The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-02-09

reparation which was coming on apace
At two o'clock his wife brought him
his luucheon; at five his son came to
kiss him good-by, and that evening he
set sail again, after having seen the
Harding leave Treport for England.
The following Saturday, after terri
BILE tempest, the fishing fleet returned
to Treport la den with a fine catch of
fish Master Fourni er looked quickly
to see if the English three-master were
at the quay, but she was not there.
Disemb barking, he learned that the
Harding had gone down in sight of
Spitehead, and that all on board had
been lost.
Harry Evans, then, was dead. His
wife alone knew the truth; he would
not dare to question her; he would
never know the truth-he would doubt
her always
From that time everyone in Treport
remarked that Master Fourier had
grown taciturn; they asked his wife
the reason, but she replied evasively
that she did not know.
His sailors found him rougher than
before and more avar icious. He often
returned to Treport on Sunday morn
ing and left again the same evening
without a nights rest.
One week he came back on Tuesday,
and the news spread that the st. Lau-
rent had brought back the corpse of a
drowned man. According to the GUS
tom of that part of the coast, Master
Fournier had given orders to return to
port, losing his catch of fish, in order
to bury the dead.
Accompanie d by two of his sailors he
made his deposition before the COM
missioner and the latter had him sign
the declaration that 1.-The body of a
drowned man had been recovered by
the St. Laurent at a point fifteen miles
SSW of Spithead, measuring five feet
ten inches in height, dressed in a blue
wooden shirt, trousers of gray cloth
and neckerchief of red cotton; no
papers, no marks to establish identity;
supposed, from the place of drowning,
in default of other evidence, to have
been one the crew of the Harding"
Early the next morning funeral
procession traversed the village and
bore to the little church the remains of
the unknown sailor found by the st.
Laurent Behind the coffin walked the
sailors of the st. Lauren t, their master
at their head, and behind the men
came the wives or mothers of the
sailors.
The religious ceremony was brief,
but respectfully followed, and the I'M
known dead was conducted to the
cemetery by the great family of sailors
Of Trcport, who honor themselves in
thus honoring tn G remains of others.
Get yourselves ready" announced
Master Fournier to his men; 1--WE go to
sea Directly
Fournier led his wife to little knoll
q few PAGES away from the cemetery.
He wished to speak with her without
witnesses.
"Wife.' said he, do you know for
whom you have come to pray?"
She trelnbled and pressed her hus-
bands hand She had never seen him
SO solemn.
'The man we had just buried was
Harry EvanS-wait!''
Nil me- Oufulcr CurueQ pale her nus
band rendered her paper, stained as if
with water.
"Wife, l have doubted you. My pun
ishment is to accuse myself of it. 1
| read the letter he dared write you-and
have been very miserable. The other
| night, when this drowned man was
| found. alone searched him. l could
| not show to others, not even to the
commissioner, the only paper he had
on him, in little bag of oiled silk
The water had dimmed it little, but l
read it nevertheless"
1t was the answer written to the
handsome English sailor by Nine. Four
nier:
SIR-I love my husband: that is the sole an
Swer can make to your letter. 1 shall say
nothing TO my husband, for he would kill you.
Never come here again.
"Wife, do you forgive me?"
ooh. my poor husband, how you have
| suffered
From that day Master Fournier grew
young and gay again; but nothing can
keep him.from going out with all sails
set.-Translated for the Argonaut from
| the French of Pierre Sales.
|