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April , .8 i 1904 ' , . THE FALLS CITY TRIBUNE 3
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) W r : ; : M BRBAD ; ! AN D ) OVE. ]
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$ : lIY NELIH11 K. : JlLISSE'l"l'
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411'11 have : to t t ( ll her tonight , "
i'Iir. ' : , , said : < Jean \lo < leste.
I He swept the last brown fold
I oa net together , and , rising slow-
I I IJ' , hung them 011 a nail behind the
\ door. He stood for a moment
( i - looking round the little broken ,
down shed , which smelt so S1rollg-
! IJ' of fish and tal' His straight ,
1 \ ! dark features wore , for once , n
look of distaste. The narrow ' bed
, in the corner ( , the wet nets that
draped the wall , the old sea chest
neon ' which he had been sitting ,
the gaudy "Virgin and Child"
which his dead mother had pinned
' "
, I long ago beside the tiny window
f --they were . so poor and wretched ,
' these after all. And '
- . things , yet ,
unl'Bs Iw oheye his father . now ,
I" these few '
: even ( poyel'ty-strlCken
. possefsious'otiIcI he his 110
. longer.
He turned away with a sudden ,
, ' . . itllpatieut movement , and wen t.
\ \J. ; out. It was eyening , and men
: l were lounging against the low
wall of the qua\ Switches of talk
and laughter came and went upon
the still air. At sea a mist } was ris-
i iug after the heat of the day , like
I a thin white curtain \ , which an un-
seen hand kept moving to and fro
I , Jo.a : _ nlodest strode along the
qua in si lelll'l' . 'l'lw ( lounger
turned to look ai him as he went ,
, . and one 01' two Hung ( a jovial ! re-
, : r mark after hinl. He heard the
word "wp ding" at' least twice ,
. and each ( time his black : \ head wpnl.
r a little t higher in the air and his !
eyes < glpampd snIlpny. ] Some one
y I laughed as he passel ( , and he set
his teeth and muttered a curse un
dl'l' his hl'f.'nth. His father lUlll
not been > long about t publishing hh ;
Yietory.
He left- the quuy and struck
y through the pines along the shol'l'
Under the red rocks that jutted
out t in a Ii ttlr I pronlantOry into tilt
sea a girl was \\'aiting' He caught t
the flutter of her dress , the gleam :
_ , d of her hair as she 'aIlle ( , and set his
teeth i again. 11 was that gleaming -
ing mass of hair , so unusual to hh
southern yes , which had caught
his fancy first when he saw hel'
leaning over the. wall of the qua ' ,
the sit w him long before he
i reached her , bu { she did not come
to i mel' ( ' him as she had always
done befol'p. Instead , she stood
very still ; IIPl' hands hanging at
her sides , only her dress fluttering
1 now and tlwn as Uw sea air caught :
w it. \Yhpn at last he cane dose to
' , her he saw t hat-her face was very
pa1e } , her wide soft eyes had a
strained look Even the bright
hair that I.t' lovedvas ruffled and
, , : wild , aH hough t she had not cared
to smooth it back : before she carne
out. -
He held out his hands , but , with
i - a sudden movement , she shrank
back. For a momeIIt neither
I spola' He stood sullenly before
I her , his head bent , his eye full of
j tWmheL' fire ; a mad angel' against
i her , himself , his father-tlm
whole world - tearing at ' his
; . . _ heaL't.
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"Oh , Jean , " her voice was thin
and hoarse , "ii isn't hue ? "
He could not look at her. lie
tried to find words to answer , but
they would not 'omp. Suddenly ;
she turned from him , and , drop'
ping on to a I'l'd footstool of rock ,
lovel'cd i her face with hel.1wnds. :
"Oh , Jean ! " -he heard the sobs
! 'hokingh1' as she , spoke-- " , 'oll
pm'0111ised [ n1- , 'OU Tu'omispd- "
Slit' was still , save for the grief
flint t shook her as she sat t : there
rocking herself to and fro with the
dl'padf'ul 111p'hallieal l'pgn1arityof
dpsj1ail' He stOOd before her ,
mate , sullen ; , a tall blue figure 1)05- ]
Be spd by all Ow devils of shame ,
I'P11101'8e H\H1 : passion. Suddenly
he dropped 011 his knees beside her
and put his arms round her with a
I'oug-hvess t hat was almost brnta
" \Vhat \ does it" mutter to you ? "
he ti aid in her ear. "You'ye got
m-not that othel' 1 marry her
t(1 please Uly father ; no , not to
please him , but because , unless I
do it , 1'111 a I'ggar. ) I ) o you under
stand ? ? \\'hu1 . if ImHrl'yhel'eh' ? I
love 'ou-rou-.you- His VOice
choked , and he covered the hands
lie ( had dragged from her face with
Ids-t' : She lifted her pale fact. '
and looked at him with wet , wild
P\'ps.
" \ \ 'hshould , you care' ! " lIt !
Wl'ut on "lo ) you think 1 am go ,
ing to leave : von for her ! " lie
laughed a little ! savage laugh uu
dl'l' his bl'patllIr : \ , father nmay
nW'I'me ; , to t her if i he pleHsPs-
bp ( 'HU' ! 'elwin ale to her petti
coats , I suppose-ell , little one ! "
His0 ice softened curiously ,
"You're Inille-always ( , " he said
.J3Jte looked at him for an instant
longer. Then ' , shivering a little ( ,
she drew her hands from his The
deadl3 ) pallor of her face struck
him dumb.
"Hid ) you think I was that sort
. -J euu' ! " she asked.
He knelt beside her in silence
Hepl'oal'h could have struck IH
deelJ'r ( It was not anger in her
voice-it was surprise } ; and .it cut
him like a knife.
" ' "
"You think would do-that ,
she said , slowlY , "and yet you say
you love me. Yon marry her for
the money she has-and yet you
say you love me ! "
here was silence again. ile
hung his head under the 1 gaze of
her accusing eJ''s
.
"H's tTUP enough , " lw said ; "I
' do love rou Vo you want : to see
nw begging b\ the roadside , elL !
Is that what you ' call love' ? " TIe
laughed HngrilJ' "LOye'R a fine
thing when the spa's smooth , " 1\\\
said , " bu1 it isn't t worth " dying for ,
little 011 ( ' . \rhen a man's offered
bl'pad ( in one hand und , love in the
oiht\r-well , he < dO,8n't choose
. ,
lov ( ' , "
HI\ \ ( > rose from lip ( rocks and drew
her faded skirt away fl'om ( him.
'here [ was a kind of hOl'I'01' in her
face. lie saw it , and caught at
her skirt , missing : it.
Vhere \ are you going , ell ? " he
said , quieldJ' " \Vhatdoyoumean
to do ! "
She turned and looked back at
him for a second'itli dull eJ'es.
"I don't' kndw where I'll go , " , she
.
,
said sill " 1 don't ( know what
, simplr ) ) ; ( ; \ \
I'll lIo. "
lie sprang } / to his feet and : mah
.
n step after her , bui the look on
hPl' face / lIPid him hapk.
"No t 1-ha , " she siti(1. " 'oil \ shall
} \ ( > \'Pl' O1H'h t me aga in. : \ mUll
dopsn't choose 100'e. . . . 170 back
-to Your llL'l'a I" !
Jean Modest ( sat tale tha1
llifl'h1in the ( 'al' < ' . , lie was mood
and sullen , ana I'Pt'll'pd he ( feli'i-
tat ions of his friends upon his ap'
( l'oaching ) marriage with a singH
lar lack of genialit\ The rough
jokes proper ] to,11w Occasion only I
elicited a growl front him in reply } \
and at last his fpll\\ fishers let' l
him alone , to drink his wine in
lwacl'
He drank more than was good
for him , enough io have made him
drunk on any other night. On this ! : !
however , the strong black stint
left him as it found him a little
more sullen and silent , perhaps } ,
but : otherwise the 1 same.
More \ than one curious glance
was cast at his gloomy face before
the end of' 1he e\'ning. His father
met him in the dark inn passage ,
slouching out to his shed , aIlll
glanced at him with a suspicious
eJ'e Black Oporges Modeste : had
never quite made out his silent
son
"You'll go out to the nets at
dawn , " he said. 'falw the old
boat , and don't : go on to the Camel -
el Hoek. It'll be a bit thick our
there before mOI'lling "
.Jpan : growled sonic inaL'ticuln.tl'
"
response ) and passed on Tie
bunged the door of the little I shed
which served him ] for a bedroom ,
and stumbled savagely against a
hilt ! of baHkets. The moonlight
was falling brightly through the
scrap of window 111)011 the crudely
colored ! Virgin and Child pinned ]
011 the wall. Iris ( 'Jes , caught by
the gleam of yellow hair under"H ' i.
.Iadonna's ! : white veil , rested upon
hp t picture for a monwIlt : The
gleam of gold , time fufm' , pale face.
struck him witlI a sudden , unen-
tumble ( stab of remembl'ancp
Turuiug from the picture } with
something between an oath aild a
Hob , he flung himsP1f , face down ,
ward , upon the hed
All night he lay sleepless ,
racked ] hy a fierce struggle which
hurt 'liili as though with some tier ( ( '
physical ( 1 pain. Once he Iialf" Itnrt"-
cd up , and 5tHsal'jug-afihemooll' (
light with desperatceyes. No , he
could not give her up. He would
go to her now and tell her so. He
spemed to I see himself 1l'mging t ]
through the scented ( ( woods to the
little cabin where she lived with
her ! imbecile grt'Ildmot : hpl' . UP
stood at hcr ] window and tapped ,
and she came out to him , poor
child , as she had come so many H
lime be1'ol'e. TIe heard his own
voice telling hel'-he saw the glad-
ness of her face. . . . Then the
madness of it all came over him
again , and he fell heavily back and
lay still.
The stars were growing pall'
when he rose , gl'OIwd his WHY to
the door and went t OU t. The air
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was cold , a white mist lay nCl'OSH
the bay. lIe shivered once 01' twice (
118 lIP unmool'ed the 1 old boa and
pushed 011' The mist lay : low
down , so that tilt Oars , as lw
rowed , seemed to cut flee t fog instead -
stead : of the water , and great
drops of moist ul'e grew , as though
b.y some magic process , upon the
l'ol1eI.T-uJ ( } sleeves of his shil't. It
was all cold , clammy , ghostly , and
ineou'eh'ably , still. Even the bent :
of the oars sceuu'(1 ml1med a8 llc
headed for tw ] horns of the baJ'
He went slowly , hugging time
spe ) IIi 1 outline ( of the rocks along
fIll' I sllore.:1'he : mist reamed pas1
him in wl'paths and trails , like wet
smokc. Lit thought ( of the Camel
Hoek l , and laughed hittel'lr to iminl
self in SilPllI'P
A t last" lit struggled out between -
hvt''n the horns of the hi ] tie hal" ,
bOl' Ilnd found his father's ( nets. .
l'hehad ' , drifted ] n little , and most
of them were ' emptJ' lIe drew
t hem in , One hy one , with only
a solitu'y : 'ouet ] { 01' l'ascaSSt
struggling here and there in the
folds. One net bad drifted .fu1'-
thel' than the I'PSt. Tie rowed
after it slowl\ , , looking l1P at HIP
veiled outline of the s11ore. .
Somewhere above : t iihim , among
thc pines , was : 1 he li ( ' 11e.'a hin , with
its brown , snnlrn roof , its hedgp ]
of wild m,1'11p Somewhere above
him , in t lie c'old mist , was : the fdl'- :
.
haired girl lie had lost- -
, lIe found lIP t corks hobbing ! up
and down upon the still water ,
IJnd readied out fOl' the net. It
was 11Pa ry. Be leaned far out of
Ore boat to' drag it 111' ' , and the
light vessel ilceltd ] over with him
until her sidp lay almost level ,
with Ore ruffled water as lu'
tugged at the npt He could not . -
understand : its weight and swore
as he hauled it in. . ' ,
All at once he sat still , staring
before him into the water. : A .
gleam i1w : wPi' gold : begun to show
tlii ouglt the brown meshes of the
d
.
n < 't' . "
Jean odeste , white and still , - ; :
made one mOl'p effort and hauled
the net into tIle boat. Then he
knelt down beside it Imad began ,
with a dreadful quietness , to cut
tIre brown meshes away dom
Ilse body of the girl with yellow ;
hail' , _ " . .
She was quite dead. He knelt at
the bottom of the boat , and heW
her wet , fair head against hili
bl'cast. TIe had had his eholce.
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and Jw had chosen Ul'l'ad , awl - : ; :
,
T..o\'P-T..o\'P , and BI'eu1. : IIp
loolwd down , Rh1111clp1'ing This ; .
was his choice-this. , . :
Suddenly n putT of air tore
through the fog , and lifted it high
above the drift big i hoa t. A rcd
light showed in the slQ'-the wind
had risen with the 1 Hm. !
Every instant the wind grew ,
and light sIB'a" dashed across time
boat ; out of the morning fogIt
dark shape began \ to loom. '
Jean rodestp , seeing it , lifted '
his bowed head. A moment mare
and he had sprung to his feet and
was hoisting the huge red sai1.
Then 1\1tlt ] down again and took I
tint dead ! girl in his al'111S. It was
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