The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-08-19
A SAILORS VIE.
now Master Fournier Foumd n Let
Ter. and Then Found the Reply

now Master Fourier Found n Let
ter and Then Found the Reply
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
long line across the horizon, between
the Criel Beach and the Pointe de Cay
eux. Out there they seemed to ride
more easily than when. they left the
harbor.
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 q
In haul Of fish. The sea was .admira-
bly, blue; but, dashed by the wind, it
broke into little waves, which rushed,
white-capped, toward the shore.
DO you see it vet, mammal" 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 lux
ury that her neighbors envied her; but
she was a good-hearted woman, and
loaned it to any who wished to follow
the course of the vessels that had car
ried away husbands, brothers and sons.
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.
Nine. Fourier took her son up in
her arms and held the glass before his
eyes.
'T. 672," he read aloud; "they are
casting the lead"
lie would have remained a long time
watching his fathers sloop as it grew
smaller and smaller in the distance,
but his mother led him away. They
must 60 back to the house to their
work.
They loitered along the harbor, which
had lost it's animation, now that its
feet of fishing craft was gone. On the
side toward the town a few small boats
were waiting till the sea went down
a little before ~ventu11ng out, and on
the other side half a dozen ships were
discharging their cargoes of coal and
taking on phosphates.
Nine. Fourier 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 cap
gayly to her. She turned away and
hurried up the Ruede la Falaise to her
home.
Two hours later the loungers of the
Rue de la Falaise were greatly sur
prisad to see Master Fourier, 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 reason of his sudden
return.
b Why had he come back? It was that
way they had of leaving port, with all
sails set, whatever the weather, which
was known all up and down the coast
as '"Treport sailing'-a custom that
nothing can induce the Treport fishers
to abandon, despite the fact that it has
often caused such accidents as that
which had overtaken the Saint Laurent,
T 672. Her back-stay had broken,
and Fournier had had to come back
to port for repairs. These were al.
ready 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"
f. He thanked his neighbors, and sat
down to await her return.
He was pouring himself a glass of
thin wine from the pitcher he had
drawn that morning before leaving;
when he noticed the ipkstand 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 during the day he concluded that
his wife must have been writing. Al
most at the same moment, he noticed
q letter in the blue vase on the mantel,
and, without thinking, be opened it
and read:
Nine. Fourier: I love you, more
than I q tell. 7 implore you to set
a time when we can meet. You are
free-your husband is gone.
Harry Evans.
my Godw cried Fourier, Harry
Evans!"
He knew him well; this handsome
English sailor of the Harding, who had
already ruined more than one home
in Treport- g. tall fellow, as tall as
Fourier himself, fair, with the COM
plexien of q 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.
s>'I hurried back" she said, as she
came In. II heard Of the accident as
I was doing my marketing"
As he laid the purchases 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. Fourier continued to busy
herself with her household duties. He
watched her, and he found her still
young, Drowned like himself, almost
as tall, gracefully poised on her pointed
sabots, and with a waist still slender.
She wore a new skirt Of red STUFF and
a trim gray jacket; at her throat she
had q brooch that he had given her on
her birthday, and In her ears were
the golden earrings that had been his
wedding gift.
From time to time she looked at him
with q smile; she was not surprised to
see him looking sOmbre after the acct
0Snl. Sn0 Niu AOl Say dAylnlHS ABOUT
it, for she had given him her advice
on the subject long ago, and it was the
sole matter on which they disagreed.
His father had taken his sloop out IN
that fashion, and the son would always
take his out in the same way.
Wife, have you nothing new to tell
met"
Nothing my dear husband,
His face contracted as with q sud
den pain. His wife, thinking 1t due
to chagrin at the accident, kissed him
tenderiy. He pressed her to him with