Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-02-27

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1 struck my open palm smartly against
his. in the Breton fashion; then we
clasped hands.
"Strike!" he cried; take my friend
ship If you want it, on this condition
what l am is my own concern, not
yours. Don't interfere, m'sieu; it
would be useless. should never be-
tray you, but might kill you. Don't
interfere. But if you care for the good
will of man like me, take it; and
when you desire a service from me,
tell me, and I'll not fail you, by Sainte-
Eline of Paradise!"
He turned on his heel. kicking off
his sabots on the doorsill. Break
bread with me; ask it" he said, gruff-
ly, and walked before me into the
house.
From the ashes on the hearth a
spiral of smoke curled The yellow
cat walked in and sat down, contem-
plating the ashes.
Slowly saffron light filed the
room; Jacqueline awoke in the dim
bed.
She swathed herself in a blanket and
sat up, looking at me sleepily.
"You came to see me swim." she
said.
"And I've brought you a fish's sill
yer skin to swim in," replied, point
ing at the satchel.
She cast a swift glance at her IA
ther, who, with the gun on his knees,
sat as though hypnotized by the beauty
of its workmanship. Her bright eyes
fell on the gun; she understood in q
flash.
Turn your back" she cried.
I wheeled about and sat down on
the settle beside the poacher. There
came light thud of small. bare feet
on the stone floor, then silence. The
poacher looked up.
"She's gone to the ocean," he said
"she has the mania for baths-like
you English" And he fell to rubbing
the gunstock with dirty thumb.
The saffron light in the room was
turning pink when Jacqueline reap
peared on the threshold in her ragged
skirt and stained velvet bodice hall
laced, with the broken points hanging
carrying an armful Of driftwood.
Without word she went to work
SO swiftly that the pink light hat
scarcely deepened to crimson wher
the poacher, laying the gun tenderly
in the blankets of Jacqueline's tumblet
bed, came striding back to the table
where sea-trout smoked on cracked
platter, and bowl of bread and mill
stood before each place.
We ate silently. Ange Pitou, tht
yellow cat, came around with tail in
flated. There were fishbones enough t,
crafty any cat, and Ange Pitou mad,
short work of them.
The poacher rose, wiped his moutl
with the back of his hand, and mad,
straight for his new gun.
.You two" he said. with wave o
his arm, you settle it among your
selves. He touched his beret to me
flung the fowling-pie over his shoul
der, and walked away.
JacQueline placed the few dishes il
a pan of hot water, wiped her fingers
daintily, and picked up Ange Pitou
"Show me the swimming suit" sh
said, shyly.
drew it out of the satchel and lai
it across my knees.
/ "Oh, it has little tail behind-lik
fish," she cried. enchanted. 81 shal
look like the silver grilse of Quim
| perle!"
| do you think you can swim in thos
| scales?' asked
| Swim? I-Jacqueline? Attende
un peu-you shall see!"
She opened her arms; the cat spran
to the doorstep and vanished.
Jacqueline looked at the swimmin
suit, then at me. '@Will you go dow
to the beach, M'sieu Scarlett?"
But ] had not traversed half tn
strip of rock and hard sand befor
something flew pasta slim, glitterin
shape which suddenly doubled vi
Strengthened again, and fell headlon
into the laundering surf.
After long. long while, far out o
the water she rose, floating.
Tossed back once more upon tn
beach like an opalescent shell, ia,
queline, ankle-deep in foam, looked ou
across the flaming waters, he
drenched hair dripping.
"Look!" she cried, f1inging her arm
above her head, and dropped int
space, falling like star. down, dow
into the shallow sea- Far below l sa,
a streak of living light shoot throug
the water-on, on, closer to the SUI
face now. and at last she fairly spran
into the air, quivering like gated sa