The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-16


The children grown unto our hearts dc.
sire
How little keeps us happy when we're old.
And yet between tho little then and now,
Wlat words Of life and thought and feeling
kecni
What spiritual depths and heights unscen!
All, me! between the little tlicn and now.
For little things seem mighty when we're
young;
Then we rush onward through the chung.
ing years,
Testing the gamut Of nll smiles and tears,
Till mighty things seem little: We are old.
Alice wellington Rollins.
THE AVENGING FINGER
,, Translated from the French ofLouis Darcsne.
GA devilish night" cried Master
won, skillfully bringing his boat to
anchor; mot even IL sardine for my
pains! But the wind and the fishing,
too, will be much the better to-mor-
| row!"
And Yvon was right in his estimate
of the weather, for the roaring blasts
that swept the sea ut the moment,
f1inging it upon the sands in spray
and heaps Of foam that buried them
selves with furious llowlings in the
silent and sombrc streets of the vii
lage, would all be gone by morning
The boat ut anchor, the fisherman
drew from the bottom of it the huge
/ fishing sacks, now absolutely empty,
threw them upon his back, rcmounted
the strand and turned his steps to-
ward his distant dwelling. 4 rough
sailor, this Master Yvon, tall, broad
shouldered and tanned to the color
of an orange by the salty winds, who
never sulked at work, and whom they
saw (wllen others, frightened by the
tempests, remained in the villagc),
smiling and indifferent, make ready
his boat unaide'l and put to sea.
This evening, even, despite the
counsels of his companions and the
| supplications of his wife, he had en-
barked as usual, not to return till
morning, but decidedly the weather
was too hcavy-the harvest did not
come, and, mi, fol! he had put about,
and by twelve O'Clock was snfc in
port again. Ono thought alone con-
soled him for his bad fortune-lie was
going to surprise his Catherine, his
dear treasure, and to pass beside her
the hours of work, that the ocean
refused to allow him to take from it.
All! well, happiness gave him PIT
thence, and tomorrow, after II night
like this. the game would bc hungry
the fishing marvellous!
lie loved his wife SO much, this
brave Ivon, she whom lie had seen
play when a little one before the shop
of her father, the whcclwright. They
had passed these joyous momcntsto-
gether, participating in the same
plays, in the same stream of sunlight
entering between the wheels of the
chariots undergoing repairs, and
mingling their cries and shouts of
laughter with the sonoriOus strokes
of the hammers. Then Gathering had
grown up, and Yvon, who had com
n,enced to pass his days upon the
sea, no longer dared to talk with her
us of old. Nevertheless, ON Sundays,
when NIL the country side climbed the
coast to the little chapel at Morlach,
he followed from afar the movements
of the village swains about this beau.
tiful girl, his jealous eye resting al
ways upon one above all others.
This one was the handsome Dom
Unique, the assistant of the wheel
wright. GATHERINGS father. Invari-
ably clothed in IL fresh blouse, clean
and well-fitting, his hair brushed
smoothlynnd scented will, pomade,
and flower nodding in his button
hole, he travcrsed the Place dc la
Marche with the air of conqueror,
addressing himself with smiles and
condescending mods to the wives
and girls of the village, and to which
they us atfnbly responded. On tcte
days, when lie appeared nt the ball
that closed the exercises of the Oc-
casion, all eyes were turned upon him
again, while they awaited with evil
dent anxiety his selection of u part
ner for the evening.
But Dominique in nowise hurried
himself, but made the tour of the
hall, examined them TRANQUILITY, and
then cast his choice on the most
beautiful. Frequently it seemed to
lockers on Mt this game of vanity
that he lost his time when hcstoppe,l
before the daughter of the wheel
wright, for Catherine manifested for
the workman of her father an indit-
ference bordering uponaversion. The
women chafcd her about it, accused
her ofbring proud, and declared that
the handsome Dominique wasspoiled
for her eyes by frightml disfigure-
ment that he carried upon his left
hand-a Disagreement that he had
received when working from the
manner of IL comrade. The middle
finger of the hand hung useless and
stupefied, the flesh shrivelcd from the
bone, BLUSH and hitleous.
AS time passed on, and under the
spur of fDominiquc's gallantries, Yvon
regnincd his courage, and one beau
tiful morning made his demand up
on Father Francois for the hand OF
his daughter. He was steady, hon
est, full Of ardor for work, and loved
her dearly; the old man consented,
moved perhaps by the avowal that
Catherine had made to him of her
preference for the fisherman. AS for
Dominique, from the moment of the
public htrotlment he affected to see
the young girl no more and kept
himself in retirement.
All, but the wedding day was truly
beautiful: Father Francois wished to
do everything well: a half dozen vio-
lins and horns were hired for the oc-
casion, and the supper was the AS
constituent of the village. 1t was
two years now that Catherine had