu fear the law, o .no lumbermen tenren liie- unknown forces that lay behind Hilary and jnnlfcsted themselves through the strength of his arm. "I'll give you live minutes to get off tho St. Iionlfucc territory Into tho Ste. Mnrle limits, the other side of Rocky river," Hilary wild'. He turned to the spectators. "I'll thrash every man not employed by me who conies upon my land," he miuounccd. Whether Ihoy undelstood tho menn-Ing menn-Ing of the words or not, they realized tho significance of the gesture. Ulack Pierre, mining his companions nt tho edge of the clearing, Btopped his re-treat. re-treat. He meant nt least to savo his fnc( liv threats. Hut Hilary hnd de liberately turned his buck, on him nnd, without apparent fenr of danger, wns examining the shacks, mid poking tlio moss out of the Interstices between tlio logs with n forked stick. When ho turned the Inst of the Ste. Mnrle men wns disappearing out of tho clearing down the road. He waltetl long enough for them to reach thu fork, before reentering re-entering the buggy. He was thoughtful on the drive homeward. He knew that It wns only the unexpected nature nf his nctlor which liinl cleared thu concession. Thnt bnil been a paramount duty; at any cost lie must preserve the Integrity of his laud, Itut, given Ilrnus.senu's leatl ershlp nail active hostility, they could put up a light which would rentier him Impotent. Physical force could bring him nowhere In the end. It took about an hour for the embellished embel-lished Mnry to tllter through to the mill, lk-fnro work was knocked off that afternoon Illlnry became conscious of a new deference In his hands' manner, of gaping looks that followed him when he went from office to mill, or hack. For the first time St. Ilonlfnco began to believe that tho Morris reghno hnd really passed. "We've still got Urousscau, though," said Hilary to Lnfe. "When do you suppose Iio'h going to declare himself V" "Soon," salt! Lnfe. "You've seen to thnt, Mr Askew." , "Well," answered Hilary cheerfully, "we'll meet thnt trouble when It comes. Meanwhile, don't spare tho teams In nreaklng up those piles nntl Bending them through the mill. I've got to get out n record loud next month, nnd I'm going to credit all the wood that goes through the mill to the St. Ilonlfnco tract and let Rroussenn tnko nny action ac-tion be likes about It." IliousM'au was not long In declaring war. On the following afternoon, as he sat In hi" office, Hilary, looking through the window, saw Madeleine Rosny driving a rig along tho road toward the mill. Kfsldo Iter sat a mnn whom be hat! never seen before. He surmised nt once that It was llrousseau, but he hardly expected that the girl was bringing him to the office. Such proved to be the case. Th' nc stopped at the door and Hilary had u gllmpso of Madeleine's averted, scornful scorn-ful facu ns shu sut waiting, ns If Hilary was beneath her pride, as It to stop there wi'H no nioro than to stop nt any laborer's shack. Her companion leaped out and enmu briskly to the door. He wns u man pf something more than forty, but nctlvo mid young-looking, Ilo cuine Into thu office nnd glared down at Hilary, who nt once foso anil .ril him. .... .. .......sscnii," Bnttl the visitor. "I've heard of you," salt! Hilary. "You'll hear moro of me. You ns-saulted ns-saulted one ot my men yesterday. Do you think you can como Into this country coun-try and knock my men nbout like thnt for doing their duty?" "Ilo wns on the Rosny seigniory, and cutting my timber." "He wns on the west side of Riviere Rocheuse," snarled Uroussenu, "The Riviere Rocheuse has nevcr beca purveyed. pur-veyed. What you cnll the creek ffi the upper part of Rlvlero Itochcuse. Le-Mime Le-Mime hnd permission to cut tbnt tract for Mr. Morris because our two companies com-panies worked bund In band. It Is not y wnv ' "" Mons- tu mnKC expinnauuuo, H leur Askew, but taketlfnt for "what r H Is , H "I do so, nnd It Is worth nothing,' Hilary answered. "What Is your prop-l H osltlon?" HI "You assaulted my man." Hh "Never mind your man. Ho startct'i M It, and he needed It. If I tint! him on H my limits I'll nssault him again. You H haven't como here to complnln about HI that, Monsieur Itrousscnu. What hav i HJ you Come. for?" !jH Continued Noxl week) I HI |
