The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-01-18
All went we'll until one day
Came a strange fish up the bay.

Al went well until Ouc ud9
Came a strange fish up the bay.
= Over the strange and mysterious
island of Newfoundland the summer
season brooded with far north
glamor of sifted sunlight and sea
cloud mistiness. On Avalon penin-
sula the dense growth of pine and
spruce. of juniper and larch, cast an
emerald sweep to the west and south,
their tops carved green against the
sky, their Swallowed trunks standing
thick and straight as assembled war
riors. Ferns sprang up. and many
wild flowers lent their fragrance to
the season, and balsam and other
evergreen filled the wild air with pun
gent aromatic tang.
St. Mary's Bay, dotted here and
there with the snowy sails of wander
ing fishermen, lay to the southwest,
and its two arms, SalmOnier and Co.
linet, extended upward into the pen
tnsula, with Salmonier River flowing
southwesterly into its salt water har-
Dor. Out from towards the head OF
Salmonier River lay the rugged
course of an unnamed stream, which
cut abruptly into the Salmonier with
a great rush of seething water. and
a resistless leap and embrace OF
foamy waters, and just here, and
high up on a snug slope by little
clearing stood the house Of Father
Mcleod.
Just bit of cottage perched
among the hills, a retreat from the
haunts of men, a way station for the
faithful, a haven for maybe the log
gers, the fishermen, the farmer.
What would rou have? Shall man
christen himself when an infant,
marry himself in the fire Of his twen-
ties, or bury himself when the shad-
ows lie longest towards the west?
Here, where conditions were print
tive, men and women mated, died
and gave in marriage; and at chris
tening or wedding the services of a
man Of God were necessity. So the
good father bided in his white painted
little home, and gave solace and good
greeting whether to stranger or
friend, and the thin, keen spiral OF
his chimney's signal made hearth
stone welcome to the saint and to the
unsanctif1ed.
For Macleod was mixture CT heart
mess and asceticism, of jolly good
fellowship and stern integrity, which
gave you the clue to his mingled an
cestral blood. There was dash OF
Scotch in his blood, taste OF the
Irish, and a good strong cast of stub
born English traits in his blend, and
you could not be with him day, no
nor an hour. but these facts of. his
nature would present you each it,
own particular spark.
Now, it might be that these bag
pipes in the corner of his front room
looked out of place if you were prone
to criticise, and even the eight ounce
fishing rod held neatly in place b,
two caribou prongs surely limited O
the sportsman's inclination. And t
see the reverend father draw hi!
sharp clasp knife from a convenient
pocket, and carefully slice away at
slab of black tobacco, preparatory tt
filling his short stemmed black pipe
was to acquit him Of any prejudice
against that particular failing of man
kind.
But, indeed, there was the saving
grace Of sheer humanity in the man
and those who knew him best lovet
him best for his brotherhood in tn
matter Of hobbies. The bagpipes dis
coursed fluently under his skilfu
touch, and where was there man II
the country, aye, or from the States
who could cast you so artful fly
SO deft an alluring cheat into tn
waters of Salmonier, or his twill
brother of swirling waters?
In the conjunction Of the two cur
rents great brook trout lurked, an,
during the season lusty sea trou
came up the river, while the lordl
salmon, king of the tumbling cur
rents, sent his barge-like body lazil
Along when at leisure, or took tn
foam fecked falls like pole vaultel
Just to step down to the bank an
draw from their hiding places brac
or so of spotted salmon fontinalis, Q
to land a fighting, wiry gymnast 6
4 six-pOund sea trout was almost a
every other day diversion of Mat
1eod. In slippers and black canon
cal trousers, even with his cheek
fresh from the clerical razor.