Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-03-15

from the summit or the great DUH OIL
Notre Dame du Salut, as If sweeping
the sea and elbowins away all that
dared approach SO grim coast.
"Ahw exclaimed The priest. Il am in
the water. The tide is coming up.
TO their iaft wall Of foam and
snroy shut Oh all view Of the sea. On
the right the cliff rose, vast barrier
and cut the sky in two. These two
| men had no;l:ing in common. Ihey
ID Indeed sanding between them
trat sword which WIS brought into the
vor', nineteen hundred years ago ana
IS sill un5aeathed. But Heither thought
OF turning back. II Lad been agreed
b,.vsen them hat they should make
v..at s:ictl they could along the shore
and only turn b..C.i IT tile last moment,
searching lie Sca and beach as they
returned an tie ii-.It of dawn.
Ip.:o.t. Ike I,;dgr. he expert in
NH. and tide and wind, led the way,
with one cyC on the sea, the other on
the cas- ,ern SKY. which was now SHOW
ing gray through tossing clouds.
Here we must turn he said sud
dcnl-. and the last half mile to the
sea wall we shall have TO wade
They paused and looked up to the
sky. In half i'm hour the day would
come. but in scven,y minutes the break
ers must beat against the sheer cliff.
"None has reached the shore alive
and with his Senses" said Belfort, look
ing out to sea-. .'He would have seen
our lights I'd come TO us or called II
he had broken limbs. 1t is useless to
search the shore too closely. We shall
find Them here at the edge, half in, half
out. especially those with life belts,
such as we find any winter morning
after bad weather"
He spoke grimly as one who knew
that it is not the deep sea that must De
paid It's toll, but the shOal water, where
the rocks and quicksands and crabs
and aulls are waiting. They made their
WHY back in silence. and slowly new
gray day crept into life. At last they
could see tie horizon and read the
face of the water still torn into seeth-
inc chaos of foam. There was no ship
upon them. If there had been wreck
the. storm had done its work thorough
ly. Belfort climbed to the summit OF a
rock and looked back toward Fecamp.
Then he turned and searched the shore
toward Yporl.
There is one" he cried. 'half in. half
cut. as | said. We shall cheat the
crabs ut all events my father
And. clamDering down, lie stumbled
su with II reckless haste that contrast
el strangely with his speech. for, what
ever our words may be, Il human life
mus; ever command respect. ANY may,
as some have done, die laughing, but
his last sigh must necessarily be OF
grave faces.
This one is not dead" said the priest
when they had turned the man over
and dragged him to dry land. Befort
cut away the life belt. examining it as
he did so.
"No name" ne said. "rhey will have
to wait over there in London till he
can tell them what ship it was. See;
he has been struck on the head, but he
is alive-a marvel. He is small
made man and light enough to carry
some town mouse this, my father, who
has never had a wet jacket before.
See his face, how white it is. and his
little arms and hands. We can carry
him. turn and turn about, and shall
reach the sea wall before the tide is
up. provided we find no more"
1t was full daylight when they ut
length reached the weed grown steps
at the side OF the sea wall, and the
smoke was already beginning to rise
from the chimneys of Yport. The gale
was waning us the day came, but the
sea was at its highest, and all the
houses facing northward had their
wooden shutters up. The waves were
breaking over the sea wall, but the
two men with their senseleSs burden
took no heed of it. They were all past
thinking of salt water.
In answer to their summons Mother
Senneville came hastily enough to the
back door of the Hotel de In PLACE.
small inn Of no great promise. Mother
Scnncville was great woman. six feet
high. with eye of some runinating an
imal. the soft, deep voice and perhaps
the soft heart Of giant.
"A!rcadyr' she said simply as she
held the door back for them 10 pass
in Il thought there would likely be
some this morning without the money
in their pockets"
"rhis one will not call too loud for
his coffee" replied Belfort. with Gym
icism specially assumed for the ben
eft of the cure.
"And now," he added as they laid
their burden on the wine stained table,
"if he has papers that will tell us the
name of the ship | will walk to Fe-
camp, to Lloyd's agents there, with the
news. 1t will be Il five franc piece IN
my pocket"
They hastily searched the dripping
clothing and found crumpled envel-
ope. which, however told them all they
desired to know. 1t was addressed to
Mr.. Albert Robinson. steamship Ocean
Waif, Southampton.
THAT will suffice" said Belfort IL
take this and leave the rest to you and
Mother Senneville."
"Send the doctor from Fecamp," said
the woman. 1.-The new one in the Rue
de Bac. 1t is the youHg ones that work
best for nothing, and here is no pay
ment for any of us"
"Not now" said the priest.
"Ahw cried Belfort. "YOu-you ex-
sect so much in the hereafter. Mon
sieur lie Cure"
"And yOu-you expect so much in the
present, you one armed malcontent,'
replied the priest, with his comfortable
little laugh. "Come, Nine. Senneville.
Let me get this man to bed"
"It is an Englishman, Of course
said Mother Senneville, examining the
placid white face. "They throw their
dead about the world like cigar ends