Show VH t 1 THE POPE POP IS DEAD f rI I I pass passed d my childhood din in a large pro provincial pro pro- in ial city cut in two by a very very crowded and rid very noisy river where 1 I earl early acquired a taste for e excursions and anda a p pas passion pas pas- s sion lion for life on the f water There There is in iri particular a corner of the q quay ay near a a certain footbridge called S Saint int Vincents Vincent's of which I never never think even to-day to without emotion I still see the sig sign nailed to the end of a sail yard Cornet Boats to Let the little staircase which dipped into th the water all smooth and blackened with moisture the crowd of f little boats freshly painted in bright col- col ors tied up at the foot of the ladder rocking locking gently side by side as if enlivened by the pretty names w which ich they they- bore on on- their sterns in white letters The Humming Humming Hum Hum- ming Bird The Swallow Then Then- among the long oars shining with paint wh which ch were drying against the bank bank- Father Cornet Comet went with his bucket of paint his large b brushes blushes his tanned face ace creased and wrinkled with a thousand little depressions like the river when the wind is fresh in the evening Oh this Father Cornet He w was s the Satan of my childhood my grievous passion my sin sin my remorse What crimes has he not not- made me commit with his boats I ran lan lanaway away from school I sold my my books What would I not have sold for foi an afternoons afternoon's s rowing All my class-books class at the bottom of the boat my coat off my hat on the the- back o of my head and in my hair the fin fine fanning of the bre breeze ze on the water I I. pulled strongly on my oars wrinkling my my brows to give me the true appearance of or oran an old sea As long as I was in the the- city I kept the middle of f the river equally distant from both the banks banks- where the the old sea-dog sea might have been bee reco recognized What triumph to mix with with this great moving mass of boats rafts rafts log rafts log and little steamboats which coasted along along and passed one an another ther separated only by a narrow arrow thread of foam There were heavy boats which turned to get get- int into the current and that that- displaced a crowd of others Suddenly the wheels of a steamer beat beat- th the water near me or p perhaps a dark dark- shadow came over me mci me it was the bow of of- an apple boat 0 D Look Lookout out midget t cried a rough voice to me and I sweat I struggled caught in the come and go of f this riv river r life which the street life crossed continually continually continually ally by all the bridges and foot bridges bridges- which cast the reflections of the omni omni- R busses beneath the moving oars And the current so strong strong- at the points of the arches and the eddies and set-backs set and the famous whirlpool of Death in Dis Dis- guise You may well imagine that it was no small matter to guide ones one's self inthe in inthe the tle midst of all that with with the arms of a year twelve and no one to hold the rudder Sometimes I had the good luck to meet the tow Quickly I hooked on to the very end of this long train of boats in tow and with my oars motionless extended ex extended ex- ex x- x tended like soaring wings I let myself go with that silent swiftness which cut the river in long of foam and made the trees and the houses of the quay file filet filer t r past on both sides Before me far far faraway faraway faraway away I heard the monotonous throbbing of the tug a dog barking on one of the boats of the tow where a small thread of smoke arose from a low chimney and all that gave me the illusion of a great voyage of real life on shipboard Unfortunately these meetings with the two were rare Most often it was necessary necessary necessary sary to row and row for hours in the sun Oh these full noonday suns falling straight down upon the river it il seems as asif asif asif if they burned me yet Everything blazed everything reflected In that blinding and ringing air which floats above the waves and vibrates at every movement the short strokes of my oars the ropes of the haulers raised all dripping from the water made bright lights pass like polished silver and I rowed with my eyes shut N Now ow and then from the vigor if of my efforts from the lapping of the water under my boat I imagined that I Iwas IWas Iwas was going very fast but on raising my head I saw still the same tree tree the he same ame me wall opposite me on the bank Finally after hard struggles all moist and red with heat I succeeded in g getting 0 out of the city The uproar of the cold baths the women's washer-women's boats the landing stages diminished The bridges bridges- were at greater distances upon the open open banks Some suburban gardens or a factory chimney were reflected in the water here lere and there On the horizon shimmered some green islands Thus tired out I 1 would bring my boat alongside alongside alongside along along- side the bank in the midst of the buzzing reeds and then overcome by the sun by fatigue and that heavy heat which ros rose from the water stained with large yellow flowers the old sea-dog sea would have the the- nose-bleed nose by the hour Never did my excursions have any other end But But Buty what could you e expect I found that delicious The terrible thing though was returning returning returning return return- ing going back I rowed with all my strength in vain I l' always came toe toc late long after school was out The impression of the declining day the first gas jets in the mist the return all in increased increased increased in- in creased my fright my remorse The passing people going home very quietly made me envious and I ran with my head thick full of sun and water with the roaring of shells in my ears and al already already already al- al ready on my face the blush for th the lie that I was going to tell For every time it was necessary to meet that terrible question Where have you been which awaited me on entering It was that question on my arrival which frightened me mem m most st st. I had to answer them on the landing at a disadvantage I had to have a little story ready every time something to say say and something so as as f so overwhelming that surprise would c cut t short all questions That gave me time to enter to take breath and to accomplish that nothing nothing- cost too much I invented disasters revolutions terrible things a whole side of the city on fire 1 J t the railroad b bridge falling g info into t the e river river liver But w what I I found the most ost effective was this That evening I arrived very late M My mother who had been waiting for me a a whole hour was standing listening at the atthe the top of the stairs Where have you been she cried to tome me Tell me what fantastic notions a childs child's head cannot hold I had found nothing prepared nothing I had come too quickly Suddenly a mad idea came to me I knew that the dear woman was very pious a Catholic as fan fanatical as asa asa asa a Roman and I answered her with all the breathlessness of a great emot emotion on Oh mother if you knew What then what is it now The Pope is dead cc The The Pope is dead said my poor mother and she leaned very pale against the wall I passed quickly into my room a little fright frightened ned at my success and at the enormity of the lie however I had the courage to play my part to the end I remember remember remember re re- member a a gloomy and subdued evening my f father ther very grave my mother crushed They talked low around the table As Asfor Asfor for me I 1 lowered my eyes but my escapade escapade escapade esca esca- was so completely forgotten in the general sadness that no one thought of it itan an any y more I They hey vied with one another in citing some virtuous trait of that poor Pius IX then gradually the conversation strayed to the history of the Popes Aunt Rose spoke of Pius VII whom she remembered very well ha having ving seen him pass through the South in ina a post-chaise post between policemen She She- recalled the famous famous' scene with the Emperor Comedian Tragedian It was indeed the hundredth time that I had heard her tell of that terrible scene e always with Hh the intonations same and the same gestures that stereotyped edition of family traditions W which hicl are b bequeathed q as heir heir- CIAr CIA Ii i I 1 f t If r c oZ looms s. s a and d w which which remain ich remain in the family and local like c convent convent st stories ri S. S SJ J v vAll All Ail the same i it had never appeared so so interesting to me I listen listened d to it with hypocritical sighs with questions with an al air of simulated interest and arid all aU the time I was saying to myself Tomorrow Tomorrow morning on learning th that t the Pope is not dead they will be so happy that no one will have the courage to scold me While thinking of that my eyes closed in spite of myself and I had visions of little boats painted blue with coves on the Saone drowsy with heat and great water spiders' spiders feet running in all directions and cutting the glassy water like diamond points GEO R. R MATHEWS 1 |