The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1880-06-12
Les Incomprehensibl es.
Ely / T HUGO.

BOOK l.
A man sat Oh a picket fence.
Picket fences were invented by
Chanemagne and improved upon
by Charles II. OF England.
Still tAe man sat on the fence.
BOOK II.
The fence surrounded a tall
gloomy building. The building
had shutters at the window. The
man was a Frenchman. There were
other Frenchmen in the same,
neighborbood. They were in bed.
Frenchmen were dis covered by
Oliver Cromwell, and subsequent
ly patented by the author. They
are copyrighted. All Frenchmen
not bearing, the signature of the
author are spurious.
1t was snight. 1t was a dark
night. Darkness is a shadow
that rises from the ground when
the sun goes down.
The man on the fence was think
ing. His name was Lippiatt.
BOOK III.
Lippiatt loved Mafonette. Marc
nette Was a girl. She knew Lip.
piatt. She did not know that Lip
| piatt lOyed her.
Maronette lived in the
gloomy house. Lippiatt did not
tell MarOnette that he loved her.
He was contented to sit on the
fence in front of her house. He
was q qniet man. Like all 'French
men he was the bravest man in
thirteen c0ntries.. He was a tai
lor. A tailor is a man who prom
ises to have yonr clothes done>Sa
turday and then brings them
around week after next.
Lippiatt was poor. All heroes
are poor.
BOOK w.
MarOnette opened q window
and SHE'D an old boot ut Lippiatt.
sis that you Lippiatt, she said.
EYES," said LippiattP
Maronette laughed.
"My father saysI must marry
the man who will bring him the
Norwegian maelsto,m." said Marc
nette.
Lippiatt got off the fence and
walked over.
BOOK v.
Like all tailors in France, Lip
piatt was a gotd sailor. He stole
a boat and slarted for the coast
of Norway. A fearful storm came
on. The world drew on a heavy
cloak to protect it from the storm.
The sea opened a thousand
mouths to swallow Lippiatt. 1t
was hungry tor him. His beard
and hair were filled with salt.
Great grasping hands ofdarkness
reached down to snatch him.
Lippiatt only laughed.
The scene wrew wilder. Mons
tiers Of water crowded against the
boat. They were reaching for
Lippiatt. He steerd his boat to
avoid them.
A wave averages twenty feet
in height. 1t contains 400 tons
Of water. 1t is thicker at the
base than at the top. In that
respect it is like a pyramid. But
It'll is not three c0rnered. 1t is
oval in shape. A round wave is
a water-spout. A water spout il
thick at the top and bottom and
slender in the middle.
Li2piatt knew this.
He was afraid of waves. He
was fearful of water-spouts.
BOOK vi.
In four days Lippiatt arrived
at the maelatrom.
cit is for Maronette," said he.
The maelstrom is shaped like a
funnel. The lower end is at the
bottom. The m0ath is at the top.
1t is caused by the tides, The
Norwegians suppose it is caused
by Il hole in the earth. Lippiatt
knew bettei.
He went down in the maeltrom
and fastened a rope around the
lower end. To this he adjusted
blocks aud pulleys. Then he elm
ed out of the pit and fastened
the other end of the rope to the
masthead. The blocks gave him
a purchase.
He rested.
BOOK VII.
Having rested, Lippiatt pulled
on the rope. He pulled the mael
strom inside out. The bottom
was then at the top. 1t spun
around like an inverted top.
Lippiatt drove a staple into it
and fastened his line. Then he
set sail. The maelstrom follow
ed.
IL shall marry Maronette, he
said.
Another man sat on the picket
fence. 1t was Goudenay, Goude
nay loved Maronette, Maronette
loved Goudenay.
Goudenay saw something com
ing in the harbOr.
"What's that ~ he asked.
1t looked like an inverted fun.