The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-09

TICII-I aTITH- OF
In quarters by themselves; and in towns
and cities wherever they made their ap-
pearance they were obliged to wear a scar
let cloth that all others might avoid them
Down until the seventeenth century, II
was not considered a crime to kill a Ca
got. II he offended. SO Pierre FlOquet and
all his family were Cagots.
His own story2 An hundred years be-
fore, his great. great grandfather was
stoned to death in the little hamlet OF
Meira, on the sunny Rivadeo river. which
leaps laughingly from the Sierra de Bana-
deiro nights into Biscay Bay. Downing the
garb. and assuming the ways. Of the Gil
escaped into France, and finally settled in
Brittany
They changed their name and vocation
they became fishers at Concarneau. 9th
ers of the Spanish Cagots came. Inter-
marriage resulted. Some Of the progeny
died and some emigrated. Among their
descendants was Pierre Floquet, who
toiled at the seines until the sardines
brought him a competence With its in
crease came that indefnable longing
which grows within the heart to know the
land whence one sprang; and. besides, the
only human he had ever hated had vowed
to possess himself of his sprightly daugh-
ter Celeste.
Enriqueta had been the name of Pierre
of the wife of the poor Cagot stoned to
death beside the banks of the Rivadeo
and Meira was the villags from which his
ancestors had fed.
So Pierre Floquet was evidently cheat
ing Gaspar Valdes of the pretty Celeste
while realizing the dream of his life in re-
turning to Spain in his own shin. rich
enough to be made alcalde of Meira; to
build a great monument in memory of
his murdered ancestor; to make his blood
and kin respected and feared, If never
beloved; and somehow I felt a no mean
thrill of pride in the beaming pride of
my fisher friend, despised Cagot though
he was.
Our goelette was a snug craft of 100
tons burthen, and we had scarcely got well
out of sight Of the gaping fishermen of
Concarneau, when our cunning captain,
after stripping himself nearly naked. I'M
wound from his body some yellow and
scarlet stuff which proved to be the flag
of Spain.
When this was run up and reverently
saluted on Bonded knees with the sign of
the cross by all on board, and our craft
had been again and again committed to
the protecting care of the Virgin, every
thing in the power of Pierre and his
family had now been done to give us IA
voring gales and safe voyage to the Span
ish port of Gijon.
VI lWO udyS anu nights we closely
skirted the French coast; by night now
and then catching glimpses of warning
lights, flashing or fixed. where danger hid
den lay; by day contemplating an I'M
broken line of plumelike surf, surmounted
by gray dunes of tempest-shifting sand,
here and there jaggedly capped at the
horizon edge by dark silhouettes of
stunted spruce and fir.
Not an inviting shore is the southern half
Of this Biscayan coast; and after the first
interest of the novel voyage had worn
away, l found myself turning to my
strange companions for human relief from
the oppressive desolation of endless waters
to the west and the dim, monotonous and
repellant coast-scenes on the eastern hori-
zon.
Pierre Floquet, who cared naught for sea
or land and who only serenely awaited
sight of the peaks of the Spanish Sierras,
seemed glad and thankful that l thus
sought their companionship; for l could
tell him much of Spain. His gratitude
for this knew no bounds.
"Come," he would say to his wife and
children as he took his place at the
Wheel 1--WE will hear more from our
stranger friend of brave Cashier
Then the huge sons who were not busy
would come; Martha, his wife, bent and
silent but with pitiful smile of acquies-
cence in her bronzed and wrinkled face,
would silently take her place; Clothilde
of large and mournful face and Celeste.
with the latin languor and fire strangely
blended in her dainty oval countenance,
would come; and the bouncing, bounding
children, curly of head and with laughter
or wonder ever in their strange, wild eyes,
would rush and clatter over the deck to-
ward us; and as we sat on the edge of the
little cabin roof, or lay in all manner of
picturesque groupings beside and around
ho rrfa Of a halr I Fnrntr oil her
again and again of SPANS castles and
shrines, its villas and vineyards, it's
mountains and valleys, its chozas and
chestnut groves, until the stars flaming
above us were no brighter than the light
of joyous expectancy in their eager eyes.
Only one of Pierre Floquets family
seemed not to enter into this elation of
innocent anticipation. This was Celeste
Many times, when my eyes sought the
sisters as they lay OF crouched near us
encircled in each others arms, l saw that
CSlestes eyes were closed or partly
closed. or still set with strange fxedness
far out upon the watery waste about u.s.
At these times 1 could not remove my
gaze from her fascinating face. 1 halted
and stumbled in my tales; for thought
of Gaspar Valdes and knew, or felt 1
knew, that no sound of my voice pene-
trated her consciousness, which seemed
to have flown to the fisher left behind.
Could she have known, / wondered, of
some dread and terrible deed that had
been done before Pierre Floquet was
ready to set sail? Was her heart mourn
ing in virginia. widowhood because of the
silence of one necessary to make COM
plete this wondrous smile of contentment
and peace upon her giant fathers face?
These and countless other harassing con-
lectures at last brought me with a fixed
purpose face to face with Pierre Floquet.
We were sitting quite alone between the
anchor and the jib.
Pierre" asked, laying my hand gently
upon his broad shoulder, will you answer
me truly one question:
with my heart challenged thrice before
my lips shall speak, he radiantly an
swered.
Where is Gaspar Valdes?"
1 have seen in southern ATTITUDES a glow
ing sky quickly overspread with the black
furies of the tempest; but never before or
since have I seen the face of human so
swiftly changed from light to darkness,
from frankness to distrust, from loving
peace to deadly hate.
"Gaspar Valdes; the fisher of Concar-
neau?" l unfalteringly added.
Impetuously he made the sign of the
cross. With bound he sprang to his
feet. He flung his massive clenched fists
before him, behind him, above him, as If
to beat out the very wrath of some alb