Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-12-12
THE FLEUR-DE-LIS
Was 1t Dream, Illusion or
= Mingling with the Dead?
BY S. L. BACON.

@o@o@o@o@o@o@~o@o@o@o&o@o@
was a young man then, "a years of
age. That is very young, is 1t not? And
l had been at work ever since 1 was a
mere lad, for / had had my living to
make, and at the time of which l write
l held a good position and had the re-
spect of my employers.
l had been given just at this time q
holiday because of generally wornout
condition of body and mind, having
been warned by my physician that un-
less l followed his prescription Of alb
solute rest and change | should sue
cumb to a fever very prevalent then.
So i crossed the channel and buried
myself in little seaport village in
France. 1t was an ideal place in which
to rest and gather strength. The salt
air blew refreshingly, and all night
long one could hear the sound Of the
waves lashing up against the shore.
The only thing Of interest in this
quiet little place was the story of the
wreck Of the Fleur de-lis and the fact
that a good part Of the ruined vessel
still remained imbedded in the i'm
mense banks of sand which cover the
coast of this region. My garrulous
landlord told me the story of the ship
while l discussed my rolls and coffee
the morning after my arrival. The big
three masted vessel had been caught in
furious gale. 1t had been a storm
before which the fisher folk trembled
81,
among them.
1t had occurred In December, more
than three months before, and in the
fury of the hurricane and the black
ness of the night the ship had COM
pletely lost her bearings and, steered
at random, had struck a terrible reef
some distance out. The crew and the
three passengers she carried had made
for the boats, but before their escape
could be effected the vessel was swung
about and the boats dashed against the
rocks. OF all on board only two were
saved, the first mate and the cook.
These, rescued almost by a miracle,
could tell of that dreadful night.
Afterward the wind had driven the
vessel on with its powerful lashings
and hurled it upon the shore. 1t was
fastened firmly by two projecting points
Of rock and lay upon its side, mere
discolored carcass of what had been
the Fleur-de-lis.
/ was sufficiently interested, espe
cially as the sun. was warm and bright,
to follow my hosts suggestion and
stroll off to view the wreck myself. I
took the direction he had pointed out
and after brisk walking found myself
nearing the coast. The fiat yellow
sands stretched before me, and as l
stepped upon their moist surface l felt
that the sea had been there not long
before. There was fresh wind blow
ing. and the strong, fragrant salt air
seemed to bring returning strength
with 1t. | walked faster. l felt a
sense of exultant life.
Finally l came upon what had look
ed in the distance like a black rock.
1t was the ruins of the vessel. But 1t
was not entirely destroyed. After
climbing over the lower side l could
see into the hold, which was filed
with debris. / marveled as the rotten
pluhh5 tltdhci ilC that tut Dllip
should have remained here so long. 1
even suspected some of the keener
spirits Of the town of making her fast,
that their object of interest and curl
osity might not be lost.
/ stood upon the deck of the strand
ed vessel and looked about me with de-
light and admiration. From necessity
l was with the large manufacturing
firm Of Davenport & Co., but by nature
l was an artist. With the love of art
strong within me l had all my life
been obliged to crush 1t down until l
had the means to justify my ambition
and cultivate what l felt sure was my
gift. Only recently had l been able
to begin study, and strong encourage
ment had been given me. Now | seat
ed myself amid the ruins, with my
back to the shore, drew out my sketch
book and lost myself In my beloved
work.
l worked steadily, for there were
several fantastic points to make, and
along the coast, which stretched to the
right Of me, there were many beautiful
Views to be sketched. But was not
strong, and the long walk had tired
me. Moreover, the strong salt breeze
carried soothing potion upon its
breath. The low surge of the waves
was like cradle song. My pencil slid
from my inanimate fingers, my head
dropped to one side, and my eyes clos
ed l slept.
awoke suddenly. 1t was the sensa-
tion Of cold, Of chill which awaken
ed me. How long had slept? The sky
had changed; it was dark, lowering.
heard the cry of gull flying inland. !
rubbed my eyes. Where was I? Was
this the Fleur-de-lis? ] looked again