Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-06-18

y
difficulty, and then, as she was known
to be a good, industrious woman,
Levesque, a fisherman of the place
and a widower with one son, asked
her to marry him. She accepted his
proposal, and had two more children
by him within three years.
They lived with difficulty by the
hardest work. Bread was dear and
meat was almost an unknown luxury
in their cottage. Sometimes during
the winter in the stormy weather they
would get heavily in DEBT at the baker.
| Still the children were wonderfully
healthy. Folks used to say: They're
good people-the Levesques La Mar
finishes a good worker, and there's
nobody can beat Levesque fishing"
The girl at the gate continued ::
! Looks as if he knew US. Perhaps
| it's some beggar from Eprevllle or
! Ausebose.
But the mother could not be mis-
/ taken. No, no! it was nobody from
that part of the country, sure!
AS he remained motionless as o
stake and kept his eyes persistently
on the habitation of the Levesque-
Martin people La Martin became furi-
Gus at last, and her fear giving her
courage, she seized a spade and went
out in front of the gate.
"What do you want there's" she
screamed to the tramp.
He replied in a wheezy voice: "Tm
/ just taking rest IN the shade. Why
! [ amt doing you any harm-am IL"
She went on: what are you spy
ing around like that before my house
fora"
Ine man answered: I'm doing no
harm to anybody. Amt person
allowed to sit on the edge of public
road?"
AS she could not ind any answer to
this observation, she went into the
house again.
The day passed by very slowly.
About noon the man disappeared.
But he passed by again about o'clock
in the afternoon. They did not see
him during the evening.
Levesque came IN about nightfall.
They told him about it. He said /:
"Must be some sneak or william"
And he went to bed without feeling
the least anxiety, while his wife kept
| thinking about the prowler who had
stared at her with such Queer-looking
eyes.
When day came around there was
big wind, and, seeing that he could
not take his BOAT out, the sailor began
to help his wife to mend the nets.
About o'clock the eldest girl-a
Martin-who had been sent for bread,
came running with frightened face,
and cried out: Mamma, there he is
again."
The mother almost tainted; and,
pale as ghost, she said to her husr
tand: Go out and talk to him,
Levesque, and stop this sneaking
around-it just worries me out of my
senses"
And Levesque, a burly seaman,
whose face was tanned to the color of
brick, with a rough, red beard, blue
eyes with a piercing black pupil. and
a strong neck, always encircled by a
wooden scarf, to protect him from cold
winds and chilly rains at sea, arose
very quietly and walked directly to
the prowler. And the two began to
talk. The mother and the children
watched them from a distance, shud-
dering with anxiety.
All of sudden the stranger rose up
and followed Levesque toward the
house.
La Martin snrank back terrified.
Her husband said to her: GIVE him
bite of bread and glass of cider
he hasn't had anything to. eat for
two days"
And they both entered the cottage,
followed by the mother and her chill
dren. The prowIer sat down and
began to eat, keeping his head down,
as if to avoid being looked at.
The woman, standing near him,
watched him keenly, and the two
tall daughters, the Martin girls, lean.
ing against the door-posts-one OF
them carrying the youngest child
stared at him with curious eyes; and
the two little urchins, squatting
among the ashes of the Fireplace,
stopped playing with the pot IN order
to contemplate the stranger.
| Levesque took char. and sitting
down, asked him: so you come
from good ways off,"
Il have come from Cette."
"On foot-just like you are?''
Eyes, on foot. When one hasn'
the meaps, one has to walk"
''Then where are you going to-"
"Going here"
''Know any folks herr"
"Guess SO.
They stopped talking. He ate slow
| ~, hungry as he was, and drank {
little cider after each mouthful O
bread. He had a worn face-wrlnkled
full of Aollows-and seemed to have
suffered a great deal.
Levesque roughly asked him
Whats your name?"
He replied, without lifting his eyes
"My names Martin"
a strange shiver passed through
the mother. She took one long ster
forward, as if to get a closer view o.
the tramp, and remained standing IL
/, | frcnt of him har arms ha0piOU life,