The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1908-12-19

OF the scene touched their rough
hearts, and hats were dofed, and
heads bowed, as the young wife pray Cd
to her God in that living gale.
And then, as II In mockery Of all
things human, mighty wave, might
Ter than any OF its fellows, and fol.
lowing In the wake OF two scarcely
less mighty, broke over the Bretagne.
ana buried her beneath It's many tons
OF foamlashed water The vessel
swayed, trembled and disappeared be.
fore their very eyes.
Two men were holding Marie now.
Il will go to him. He is calling me-"
she shrieked. 20, God, will no one
save him."
The bronzed faces OF the fisher-folk
were turned away each from the other.
The salt stray was on their boards,
but In their eyes was that OF which
they were ashamed.
Then they led her back to the house.
the little hCust that Leon had taken
her TO only few weeks ago. And
two Of them watched into the gray OF
the morning, for meath oil skins the
fishers hearts are warm.
That was the third night, and still
she slept not. The storm was dying
now, and moaning, together they
| passed away-the fury Of grief and the
rage Of the storm. And for that day,
and for many days the great grief had
| broken her mind
Storm and sunshine, day In and
| day out, she sat down on the beach,
and questioned the passers as to how
many days to Christmas till her Leon
would come home; for had he not
| said that he would come at Christ.
| mas, at the glad time OF the year and
was not his word as the law among
| the iisherfolk, 1t was so true? And
! did she not pray every night TO the
Holy Mother to intercede for her, and
| bring her Leon home? And the
| masses that had been said for Leon,
were they not to bring him home,
| too?
Poor little Marie, her mind, which
was like unto child's. could not I'M
derstand that the mass which Father
Dupre had said, had been to take him
to that other home; for the good "a
ther had said mass for the repose OF
the souls of the men lying out there
In lie Bretagne,
And then wonderful thing hap
pened. Many days after, at the time
OF Christmas. again the cry OF Lee
Bretagne rang through the streets Of
Arichat, and again was there much OF
horror in the cry, for though the sea
was calm now, there was lie Bretagne
slowly sailing into port: and was not
lie Bretagne at the bottom Of the sea,
and all hands drowned?
Small wonder that the Drowned
faces were blanched now, as the
fisher folk lined up on the sand. as
they had on that day two moons be-
fore
What sorcery Is this" they asked
each other. II was La Bretagne. they
know her as they knew their own
houses Spirit hands were sailing her,
for on her decks no one moved
4 solemn hush settled down upon
them. few spoke. and when they did
It was with bated breath. What evil
was this? for good It could not be
Twas Marie who had first seen the
ship. Had her prayers worked this
maSic7
Nearer and nearer the dread ship
came until but short way out from
the shore she stopped. and swung to
an anchor Invisible hands had an
chorcd her for there was the cable
right enough, running out from her
bow, as she lifted lazily to the long
ground swell.
Take me to my Leon Marie plead.
ed of the awo.struck fishermen, he Is
calling me DO you not see that his
boats are washed away
Shamcd by the presence OF the WON.
en-. four stout fishermen brought up
boat and. taking Marie with them,
rowcd of to the ship that was like a
phantom
Stay with us. ma petite annie" the
tshcrwomen pleaded with Marie As
Well had they striven TO check thu
ways Of the wind,
How silent the ship was as the boat
Elided under her stern Not a sound
not voice. no movement. only the
lap, lap. lap OF the waters aSaitst her
wooden sides
The men crossed themselves as Du
mont. the braycst fisherman in all
.Arichat. rose up and with blauchei
checks. caught his boat hook in lie
ElvlaEuc's rail
How low she was IN the water; as
they stood up In their boat they could
SEQ across her deck not across did
they see. for half way they saw some
thing which caused them 60 shulicr
and beg ot ljuo Marie To stop in he
boat
Eut Marie had risen and seen. too.
and with q cry that rang IN the ears
Of those four men until their dying
day. She suraUs up the side O; The
ship. and stood on the slippery Shiny
deck