The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1886-07-17

49, I~F "N-
known to himself, has kept aside, APP
proaches cap in hand, and is so pro-
tuSely thankful to John and so outrage
ouSly atfectionate toward the little aero
bat that what else can John do but adj
Just his hat before all these people and
then modeStly stink away from them?
Nevertheless, he tells himself as he
passes through the great porte, that had
this incident occurred in America he
certainly would not have desisted in his
attentions towards Annette until he had
rescued the poor child from that Anna
zon and brute. Here, however. in St.
Malo he is a stranger in a strange land,
knows absolutely nothing about the
laws regulating
Nonsense, lntrrpoSes John Crinoline's
conscience. Isn't this child likewise a
stranger in Il strange landp She heard
YOU swear; she spoke to you in En-
lish. Humbug, says John unflinch-
ingly.
But out on the long curving pier.
strolling the granite docks, indeed all
the afternoon until evening, when he
stands on the ramparts watching the
red sun sink in the sea, John thinks of
Annette. He irritably insists that it is
none Of his business, but away over in
the West the clouds cunningly arrange
themselves in the form Of a child with
yellow hair, and give him the lie direct.
He whistles softly and remarks to him
self that this thing Is very amusing: that
he IDpSn nrnnnla T., la - urlan a =,
INTO making an ass of himself. even by
celestial phenomena.
A mild breeze is blowing seward and
TIE tide is fast cbbing. Stretches of
white, clean beach lay below him, on
which children are at play. Adult
~Frenchmen, who will never outgrow
their boyhood, stand knee-deep in the
quiet water of a pond left by the sea,
glccfully sailing their miniature ships.
and a bcvy of girls, chaperoned by their
parents, are seeking the shelter of the
rocks to disrobe for a bath. Tardy
blanchisScuSes issue from the town with
heaping baskets of linen. which they
spread upon the beach. and the confused
mnrmur Of their voices floats up with
the rolling OF the surf. A gcndarme
stands at the western hastiOn with the
terra-cotta tint of the SKY in his face,
and Of him John inquired when it will
be possible for him to cross over the
dixie to Grand-Rey, He has still a half
hour to wait before he can stand By the
tomb Of his fayorite French author. It
Is enough time for another turn around
the ramparts.
The day is dying. 1t is nearly dead,
and the silver light of the moon is on
the water, when John, having looked
everywhere else around him. quite
naturally drops his eyes straight down
along the great granite blocks Of the
pier, and il shocked to find them resting
upon Annette Irs, there she is, her
lips parted, smiling timjily up at him;
one hand against the shiny green sea
weed that Clings to the wall, and the
other swimming Il small paper parcel.
OF curse. she is not clad in her tinscl
ami tights, only in 4 shabby blue dress;
but the yellow hair is there, and John
knows her by it. He can discern amid
appeal in her eyes; >hr looks a. though
,hr would speak 10 him: she has held
hcr pretty tile head in that strained
uyward position 50 long indeed.
Heaven only knows how long INA n
can see her swallowing back what his
heart tells him is a Sub and vet, what
does h" do?
''Bo careiuI!' he calls to her in a gra-
cions tone; 'vou may fail in. Those
stones look SIIpprrv."
And the n"Nt instant he is walking rap
idly away toward the beach.
When john descend, the paved road
way leading from the main gate the last
aftcrglow of sunset has faded from the
sky, and the moon is shining full upon
the SEA. He crosses the sea wall to
Grand-Bcy. The little island looks
rather forbidding a, it lies in the
shadow, sloping gently up from the still
to whore ii is crowned BY the
ragged ruins of the ancient chateau.
The path, family defined in the grass
and stones, leads past these ruins. then
down It Night of stone steps, and sud
before Johns eyes the tomb APP
l'"ar-, surrounded by its iron railing,
through which CLEANS the waste of sea
light 1up by the moon.
H. /. instantly sure there is nowhere
another such grave As this. Prrched
upon N" edge Of the island, here lofty
>lr +. where The salt spray can
batho it when the waves run high. it is
50 lonely, 50 simple. 50 grand. It is
only a small cylindrical cross carved
from a grant" block. AMI It rests upon
the tomb, which is enclosed by a ruStrd t
iron fence, the four corner post, being |
capped by ron pine cones, john at oncc
Il minute Inspection of'hn crave.
He has come to 81. Mal0 for this express
purpose, YOU will remember. So he {
walks slowly around il, and in 50 doing
eye has TO fall upon the sea, tran
gully surging and siIvercd over with
the light Of the moon When h" is
presently conscious of this diversion he
.,tUbbornly turns to the grave again and
tries to find an inscription upon the
There is none visible. He
then plucks a dead crisp Hover from
the mutilated wreath Of immort"lles
that some friend or pilgrim like himself
has long ago hung around the shaft Of
the cross. He places this flower in his
notebook and seats himself on the gran
tie rock with his limbs hanging over the
edge.
What he deliberately say, aloud,
''iS the matter with mc?'
What, indeed? john CrinoIine is
something Of a writer. avcrsifier he
is undoubtedly very clever, and it is
mainly due to his belief that the I'M
fortunate name he possesses will always
operate against his literary success that
he is 50 sensitive on that point. His
friends lament that this scribbling tai
ent of his is not in the humorous line,
where his name would really be an aid