Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-23

Persons whom he met at Granville said Ra0ul hal founi good eha an.s, fer tas
 talk was taat out there they would pay
 high wages to any good workman, and tht
 captain had given him leave to work out
 his passage.
 So there was nothing for 1t, but thai
 Marcel Vanier shonld return to Wire, and
 make out of his sons departure tho bes,
 story he could. He pfetended that hs
 thought it no such bad thing for young
 fellow to see little of the world. II
 would take the fool out of him, he said,
 and when he came back ''he'd have learn
 ed to know wine from cider" But for al this talk his stern face looked harder, his
 voice was sharper, and he turned aside
 from Nannette as if she had the plague
 People began to wonder why it was, that
 efenlng after evening, he was always tC
 be net walking down the valley towards the house of Monsieur Fourcher, who was then agent to the paper mills there: and at last 1t came to be whispered abroad, that Monsieur Fourcher could put peo- pie in the way of making a fortune Sc easily, that you had but to give your mon. ey to some one in Paris, whom he would tel you ef, and it was doubled and trebled iu no time
 Some were all for wishing that they had
 money to give him, but the old ones shook their heads, and said no good ever ealae of new ways, and only fools trusted moHey out of sight and reach; still they did not say this to Marcel Vanier, but treated him with great courtesy and re speet, for when man begins to grow rich no one knows to what grandeur he may attain.
 Nannette often sighed over these reports of Marcel's growing riches, for in them shesOnly saw fresh barrier between her and Raoul. Poor child 1t seemed to her that this year of Raours absence would never come to an end; and she turned impatiently away from the old gos- sips and mothers who croaked, and shook their heads, to the young girls, who were as full of life and vigor as herself, and who bsleved no clouds could oYershadow their future, or prevent tie fulfilment of their wishes.
 Of course she knew that Raoul might be delayed week, month, or even two months; but after that-oh, she felt cer- tam he would come; so she gave back saucy answers to the speeches of the men whom she met in the town. She laughed at the farmers, who while their carts wait ed to pass the octroi, would come in for cider, and who would tell her that her eyes were darker than the plums upon the walls, and her cheek rosier than the ap- pies which hung in their orchards, slyly or openly saying, the cottage that stood in the midst of all this had uo mis- tress, and the chair at the tables head was waiting for one. Jeanne Feronelle was vexed at times because so much mo- tice was taken of her young cousin. Nan nette was too good worker to lose, and she would say sharply, that she would not have them fill the girls head with such idle gossip.
 Well, madame, at last the weary year came to an end. The great fete was over, and the day on which Raoul should have to Wire past month since. Peo- pie thought little of learning in those days; so that, though Raoul was able to write, he did not send any letters, know ing that neither Nannette nor his father could read them; and we country folk be- ing accustomed to this silence, 1t did not trouble or alarm us. Just before Christ mas, Marcel Vanier went to Granville, but DO tidings could he learn of the Ahgeiique, neither had Jean Brisac been able to get any intelligence of his cousin, the cap tain; and so two or three years passed slowly away, and still no word of Raoul Reports would come occasionally that some one had seen some one else, who had aeen sailor at Granville. who know Raoul Vanier, and who said he was at
 -, and was getting on famously. At another time 1t would be limited that nei- ther the AngetiQue, nor any one on board her, would ever be heard of again, as a vessel like her in every way had foun- dered, at sea, and gone down with eve " soul in her.
 Happily Nahnette paid no heed to any of this talk. Hope in young girls breast Is so strong that 1t seems impossible to crush it. At intervals great bursts of pas- sorrow would seem to break over her, and overwhelm her with despair. Could 1t be, that she WAS alone in the world with no one to love, no one to cling to? The bare idea seemed too terrible to make its realization for more than an in- stant possible. No, no-God would be good to her-would send him back yet. Why, a-thousand things might be detain- ing him; and then cheating herself by picturing the happiness which was most surely in store, the poor child, for such at heart she was. would forget her misery and turn her tears into smiles.
 In the autumn of the fourth year, real tidings did come of Raoul, through the captain of the Angelique, whom Marcel Vanler travelled all the way to Havre to see. From him Marcel heard that he left Raouf at Quebec, that he was doing we'll and could have got work in. the dockyard there, but he had had better offer fur ther in the interior, and he started for that part the same day the Angelique left for the port to which she was bound. The captain had quite expected to find him at home again; for he laughed at Raoul, as having made but sad sailor Before they were half across the great ocean, he said, the poor boy was filling the sea with tears of sorrow, and heaving sighs fit to fill the sails of the ship which was carry ing him far away from all he loved. He comforted Marcel by telling him that he was sure his son was all safe, but doubt less he had grown wise enough to stay and make his fortune, which he was certain to do there. He would be going out again the letters and messages which Marcel AAACO bO bCAuS duA WACA HI OcptcMDCA the AngeliQue sailed she carried besides what Marcel sent, letter from Nannette begging Raoul to return home at once. Nannette could not write the letter, nei- ther could she read it when written, but until 1t went she carried 1t next her heart and seized every spare moment to cover it with kisses, feeling certain that Raoul would do the same, and would not delay his return a moment, after reading the tender entreaties that she had made Mere Leroux fill it with.
 For months after the vessel sailed Mar eel Vanieris good spirits seemed to rise. Everybody talked of the money he was making. Twas plain, they said, that Cloutier did all the courting now, and he had made Eulalie refuse several young men. hoping he might yet secure Raoul as husband for her.
 Marcel Vanier now came nearly every day to breakfast and dinner at the hotel, that he might get into talk with the tray ellers, who knew Paris, and could tell him of the banks, and the funds, and the bourse, about all of which he seemed to understand as much as they did. Some lF n |. q