The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-19
Continued from Page SD
IN THE FLOOD.

LIOuU1Ou WdLC4O1 anu ONOA "hASA my
slowly advanced. She was an orphan,
thin as poverty, strong as a man,
brought up among the valley farms,
and was a girl who had never known
what it was to have enough sleep. No
body knew her age, but she worked
too well not to be quite young. She
was seldom heard to speak. Her face
was bony, tanned by the sun and
wind; and all her beauty consisted in
teeth whittier than the bread she ate,
and blue eyes, small, indeed, but of
great gentleness; eyes which appealed
to the heart like the cry of an infant.
Her eyes were remembered after her
face was forgotten.
Master Francois" she said, Il
think that this is bad day which has
begun"
II have seen others, and am still
alive" replied the farmer, bending
his shoulder to the pole.
Nevertheless he could not help cast
ing a glance behind him at the farm,
which the water surrounded like a
coffin, and he shook his head with all
the rage of shaggy old bison He
had an anxiety which he did not ex-
press; and it certainly was not for the
pleasure of being agreeable to his
servant that he pushed the boat to-
ward the village.
The bells were sounding, those OF
Behuard and of ten parishes hidden
in the blue of the hills round the i'm
mense lake formed by the river.
Human voices were also to be heard.
Boats like Lemanceau's, and others
still smaller, some going up and some
going down stream, traced way be-
tween the poplars, willows and elms
toward the isle crowned by the slate
bell-tower. In each of them there were
two or three women, seated upon
chairs and laughing. But the men did
not laugh, for they judged that the
food was growing dangerous and that
the clouds above had bad violent
hue.
BY ten o'clock in the morning the
village street, changed into canal,
was full of barks and canoes. And
women, children and men, letting the
poles drop, made their way over the
sides of the boats and landed. Among
them farmer Lemanceau observed a
tall young man who sculled canoe
in which there was girl beautifully
dressed, gloved, and with hat and
an umbrella. The sculler had the air
of being so proud of his conquest, of
his youth, and his skill, he was SO per-
fectly Indifferent to any possible peril
that the old farmer said: $50 you are
not afraid of anything, Dominique?''
ION land, 1 am afraid of the police;
on water, l am afraid of nothing"
TN that case" the farmer resumed
seriously, come round my way to-
morrow morning. Perhaps shall
need a helping hand, if the Loire still
rises, to save few bushels of seed
corn which l have in the garnet"
Golden and silver seed corn, no
doubt! You want a good sailor who
won't throw your pistoles in the water.
How much will you give me, Master
Francois?"
The farmer, annoyed by the refer
ence to his wealth so publicly made,
shrugged his shoulders and grumbled
'T will lend you enough to set you up
in life, you beachrunner!"
Dominique saw him go up the
short distance of the street which was
not under water, and go into the
tavern at the foot of the steps cut in
the rocks. He also saw the poor maid
servant, to whom nobody spoke, and
who was standing at the edge of the
last boat, ready to jump, but fearing
to wet her gown.
"Wait!" ne called "Wait, Mathu-
rine!"
And, holding in one hand the gloved
fingers of his betrothed advancing
with her from boat to boat, he came
toward Mathurine, stretching out to
her his other hand, and they all three
jumped together to the dry land, while
the old women, grouped together upon
the rock, which they adorned with
their bonnets, approved the gallantry,
and said to one another: "These
young people, these young people!
How well they understand each 9th.
er!"
The servant was so pleased with the
attention she had received, and was
SO thankful that she forgot herself fol
more than ten minutes, while she
watched Dominique, who had gone
among the men who were waiting the
ringing of the bell, that they might
go to the chapel Dominique, on his
side, thought: 'It is pity that such
Woodworking, honest girl should
have taken service with an old fellow
of this sort, misery and hard tt
pleased"
At eleven o'clock, when the boats
left the rock at Behuard, it had begun
to rain steadily. Master Francois and
his servant were back at the farm in
less than five minutes, borne along
by the current and the wind, which
were both in the same direction. He
had scarcely returned before he lifted
a plank in the garnet floor and ascer
tanned that the water only needed to
rise half yard to reach the refuge
where he was isolated, far from all
help, with his servant, his animals, his
money, which he had hidden IN an
earthen pot covered with nettIes. He
leaned out Of the dormer window in