The Press., 1901-08-22
MARRIAGE AT
IHE 6(AEE0LD

V*V*V%V*~"~"V"
In the seaport of Calais, which for
over 100 years was under the power of
the English, there once lived a bache-
lor, jesse Dullart, who had come there
to carry on business. He was a native of
Bailleul-en-Fl well qualified to Sc
cure for the London merchants the wool
their various materials and to derive
an honest profit from each. Naturally,
because of his commercial subtlety and
because of the pleasant and comforta-
bic life which came to him in conse-
quence, our man became exposed to the
jealousies and Ill will of the other
tradesmen, English for the most part.
He did not know 1t, since the hypo-
critics allowed nothing to become evil
dent, but, on the contrary, made every
endeavor to present an agreeable eX-
terror to him, so as not to compromise
in the least the slight advantages which
accrued to them through his kindness.
Nevertheless they decided to ruin him
and to that end contrived device so
black and so wicked that Sir Satan
himself in his demoniacal mind could
lot have imagined a better. In pursu-
ance Of the scheme one Of them secret
~ concealed in the house of jesse Dull
lart leather bag containing a sum Of
100 nvres sterling in gold crowns. Hav-
ing done this, he went to the criminal
magistrate with two comrades as wit
nesses to accuse his colleague of hav-
ing robbed him.
At that remote period there had not
yet appeared under the canopy of heav-
en- any Of the impudent sharpers, slug
CARDS and swindlers who In the course
of time have shamelessly said and writ
ten that ownership means theft, and
the money earned by some is so much
lost by others, with the sole intent that
they may put everything into confu-
sion and be able easily to slip into their
purses that which is another's.
The world has indeed heard Of much
folly and seen many iniquities, but not
that, and human justice, which had new
er known of any jesting upon the mat
ter, would have hung their like high
and in short order. dealing with them
precisely as she would with veritable
robbers.
Who was amazed at seeing the pO-
liceman of the provostship invade his
home, ransack his Golfers and chests,
produce from them a sack of gold of
which he knew nothing and legal
clerk take down disquieting notes of
the affair In his illegible scrawl? 1t
was the i'll fated Dullart.
The poor fellow strove with them in
vain, vowing to God his innocence, but
words could not prevail against deeds
Now, he could not explain how the
sack, the evidence of his crime, had
come into his possession, whence it fol-
lowed that the innocent man was con-
demned to the halter as if he had been
guilty.
The affair, however, let loose in an
uproar all the devils Of Calais Think
Of it-a great merchant, with a house
Of his own. convicted Of common lar
ceny, like a vulgar rascal!
In the end the populace, while 1t
was not privy to the plot laid by half
dozen arrant rOgues, was nevertheless
not mistrustful. 1t rather inclined in
favor of the pitiable citizen of Bailleu-
lois. This without taking into consid-
Grafton the peasants on the outskirts
Of the town. who were French, not hav-
ing been expelled from their Preside
by the conquerors, as had been the
poor cOmmoners of the city, and who
hated all the English within their bor-
ders.
So 1t may be said that the throng
which swarmed about the streets and
crossways on the day when Dullart
was to be taken to the gibbet entertain
ed more compassion for him than deri-
sion, above all, If you take into ac-
count the fact that he was young, good
in every respect and of a prepossessing
appearance.