Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1897-09-24
THE UNKNOWN.


The cemeteries Of cities are like great
hotels, where the close proximity Of
people in different classes Of life IL not
always happy. The walls Of partition
seem to leak secret horror Of unrest;
there IL something Of constraint, Of
promiscuosity, of cold dignity in the
obligatory relations Of body to body.
Here the dead are not at home.
In the graveyards of the country.
among the thick towering underbrush
and the quiet Of the wide fields. is "A
better repose for us after our stormy
struggles. A cemetery thus situated.
the center of farreaching horizons, in
spires one with desire to die. To lie
down here and sleep seems good. But
most peaceful Of all are the realms of
the dead in marine villages, ut the edge
of the sea, within sound of the lulling
Of the running waves which sing an
eternal song on the eternal sleep, amid
the wall of the wind over the ancient
tombs.
One day about o years ago ! entered
one of these places Of supreme rest be-
side the waves on the Breton coast,
with its crosses pointing toward heaven
IN way which makes one think Of
eternity. Beside little old church, be-
meath the shadow Of stone bell turret.
slept the forefathers who, whether they
had died in youth or In age, were all
made an equal age by accomplished
time. And there was no sadness In this
evidence of fatal destiny, but rather
happy relief in the thought that the
burden of suffering will not always
weigh down our poor shoulders and
that sorrow has its prescribed limit.
And pleasant, too, was the slow spell
ing out of tho inscriptions OH the tOmbs
in the warmth of the sunlight which
the futtering, intoxicated birds greeted
with u sweet delirium of song. Three
centuries OF time separated the old
stones from the new, and u peace WAS
made over all tends here under the high
crosses with outstretohed arms, clear
cut against the green sea, standing In
their eternal attitude Of forgiveness.
One tomb in the form Of chalice ar
rested my attention, and / read this sin
gulnr epitaph: Here lies an unknown.
Dec 6, 1871 Tacita transit" (she has
pnsACd silently
wished to learn all that was known
of her. and in the evening inquired In
the village, and this ii what learned:
In November Of the year 1860, on n
night Of lowering sky and raging sea,
NJ the inhabitants slept in their huts,
which were shaken up by the squall,
a., -
the distress of II ship out on tho waters
across the promontory At this time the
little port did not POSSESS u single life
boat aud to attempt to depart IN such a
gale in the barks OF the fishermen would
be simply folly Each one who heard
the sound could only pray, God help
thcmi" But doubtless the noises Of the
angry sea drowned out the human voices,
and God heard nothing, for next morn
ing the sea stretched wide under the
blue sky. swept clear--not speck ON
the horizon, nothing but the ripples Of
foam on the waves So 1t had disap-
peared, foundered. the boat that had
cried for help with call of iron during
that night of terror. The sadness OF the
disaster caused silence among the fish
crmen, when suddenly down on the
strand cry arose At this moment the
Marquis de Pontus. master of the cha
teuu, came up to the group Of people to
learn the end of the nights drama.
The cry had come from peasant who
had discovered the body Of woman
clothed in IL long white robe, thrown
between two enormous rocks She was
appait ntly dead and must have rolled
from her bed on the ship into the sea.
"Hrr heart still beatsl" cried the
peasant The marquis commanded,
Garry her to my house quickly and
wrap this cloak around her. "
He was obeyed. In fact, the woman
still lived and after hours of ingenious
labor opened her eyes
ASK her nothing" said Pontus.
'She is still too weak and must sleep.
In the meanwhile the searchers CON
tinued from strand to strand, but moth
ing more was found. 1t was impossible
10 tell what this vessel was which had
gone down in the near waters. Frencb2
Enplishi All a mystery 1t had carried
its flag to the depths Of the sea.
"The woman will tell u.s." said
Pontus And the next day he went to
her bedside She looked ut him with
eyes large, beautiful and clear, but
empty of comprehension. She was
Young and very pretty. with hands del
icately and finely shaped. He asked her
where she came from, where she was
going who she was. In phrases gentle
and courteous, for he was already
moved by her tragic beauty. She listen
ed without making sign and did not
answer He repeated his question, say
ing be troubled her only for her own
good. She remained silent, and it was
evident his words conveyed nothing Ia
| her.
|. Perhaps she doesn't understand
| French" said friend.
"Sbe understands nothing at all, -
said Pontus sadly. II fear she has LOST
her mind IN the horror Of the catastro
phe. But 1t does not matter. She ha,