The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-19

! tiicic-JuSt u IttlO IiUrc TO tho star
board. There We're four men in tho crew
the skipper, two sailors and my poor
| Pierre. But the sea- only gave up three
[ of tho drowned men and retained my
] conrade. Mona became an orphan. 1t
goes without saying that 1 did my best
to replace her father. But the child,
| even after the first sorrow passed away.
! did not seem to console herself. And do
| you know why, monsieur? Because of
an idea all the women around here have.
| They believe that Il soul must remain in
| pain unto the Judgment day unless it re-
poses i'll consecratod ground We men
do not believe i'll all this nonsense when
we know what happens when there is
death Oh board ship. But Mona could
not DO forced to believe other than the
women had taught her and continued to
burn candles at all the pardons in the
neighboring towns for the repose of her
fathers soul
However, i'll spite of everything
time is famous merchant Of forgetful-
ness, and Mona after few years ap-
peared to mo to become somewhat rec
onciled. Besides, her grief had not pre-
vented her from growing handsomer and
taking pride in herself, and it is not
because I loved her like father, but,
upon my honor, she was the freshest
and prettiest Young girl i'll the parish
We lived so happily together. We We're
not rich, to be sure, but we lived, and
we enjoyed ourselves all the same.
had my pension and my medal, and
then we used to go together to hunt for
Holsters in the rocks. The trade is
paying one, and there is only one danger,
that of being overtallen by tho tide.
All, unfortunately that was how she
met her death, poor little one!
"One day when my rheumatism con-
fined me to the house she went fishing
alone. 1t was just such Il day as today,
tho sky clear, the wind high When the
rock searchers gathered together with
full baskets, they perceived that Mona
failed to respond to their calls. There
was no possible doubt Great God, sho
had been delayed and surrounded by the
rising tide! She had been drowned!
All, what night passed, monsieur
AT my age, yes, u hard hearted man
like me, sobbed like woman And
the remembrance came to me of tho
poor child's belief that to go to heaven
she must be inferred i'll consecrated
ground. Therefore as soon as the tide
went down 1 went to the shore, and,
with the others, searched for the body.
And we found poor Nona," con-
tinued tho old sailor in a trembling
voice. eve found her on rock covered
with seaweed, where, knowing that she
was going to die, the poor little one had
prepared herself for death Yes, mon
sieur, she had tied her skirts below the
knees with her fichu, through modesty,
and with her old idea uppcrmost had
attached herself to the seaweed by her
hair, her beautiful black hair, certain
that she would thus be found and in
TERED i'll consecrated ground. And I can
say, l, who know what bravery is, that
there is perhaps not a man brave enough
to do likewise. -
The old man was silent BY the last
CLEAN Of the twilight saw two great
tears rolling down his weather beaten
checks. We descended to the village side
by side in silence. was profoundly
touched by this simple girls courage,
who, even i'll the agonies of death, had
retained the modcsty of her sex and the
piety of her race, and before me in the
distant immensely, in the solitudes of
tho heavens and the sea, cleaned out
the beacon lights and the stars.
Oh, brave men of the sea! Oh, noble
Brittany From the French of Francois
Coppee For Romance.