The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-19
A CRUEL DOUBT.
How q Loving Husband Wronged
a True Wife.

The fishing feet had set out early in
the morning The atmosphere was
very clear and the boats could still be
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 stin loitered on the jetty, all in
excellent humor, for with such weather
there should certainly be fine haul of
fish. The sea was admiral bly, blue; but,
lashed by the wind, it broke into little
waves which rushed, white-capped,
toward the shore.
''Do you see it yet, mammaY' asked
a little fellow who had stayed away
from school that morning in order to
see his father start with the feet.
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,
|
must go back to the house to their
| work.
They loitered 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 venturirg
out. and on the other side half a dozen
ships were discharging their cargoes of
coal and taking on phosphates.
Nine. Fournier stopped mechanically
in the middle of the quay to look at a
fine English three-master, the Harding,
which came every week with a cargo
of coal. A sailor. leaning on the rail
of the ship, saw her and waved his hat
gayly at her. She turned away and
hurried up the Rue de la talaise to her
| home.
Two hours later the loupgers of the
Rue de la Falaise were greatly sur
/ prised to see Master Fournier. the own
er of the fishing-sloop T 672, fastening
| angrily 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
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
moment
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 ia bic and the pen beside it still wet
with ink.
1t was his sons pen and 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 let
ter in the blue vase on the mantel,
and without thinking he opened it and
read:
NINE FoURNIER-Ilo love you more than can
tell implore you to set time when We can
meet You are free-your husband is gone
HARRY EVANS
my God.' cried Fournier. Harry
Evans"
He knew him well. this handsome
English sailor of the Harding, who
had already ruined more than one
home in Treport-a tall fellow. as tall
as Fournier himself. fair. with the
complexion of giIl 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.
II hurried back" she said. as she
came in. 81 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
watched her and found her still young,
Drowned like himself, almost as tall,
gracefully poised on her pointed sabots
and with a waist still slender.
From time to time she looked at him |
with smile. She was not surprised |
to see him looking comb after the ac- |
cident She did not say anything about !
it. for she had given him her advice on |
the subject long ago, and it was the |
sole matter on which they disagreed.
'Wife, have you nothing new TO tell |
meo"
Nothing, my dear husband"
His face contracted as with sudden |
pain His wife, thinking it due to |
chagrin at the accident, kissed him |
tenderly.
he pressed her to him with unaccus-
toned force. Never, even in the fiercest |
tempest, had he suffered as he suffered /
now. Suspicion entering his simple,
loyal heart ravaged it terribly.
We'll, good-by. am going TO tho
harbor. We shall go ont with the next
tide if the backstay is repaired Good
by"
She accompanied him TO the end of
the street and bade him farewell with
so frank an eye that he asked himself /
if it were possible that such a woman
could lie.
He was about TO go 70 the Harding |
when one of his sailors saw him and |
came after him Compelled 10 return
to his vessel he had time to reflect. A
Sudden fit OF rage. a fight. would prove