The Bossier banner., 1894-01-11
A CRUEL DOUBT.
How a Loving Husband Wronged
a True Wife.

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The fishing fleet 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 still loitered on the jetty, all in
excellent humor, for with such weather
there should certainly be a 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, mammal" asked
a little fellow who had stayed 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 a 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 loitered along the harbor,
which had lost its animation now that
its fleet of fishing craft was gone.
On the side toward the town few
small boats We're 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 mechanically
in the middle of the quay to look at
fine English three-master, the Harding,
which came every week with 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 Falaise to her
home.
Two hours later the loupgers of the
Rue de la Falaise We're greatly sur
prised to see Master Fournier, the own
er of the tishing-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
fournler had had to come back to port
Tor 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"
lie was pouring himself a glass of
thln wine from the pitcher he had
urawn that morning before leaving
when he noticed the inkstand open on
the table and the pen beside it still wet
with ink.
IL was his sons pen and inkstand,
put ds the little fellow never wrote
ourlng the day he concluded that his
"iIe must have been writing. Almost
at the same moment he noticed a let
ter in the blue vase on the mantel.
ana without thinking he opened it and
read
-. NINE EFoURNIER-I love you more than 1 can
@ lL lmplore you to set time when we can
A'0~ You are free-your husband is gone.
HARRY EVANS.
MY Godr' cried Fournier. Harry
Evans."
lie knew him well, this handsome
LhgliSn sailor of the Harding, who
,iau already ruined more than one
nome In Ireport-a tall fellow, as tall
as Fournier himself, fair, with the
complexion of a girl and tender blue
eyes.
ne sprang up to rush to the quay and
S'fangle the Englishman, when he
nearo his wife returning. Evidently
@ sle hao answered that insulting letter,
anu she would tell him what answer
she had given. He trusted his wife.
hurried back" she said, as she
Sauie in' Il heard of the accident as
was doing my marketing"
as she laid the purchase she had
il"'ie on the table he had time TO thrust
sne letter back into the vase. He would
wait for her to speak.
mhe' Fournier continued to busy
sen with her household duties. He
h,a a.ched her and found her still young,
drowned like himself, almost as tall,
s-aTelniiy poised on her pointed sabots
esa With q waist still slender.