The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-19

fore closing the garnet door for the
night, he noticed that the noise of the
water had grown to the sound of
thunder, that the clouds were running
with amazing rapidity, that the masses
of foam swept by very swiftly, past
the states of the roof, which they al
most touched. And he was frightened.
"Mathurine," he said, ''if you know
any prayers to prevent houses from
being thrown down by the water, say
them. 1t will be a bad night for us.
You were right this morning."
The servant had flung herself down
on the hay which she had just saved,
near the two COWS and the horses.
The farmer could not see her, because
of the great number of beams and of
articles of furniture which separated
them. She did not answer, and, hav-
ing vainly tried to see through the
surrounding gloom, he seated himself,
leaning against the door, and placed
his lantern close beside him.
'Mathurine," he continued. 81 ought
to have stayed at the tavern. At my
guide boat on such night as this.
cannot even see you! should dash
myself against the trees. Tell me, are
you hungry? You have worked so
hard. Are you thirsty?"
He listened, and heard that she was
asleep, and heard her turn over.
Fatigue had overcome hunger, thirst
and fear. Soon Master Francois heard
another sound-the water shaking the
states. He felt the swaying of the
roof, of the whole garnet. Without
waking the sleeper, he spoke Of the
death that was near at hand.
It was late in the night, and the
wind and the waves were raging,
when heavy blow was struck upon
the door and voice called the farmer
by his name
Lemanceau started, seized his Ian
tern with one hand, and drew the
bolt of the door with the other.
Dominique Guinebertiere, in his
shirt-sleeves, wet, with a terrible ex-
preston of face, and with a rope
wound about his left arm, cried: Get
on board at once! A dixie has broken
, Quick!"
The terrified farmer 1eaped upon the
stone landing at the top of the stair
, way, and saw the canoe, no bigger
than a child's bed, which Dominique
held by the rope.
: Leave your boat and take mine!"
he cried. THAT is too SMALL"
yours is at the other side of the
Nantes" the young man answered.
Hurry! Don't STUMBLED"
81 am in the boat!"
"And Mathurine?" Leaning over the
canoe, which tossed and rolled in the
current, Dominique listened intently.
"And Maturine?" he repeated. "Where
have you put herr
In a whirlwind of rain, Master
Francois replied: Don't trouble your
self about her! She is better off than
we are!"
Dominique leaped at once into the
darkness, and before he had time to
seize an oar the canoe was swept
along more than thirty yards from
AZ
row. Dominique only tried to steer
between the trees, some hidden under
the water, others rising through the
gloom like clouds of smoke. He tried
to keep out of very fierce current,
which he had met on his way to the
house, and which would have carried
him into the Loire. He hoped to cross
, an arm of the river, under the shelter
of the end of the island. In a quarter
of an hour he landed the old man in a
vine. But just as Lemanceau rose to
catch the rope which Dominique flung
to him, he called out in a terrified
voice: Look there, off shore!"
At a distance in the darkness which
no one could measure a light shone
and trembled on the mad waters
Something blacker than the night en-.
veloped it.
"Oh!" cried Master Francois, run
there with your canoe. Save her, Do.
minique! 1t is she!"
''Who?"
The farmer paused moment be.
fore answering, like those who weigh
their words: then he said, beseech.
ingly: 1t is she who is passing by!
; Go and save her. My house has been
carried away!"
Dominique considered carefully the
little plume of light, which moved
rapidly downward, trembling over
the waves, and yelled by the gusts
of rain. He judged that it must be on
the main branch of the Loire, and that
in any case, it was approaching the
bridge. If this were really the farm
house, lighted by the glimmer of the
lantern, the wreck would be broken to
pieces against the stone piles, and
: would crumble and be scattered broad
cast over the regions covered by the
flood
$50 much the worse, Master Fran.
: cois!" he said. "You will be little
less rich, that is all. There is nothing
to be done with the Loire when she
is angry. 1t is good thing for you
that you got out of your house. Now
am going to land. There is moth
!, ing more that can do"
But voice cried, already far off:
"Mathurine stayed. She was asleep
I am sure that she is calling. Save
her! Save herr"
He owned his crime by fleeing. His
} voice was lost in the wind. The sailor
r nurhod hir oonoo ont infn fha stream