Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-25
PERE LEFORT.

1t was in a little French fishing village on the
Normandy coast that heard the story. Idly
strolling around the place one day came upon
| the burying ground. A lovely, dreamy spot,
| with its quaint old headstones and neglected
/ graves, Its buried human SORROWS and its living
| joys of nature. Further and beyond the grave
yard, on little eminence overlooking the sea,
stood marble shaft. Handsomer than any OF
| the other stones, yet there was something pa
| thetic in It's loneliness. Drawing near found
! this line:
| AFTER life's ftful fever, he sleeps WE'LL
NO name, no date. Truly strange inscrip-
ton TO find over an unconsecrated grave In a
Normandy fishing village.
AS turned TO go noticed an old man COM
ing toward me with flowers in his hand. /
waited till he had laid them ON the grave and
! then spoke.
My friend,'' said, "can you tell me who
| lies here?"
He looked at me curiousl for a moment.
| sieur-Victor Lefort.''
"Yes7 Then why is he buried here and not in
the graveyard? Can you tell mc?"
"Sone better, monsieur. There are not many
| left now owhom Victor LefOrt is more than
name
lie seated himself by the grave as he spoke,
and followed the example.
1.-The man who lies here, monsieur was my
dearest friend" he continued. patting the
grave with his hand. ale and were boys to-
gether. One was never seen without the other
till Nictors father began to send him to the
Pere Petits TO study Tor n priest. Among us
poor fishing folks, monsieur, it is thought 81
great thing to be priest. We were all proud OF
Victor. Even Pere Petit himself said he had
never seen such u clever boy.
1.-The time came for him TO go to Paris to be
ordained. shall never forget the morning he
| for q long time in silence watching the fisher
men mending their nets down on the beach,
just as they are doing now, and the dim little
| speckS In the distance that we knew were the
boats gone out to the fishing. =
suddenly he turned to me-
JEAN he said, when die should like to
I
difference where is buried?
would be happier if | could know .t the blue
rs II came rolling by was crested with the suns
gold
Victor was a curious boy. always laughed
at him when he talked like that. Sometimes
he got very angry with me. / have no doubt
! was terribly trying but to-day he just put
his arms about my neck, and saw that there
were tears in his eyes. Ali! but he was hand
some. A fresh wind was blowing that kept his
curly brown hair tossing about his face and
the big gray eyes with tears gli,tening in them.
Oh! Dieg! what eyes. Why. monsieur
when be was thinking it seemed as if they saw
into eternity"
The old man paused and turned away his
face to hide his emotion. After all the years,
for a moment he was a boy and lived the past
over again. everything around was the same
as then; nothing but himself had altered. Sky
and earth and ocean Were all unchanged. The
Very people on the beach might have been the
same, Tor they were too far off to their faces.
some fishermen We're hoisting the sails TO their
boat. and the wind carried to the hilltops
Snatches OF the songs they were singing. it
was mOurnful song, and the sound of it
seemed to rouse the old man from his reveric.
That was the last time he went on. that
saw Victor LefOrt for many, many years. lie
went to Paris, and was ordained. Soon after
his father received letter saying that he Was
TO be sent TO America. Priests of the true
llgion were wanted there; he had been called
and must obey.
His father went to Paris to bid him good
bye, but with me il was different. i had no
money for such Il journey. Even Henri Lcfort
himself went much o: the way foot. IL was
h.lrd
OF parting 90 to Il strange country across the
cruel. changing seas and no one knows 81 we'll
as the fishing folks now cruel and changing the
sea can be.
when Henri Lefort returned from Paris he
brought me note from Victor saying that he
was to sail for place in America called New
Orleans, ana that was the last heard of him
for fifteen years.
Fifteen years is long time, monsieur. and
change Is rapid. Not long after Victor left US
l married. was very lonesome without him
and needed some one TO comfort me. But the
good God saw fit to take Marie aud the little
one. SO that was more lonesome than ever.
One day Victor came back to me. was
sitting here watching the fishing boats, when 1
turned ana found him Standing beside me.
Jean, inc said. putting his hand my
shoulder. iii the old loving way. do YOU know
me after all the years? Are you glad to see me
again:'
..Ot course I knew him, But. oh, mon Dieu,
how he haa changed! He was handsomer than
saw such a look in any human creatures eyes
1t was as IL all the misery and unhappiness in
the world looked out OF them.
~ never asked him what his life in America
had been, but after Il little he told me. and
wept to think what he must have suffered.
'When he reached New Orleans me reported
To the bishop. and was made cure Of ST. Cathe-
rine-s chapel.
..For years he did his duty as well as any man
could. and then he met the woman who worked
his ruin.
1T came about in this way; Among the peo-
pie who were under his care was /; Catholic
gentleman who had converted his wife and his
mOther-iI-law TO the true religion. But alas,
ms wi1e's sister. Mademoisseile Rose, refused
to be converted. Monsieur Linton came to
Victor.
"'Pere Lefort,' he said, will you not talk to
my sister sornetinnese am sure she will listen
10 you. and us priest YOU will know better
what 10 say to her than do.
What She looked like, monsieur, / cannot
tell You; but even Pere Peiits picture OF the
Holy Virgin, Victor said. was not half so beau
tiful as this MademOiselle Rose.
As "a priest he was welcomed by her friends
at all times: Madcmoisele herself seemed al
ways glad tt Sc. him. For hours they would be
left alone together, but thinking over after
wards what they had said he found that when
he had spoken OF religion she had changed the
subject, and i'll ,one way he always forgot to
return to it. This should have warned him.
CURED To him until too la.e that priest is but
n man after all. with weaknesses like the rest
OF . u, his ,urrv,no ,,ro,u,, biz au,,o .
go to her Dreaming of her all night and
thinking of her all day. with her face cou-
stant!y floating before him, and then not seeing
the danger he Wa, in, not knowing that he was
falling in love with her
Il do not blame the girl, monsieur; she never
knew anything about it. He was simply kind
friend TO her-nOthing more.
AT last the awakening came and a very
little thing brought it about. 1t is ALWAYS a
little thing that brings a crisis. She had
walked to the garden gate with him, and paIls-
ing with her hand on the latch
.''Pere Lefort,' she said, Il feel so sorry for
priests, their lives seem SO lonely and loveless
Do you always find religion satisfactory
THAT was the question that awoke him. In
moment he realized that 10 him religion was
as nothing compared to the love of this one
woman. Without answering he pushed past
her and hurried away.
"Au night long my poor Victor wandered up
and down, fighting for the mastery OF his love
O love that for him was sinful and wicked but
which another man might welcome as a bless
Ing. That was the thought which naddened
hiIn-hiS never being able to speak one word of
love to her. TO think that if he were but like
other men he might win this angel OF light for
his own. Bat Il priest TO whom thought of
woman never comes. what could he do?
Tine air still seemed filled with her voice:
WAS religion satisfactory
NO, u thousand times no! Religion without
love-what was It, after all? A she'll, a dry
husk. The body without the soul. Better the
soul for moment than the body for a lifetime
Thus he reasoned, IL one mad as my Victor
that night could reason.
Nv hen morning came he found that he had
walked far out into the country. All the world
was waking up around him, and he sat down TO
wait for the sunrise. do not know how that is
In your country, monsieur, but with us it is le
Don Dteus portion of the day.
''Whe the sun rose the ne Xt morning Ii shone
ON man who, still young in years. had parted
from his youth Conversations face was stern
and set with terrible resolve. That very day
he sent his resignation TO the pope.