Evening star., 1921-04-03
Translated Fsam the Fsench By
WILLIAM L. MCPHERSON.

WILLIAM =. MePHERSON.
TT is an island of the ancient country
of Armorica. little Island a league
long and hardly half as wide. a
scrap of land lost on the confines
Of the ocean.
Because it bristles with steep rocks
and because the spray has burned out
the soil men have never been able to
enrich it by cultivation. II has re-
manned through all time what 1t was
At its birth. unaltcrably virgin.
1t is an impeccable purity of tones.
in which nothing clashes. Each morn
ing the hreezes. like conscientious ser
wants. sweep the land. dust inc rocks,
sieve. Every blade of grass is ma
ternally washed and then dried. No
dead leaf lies on the ground. no mud
stains the carpet-like surface. All is
clean, very poor, very noble. like the
cottage of princess who would be a
fairy. The rocks Of fiesh-coiored gran
ite, are lined with mosses. whose green
is SO tender against soft rose that.
seeing them, one thinks OF an infan:
sleeping on precious tissues: Their
shadows are violet and their haif-tints
lilac. The carmine of the heather and
III
with the paleness Of the camomiles.
The grass doesn't dare to be green. Ii
is blond 1t eilds itself. 1t is cease
essiy in motion. The suns rays, com
ing through the salty prisms OF an at
mosrhere which is always MonaIti ;iS.nee
IS never direct. but the light suhuses
and envelops all things. 1t caresses'
penetrates and bathes the shadows
4 y +
ONE can understand that 'he
" druidess lived here One can
livine that the fairies danced here al
light for centuries. At present there
ire only women and children on the
sland, with a few old men. Here ana
here a cottage, with roof OF straw;
hides in the shelter OF rock a
oends it's timid back to the VIM
blasts. At twilight this saua'eSf ~
,ense s's e,ue neans Smoke ap which smells Of burnt
,eaweed. The window is rarely II
animated, for the occupants 20 "
,ed when the last cloud reooehs III
he west. ,s
This evening. however. there ""S
light in one WINDOW :. 49,.
Two women were seated in the
single room. A candle burned on tne
edge of rough table. Inc usm ,o
,ling fame threw strange shaaows INTO
.he corners. The two widows sal
n Nth their heads bent down. Their
ans. above their unseen faces. were
.wo white spots in the ruddlness vi
the semi-dSrkness. o1d
The younger Ss was Mspf menshes silestlS, lS Her
seara ieetnef fe,, one me by one. slowly. always
at the same interval. as II they were
marking time, and soaked into the
garments. She wept uncensclous,s,
paying attention to nothing out .ne
patches which she was sewing on
She was repairing a oiue shh''
T can't believe that he is dead
1t was shirt of her husband
which she was mending. against ms
return. For eight months shs mao az
nai Which a1 he mad had SAILED had been terpe.
doed in American waters; the crew
had disappeared. A single boat had
.heen picked up. but Jean WASN'T IN
I have made SO many prayers to Saint
But the elder woman. her back still
bowed, her hands crossed on ne.
knees. shook her head. she iookeo
at the fioer and spoke II her a,ins turn; !;
One must be reasonable. I. too. wept
when my eldest sen went away A
message from the syndic ordered MIN
to sail the next morning. ! wept all
hight while I was mending his shirts.
That was before the war. Neverthe-
less INV Francois never came back.
When they called my .secepd SON
wept again but not sd much. since
he sailed with his father. They didn't
return what would youl Marie
Celine? We must take lie as IL
=
THUS tie old widow spoke to con-
L sole the young one. And the can
die burned and the flame quivsrea'
making the shadows dance over the
two boxlike beds, which resemeied
coffins fastened to the wall.
Finally Celine finished her work,
undressed and went to sleep. She
got up very early the next morning.
The sun was hardly above the hori-
zon when she saw the assistsht a.
the semaphore station coming toward
her. He brought a dispatch. and she
wasn't astonished, since she h2d peen
waiting for it for eight months. Her
husband had landed at Rrest and
would reach home that night.
The day passed. little teaieusly.
The night came.
She who was no longer widow
was seated on the tecks. near the
jetty. She was waiting. The hour
of return was at hand.
The tide was falling. 1t was al.
most at the ehb. The gray night
was thick with almost imperceptible
stars, which flared and tfembled as
If the wind was going to put them
out.
The formless promonteries entered
the leaden sea and lost themselves in
shadow Between their arms the still
water formed a circle which seemed
illumined only by its own light At
the end of the jetty planet shone
from a little light tower. The weak
harbor waves died ameng short drift
and backed away rumbling. Hearing
them, on all sides. one would say
that myriads of beasts were strug-
CLING down there amid the ooze and
the seaweed, while, enveleping these
innumerable sounds. the harsh voice
of the ocean. from afar, reared about
the outlying rocks. A elamor. wan