The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1892-08-05


The larewells take up good deal of
time-so much, indeed, that the dill
gence is at least twenty minutes late
when it starts for Bayeux.
Il shall come again next year"
calls out Wilfred from the diligence.
and then amidst a general cry of
Bon voyage, monsieur, the diligence
rolls away
At the Chateau de Tracy the dill
gence stops to take on another passen-
ger, and here, by the roadside, Will
fred sees Elise. He does not dream
that she has taken an early walk along
the Bayeux road that she might see
him once more after all the others
have said their farewells. Butso it is.
and fortune has been kind to her. for
the stopping of the diligence has given
her an opportunity for word with
him while the luggage of the new pas
senger is being taken on. She has on
her sabots now, and is very neatly
dressed
Monsieur must know that | had an
errand at the chateau, and so | could
not bid him farewell, as the others
said they should do, at the Auberge
Chretien."
She smiles as she says this, and Will
fred believes her, says a few kind
words, hopes he shall see her there
next year, climbs back into the dill
gence, and she is left standing alone
at the gate of the Chateau de Tracy.
Then, and not till then. her eyes fill
with tears.
A year goes by, and Wilfred is once
more in Arromanches. Things have
! gone well with him meanwhile, and
] Eleanor accompanies him this time
j Every one is anxious TO see the wife of
the young American. She would be
very nervous if she knew how critical
ere the eyes of these Norman villagers
who look at her so closely. But she
knows nothing of this fortunately,
and, without any effort to do so, she
wins their hearts as completely as her
husband had done the year before
and the general verdict is that she is
quite worthy to be the wife of the
young American. They are walking
together on the sands the morning af-
ter their arrival. One of the fisher
girls is returning to the village. 1t il
Elise, Wilfred perceives, as she APP
proaches them.
See, Elise" said Wilfred, gayly,
here is my wife; she who gave me
the little hook you found last sum
mer."
Elise stops short. His wifew She
shivers slightly, although the day is
warm. She tries to smile, but does
not speak Wilfred takes her silence
for timidity, but there is look in her
eyes, as she gazes from him to Eleanor,
that Eleanor understands better than
her husband can.
MY husband has told me of you.
she says kindly, and we are both
glad to see you.
She wins the girl to say few
words, and then they move away, and
Elise is left alone as she was year
ago at the gate of the Chateau de
Tracy, but this time not even the
faintest CLEAN of a shadowy hope stays
with her to brighten the future. And
Wilfred will never know. The secret
is safe with Eleanor who read it In
stantly when she looked into the eyes
of Elise. She is sure of il when they
meet Elise again with the same look
Of dumb pain in her eyes. They leave
Arromanches in week or two, and
from behind a hedge on the Bayeux
road Elise watches their departure
She has never put her thoughts into
words. She is conscious only of suffer
ing that she cannot help, suffering
that is no ones fault, unless it be a
fault TO be handsome and kind and
unobserving.
A month after the Averys leave
ArrOmanches there reaches him pack
ct from Madame Chretien inclosing
some articles left behind by accident.
and in an accompanying note the
writer says: Monsieur will be grieved
to know of the death of Elise Rigault
1t was but a day or two after mon
sieur and his wife left Alromanches.
1t is thought by some that she left one
of her nets on the rocks behind the
PLACE, and, going to look for it at high
tide, she may have fallen on the
stones and into the water 1t was AL
phonse Cauchon who found her float
ing In the water, iii a narrow place be-
tween the rocks which, perhaps, mon
sieur remembers. 1t is very strange TO
us at Arromanches for Elise could
swim, like all the girls who go out
with the nets. 1t may be that the fall
on the rocks made her unconscious,
but lie bon Dieu only knows"
Poor Elise r says Wilfred, plying
ly, and by and by goes out Of doors
and forgets.
Poor Elisel" says Eleanor, and
when Wilfred comes back he sees she
has been weeping.
Tender little hearth he says,
weeping for one whom you saw but
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