The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-12-23
A CRUEL DOUBT.
How a Loving Husband Wronged
q True Wife.

seen in the distance. strung out in a
line across the horizon between the
Criel beach and the Pointe de Cayeux.
A few sailors wives, children and old
men still loitered on the jetty, all in
excellent hnmor, for with such weather
there should certainly be /, fine haul of
fish. The sea was admirably blue; but,
lashed by the wind, it broke into little
waves which rushed, white-capped,
toward the shore.
"Do you see 1t yet, mammaW asked
a little fallow who had stayed away
from school TINT morning in order to
see his father start with the feet.
His mother had a marine glass--a
luxury thut her neighbors envied her.
In such clear weather as this if they
could not distinguish the men they
could at least make out the gigantic
numbers on the SKIS.
He would have remained long time
watching his fathers sloop as it grew
smaller and smaller in the distance,
but his mother led him away. They
must go bac,; to the house to their
work.
They loiterad along the harbor,
which had lost it's animation now that
its feet of fishing craft was gone.
On the side toward the town Il few
small boats were waiting till the sea
went down n little before venturing
out, and on the other side half Il dozen
ships were diseh:irging their cargoes of
? coal and taking on phosphates.
Nine. Fournier stopped mechanically
in the middle OF the quay to look at a
fine English threc-master, the Harding,
which camc every week with a cargo
of coal. 4 sailor. leaning on the rail
of the ship, saw her and waved his hat
gayly at her. She turned away and
hurried Ep the Rue de Ia Falaise to her
home.
Two hours later the loupgers of the
: Rue de 3a Falaise We're greatly sur
prised to see Master Fournier, the own
er of the fislling-sloop T 672, fastening
angrily homaward.
He had not entered the house before
his neighbors had run to learn the rea-
son of his suddcn return.
- Why had he come back?
1t was that way that they had of
leaving port, with all sails set, what
ever the weather, which was known all
up and down the coast as 'Treport
sailing"
Her backstay had been broken, and
Fournier had had to come back to port
for repairs. These were already under
way, and, once he had his men at
work, he had come up to see his wife a
moment.
Your wife-she has gone out, but
she will be back directly"
He was pouring himself glass of
kI,s f1n ifAI hn 1,nl
drawn that morning before leaving
when he noticed the inkstGnd open on
the table and the pen beside it still wet
with ink.
1t was his sons pen aud inkstand,
but as the little fellow never wrote
during the day he concluded that his
wife must have been writing. Almost
at the same moment he noticed a let
ter In the blue vase on the mantel,
a without thinking he opened it and
reau:
NINE FoURE1ER-I love you more than can
tell implore you to set o time when we Gun
meet You are free-your husband is gone.
HARRY EvANs
..My Godr' cried Fournier. Harry
Evansl"
He knew him well, this handsome
English sailor Of the Harding, who
had already ruined more than one
home in Treport-a tall fellow, us tall
Is Tournier himself, fair. with the
complexion Of giIl and tender blue
eyes.
He sprang up to rush to the quay and
etrangle the Englishman, when he
heard his wife returning. Evidently
che had answered that insulting letter,
and she would tell him what answer
she had given. He trusted his wife.
IT hurried back" she said, as she
came in. II heard of the accident us
was doing my marketing"
AS she laid the purchase she had
Z made on the table he had time TO thrust
the letter back into the vase. He would
wait for her to speak
~ Mime. Fournier continued to busy
herself with her household duties. He
watched her and found her still young,
Drowned like himself, almost as tall,
gracefully poised on her pointed snbots
and with waist still slender.
From time to time she looked at him
with smile. She was not surprised
10 see him looking somber after the ac'
:ident. she did not say anything about
Az III obeS AAhA D ANSh hAAAA 1CA doNiSC Ibl
the subject long ago, and it was the
cole matter on which they disagreed.
wife, hove you nothing new 10 tell
me?"
Nothing, my dear husband
His face contracted as with 9 sudden
I pain. His wife, thinking it due te
chagrin ut the accident, kissed him
tenderly.
He pressed her to him with unaccus
tomnd force. Never. even In the fercest
tempGS&, had he suffered as he suffered
now, Suspicion entering his simple,
loyal kart ravaged 1t terribly.
We'll. Rood-by am going to the
harbor. Wa shall 70 out with the next
tids II the hackstey IS repaired. Good,
y by"
She accompanied him to the end Of
the street and bade him farewell with
80 frank An eye that he asked himself
u y were possible thst such 9 woman
coald lie. \. \
He was about 70 70 70 the Harding
when one Of his sailors asW him and
ct,ne after him. Cxlmpelled T. return
= ~ yeoocl ~ n ~ fne n ~ y