Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-05-01

sloop. They recovered down by st.
Nalery the bodies of his sailors, but
never found his. AS the hull of his
boat seemed to have been cut in Two
his wife for a long time waited in
dread for his return, for If there had
been n collision it might have happen
ed that the colliding vessel picked him
up and carried him to foreign parts
Later, little by little, she grew used
to the idea that she was widow, still
trembling each time that a neighbor
woman, n beggar or a travelling ped
dler came in on her unexpectedly.
One afternoon about four years after
the disappearance of her husband she
stopped before the house of an old sea
captain lately dead, whose furniture
was being sold.
Just at that moment they were put
ting up parrot, green parrot with
blue head, who looked at all the people
with disturbed and discontented air.
'Three francsw cried the auctioneer.
"a bird that can talk like a lawyer,
francsm
A friend of Nine. Patin nudged her.
"You ought to buy it, you that are
rich" said she. at would be company
for you. It's worth more than 30
francs, that bird. You can always sell
it again easy for 20 or %"
-Four francs, ladies, francsw re-
peated the man. "Ie sings vespers and
breaches like a cure. He's phenome-
non, miraclew
Nine. Patin laid 10 sous more, and
they gave her in a little cage the bird
with his hooked beak, which she car
ried off.
She hung him up in her house, and as
she opened the wire door to give him
some water she got a peck on the fin
ger which cut the skin and drew blood.
"Ah, he's ugly!" said she.
Nevertheless she gave him some corn
and hemp seed and left him preening
his feathers and watching out of the
corner of his eye his new house and
his new mistress.
The day was beginning to dawn next
morning when Mother Patin heard,
unmistakable and distinct a voice,
strong, sonorous, rolling, the voice of
Patin, crying:
"Will We get up"
She was so frightened that she hid
her head under the sheets, for every
morning af0retime as soon as he open
ed his eyes her dead husband used to
shout in her ear these words, which
she well remembered.
Shaking, rolling in Il ball, her back
bent before the blow she expected, she
muttered, her face hidden in the pill
lows:
30 Lord, there he is! o Lord, it's
him! He's come back! o Lordw
Minutes passed. no further sound
broke the silence of the room. Finally.
trembling, she raised her head, sure
that he was there, waiting, about to
strike.
She saw nothing save ray of sun
shine coming through the window,
and she thought:
Hes hidden for surer'
She waited long time; then, a little
reassured, thought:
81 guess | must have dreamed. He
don't show himself"
She was closing her eyes again. when
there burst out right in her ear the
raging voice of thunder of the drowned
man vociferatng:
BLANK, to blank, to blank to blank,
will you get up, YOU
She leaped out of bed, forced by her
instinct of obedience, her whipped wo-
mans impulse to obey, that moves her
still after four years and will always
move her and will forever respond to
that voice. And she spoke:
Here l am, patin. What is itY
But Patin answered not.
Then, distracted, she looked about
her, examining everywhere, in the
wardrobe, in the chimney, under the
bed, finding no one. Finally she fell on
n chair, desperate with misery, CON
vinced that only the soul of Patin was
there near her-comc back to torment
her.
Suddenly she thought of the garret,
which one could get into from the out
side by means of il ladder. For sure,
he was hidden there to surprise her
Captured by sayages somewhere, he
coulS not get away any sooner, and
now he was back, wickeder than ever
There was no mistake about it. The
sound of his voice was enough.
She asked, lifting her face toward
the ceiling, Are you up there, Patin?"
Patin did not reply.
Then she went out, and in fear and
trembling, her very heart shaking. she