Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-03-05
A MAN WHO had A VISION.


Saissevals vision This is the way he ar
CUES Father de Saisseval couldn't tell a
lie if he tried He positively couldn't ]
once saw him try. 1t was after that poach
ing fray. One of the gang made his escape
through the Hospital garden, and nearly
ran over its owner as he did so. De Sais-
seval recognized him, of course-whv he
knew every scamp for miles around be-
sides / could swear ! heard him speak to
him as he passed Yet when the Garde
Champetre came up and asked him the
mans name saw by the look in his ewes
that he was bent on saying he didn't know
it. The fellow, it seems, had decent wife
and some little children, so Father de Sais
seval felt bound, as he told me later, to give
him chance He hummed and hahaed,
and muttered something about his sight not
being so good as it used TO be But the
keeper was not TO Zoe put off with that sort
of thing. Had Monsieur rAumonier rec
ognized the man He insisted on a plain
yes or no to his question. NO was what
the Father intended to say, that was clear
but some way or other he didn't seem able
to say it He tried his best, / do believe,
and once he was right on the point of doing
1t. And then he Just broke down complete
ly About what followed am never sure
All / know is the keeper went off swearing
he would rather fifty thousand poachers
should escape than that the Father should
take on so. Now, if Father de Saisseval
couldn't tell lie that night, when he really
wished to, is it likely he would tell a lie
about that visionl He says he saw the
Virgin, and | believe him"
This was a noteworthy declaration, for
Monsieur lie Deputy prides himself exceed
ingly on having once shaken hands with
Ernest Renan
Although / knew the Father for wears,
never once heard him speak of his vision
l met him wandering about one cold wintry
day and persuaded him to come home with
me and have tea He had hardly reached
my house when a storm began, such a storm
as l had never seen III my life before.
Great trees were torn up by their roots and
hurled in the air, and the river, a placid
stream enough on other days, foamed and
roared as if it thought itself the Atlantic
The wind shrieked around the chimneys in
the most uncanny fashion, beating the
house on every side and swaying it about at
will. Father de Saisseval was of course
prisoner-even a rat would have thought
twice before venturing out v lille that storm
was raging-and right glad ! was of his
company. ! soon noticed, however that
he was not himself that evening: the sound
of the wind affected him strangely He
sat looking into the fire with dreamy alb
sent expression on his face, and seemed
hardly to hear me when ] spoke
IF this goes on much longer we shall be
swept away l called out in alarm. The
house was reeling at every blast, and close
by the side of it was the river.
eve are safe enough the old man re
piled quietly ''it is not we who are in dan
ger; think of those on the sea. Sainte
Marie have pity on those at sea. Sainte
Marie, have pity on those at sea, he re
p5aUeG SOFTLY again and again.
Were you ever on the sea in storm"
! asked
Eyes | have been out in worse storm
than this The wind makes me think of
that night more than forty years ago. 1t
was tiercer then, though, than now" He
paused for a moment, and then continued
in low monotonous tone, as if he were re-
peating to himself some well -conned tale
I'VE were on our way to Cherbourg, al
most within sight of land, when it began
Helene was at Cherbourg and we were to
be married" He paused again, and l knew
by the look in his eyes that he had forgotten
was there "Ah, that was a storm! There
was not a finer ship in the navy than the
Victoire, but that night she was tossed
about by the winds Just as a plaything
We had brave enough set of men on board
but they had wives and children, some of
them, and life is sweet. They did their
best as long as there was hope but when
corpses candles began to play on the sails
they lost their heads. They cursed and
swore and shrieked until they nearly drove
me wild. IF the old captain was here he
would save us yet one of them called out.
He could handle a ship, he could
They thought then it was my fault the
ship was going down, though they swore
later that everything man could do had
done to save it. ] had done what ] could
but l sometimes think that another in my
place might have done more. 1t was my
first voyage as captain, you see Yes, l
daresay the man was right. ! thought l
was going mad, though, when heard what
he said, He could handle a ship. he could
Yes though the waves were mountain high
and a whirlwind was blowing And I was
as a stick or a stone man never feels so
helpless as when fighting against the sea
Suddenly the waves divided as if to swallow
us up, and the sea rose on either side higher
than the mast. There was a crash. and then
| knew the end was at hand Some reckless |
fellows were hurting wild blasphemies |
around; / tried to speak TO them-to tell |
them to meet death as men, not as brutes- |
but the words died on my lips. If the old |
captain were here he would save you vet. |
was all ! could say. These 300 men were |
at deaths door, you see, and was sure the |
fault was mine.
The old man stopped for a moment, and |
then an awe-stricken look came into his
eyes and he spoke as if he were in a dream
81 was alone on the quarterback Sud
denly, Just where the waves were raging
most fiercey, l noticed a CLEAN of light
a moment later Our Lady appeared, stand
ing on the sea, perfect in beauty, all glori.
ous"-his voice sank to a whisper-"and l
called aloud to her for help 'Sainte Marie,
save these mem / cried DO what you
will with me, but save these mem"
% And what will you do for men
81 heard those words as clearly as / hear
that wind. The Bishop says l was over
wrought and imagined heard them, but he
is wrong And standing there before her,
] swore that if she would but help me in nv
helplessness, while lived l would have no
thought but to help those she loved-the
poor, the desolate. ! swore / would put
away as the accursed thing all that stood
me and them
Even HeleneF Our Lady's voice was
most pitiful as she spoke.
Yes even Helene, ! swore.
"Then Our Lady smiled and vanished,
and as she vanished the sea became calm
AT sunrise the Victoire, with its crew of
three hundred men, was safe in Uherbourg"
Father de Saisseval sank back in his chair
and closed his eyes and there was the
silence of death.-St. james Budget.
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