Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1894-01-18
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
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, mammal" asked
little fellow who had staid away from
school that morning in order to see his
father start with the fleet.
His mother had 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
60 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 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
a 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 a 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 Godl" cried Fournier, Harry
Evansl''
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 Four
nier himself, fair, with the complexion
of a 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.
II 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.
Mime. Fournier continued to busy
herself with her household duties. lie
watched her, and he found her still
young, Drowned like himself, almost as
tall, gracefully poised on her pointed
sabots and with waist still slender.
From time to time she looked at him
with a smile. She was not surprised
to see him looking somber 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
me?''
Nothing, my dear husband. -
His face contracted as with sudden
pain. His wife, thinking it due to cha
grin at the accident, kissed him tender
| ly.
He pressed her to him with unaccus-
toned force. Never, even in the fierc-
est tempest, had he suffered as he suf-
fered now. Suspicion, entering his
Gill p1C, lOy d1 ACd1t 1d' dSCQ 4t tSll1U1J.
"Well, goodby. I am going to the
harbor. We shall go out with the next
tide, If the backstay Is repaired. Good
| by
4 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 woman
could lie.
He was about to go to the Harding
when one of the sailors saw him and
came after him. Compelled to return
to his vessel, he had time to reflect. A
sudden fit of rage, a fight, would prove
nothing, and he would never know the
truth.
j So he calmly watched the work oi
reparation, which was coming on apace
| At 2 O'Clock his wife brought him his
luncheon. At his son came to kiss
him goodby, and that evening he Sc!