Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-12-21
HE DOUBTED HER.

The fishing fleet had set out early in
the morning. The atmosphere was
very clear. and tine boats could still be
seen in the distance. strung out IN a
long 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 humor. 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 it yet. mamma?" asked
little fellow who had staid away from
school that morning in order to see his
father start with the fleet.
His mother had a marine glass-a
luxury that 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 sails.
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 back to the house to their work.
They loltered along the harbor, which
had lost its animation now that its feet
of fishing craft was gone.
On the side toward the town few
small boats were waiting till the sea
went down a little before venturing out,
and on the other side half dozen ships
were discharging their cargoes of coal
and taking on phosphates.
Nine. Fournier stopped mechanical
ly in the middle of the quay to look at
fine English three master, the Har-
ding, which came every week with a
cargo of coal. A sailor, leaning on the
rail of the ship, saw her and waved his
cap gayly to her. She turned away
and hurried up the Rue de la Falaise
to her home.
Two hours later the loungers of the
Rue de la Falaise were greatly surprised
to see Master Fournier, the owner of
the fishing sloop 7 672, Fastening an
grily homeward.
He had not entered the house before
his neighbors had run to learn the rea-
son of his sudden 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 sail.
ing"
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 mo-
ment.
Your wife-she has gone out, but
she will be back directly"
He was pouring himself glass of
thin wine from the pitcher he had drawn
that morning before leaving, when he
noticed the inkstand open on the table
and the pen beside it, still wet with
ink.
1t was his sons pen and inkstand,
but as the little fellow never wrote dur
ing the day he concluded that his wife
must have been writing. Almost at
the same moment he noticed letter in
the blue vase on the mantel, and with
out thinking he opened it and read:
Nine. Fournier
love you more than can tell. I implore
you TO set time when we can meet. You are
free-your husband is gone.
my Godp' cried Fournier, Harry
Evans!"
He knew him we'll, this handsome
English sailor of the Harding, who had
already ruined more than one home in
Treport-a tall fellow, as tall as Four
nier himself, fair, with the complexion
of girl and tender blue eyes.
He sprang up to rush to the quay and
strangle the Englishman, when he heard
his wife returning. Evidently she had
answered that insulting letter, and she
would tell him what answer she had
given. He trusted his wife.
Il hurried back" she said as she
came in. II heard of the accident as /
was doing my marketing"
AS she laid the purchase she had
made on the table, he had time to thrust
the letter back into the vase. He
would wait for her to speak.
Nine. Fournier continued to busy
herself with her household duties. He