Show Fisher iSher j 1 I A splash of yellow light fell fromi the doorway o of the the cafe care of S. S Maurin into nto the still blue darkness of the lit lit tie tle le quay where a couple of flickering lamps amps only served t to make the gloom more profound The rhe moon had not of the ris risen n and the pale radiance radiance- stars showed the long slow swell O an oily sea Against tb the wall of bf of the quay lay layn a n. tiny a-tiny tin Uny sailing yacht Fait Farther et out midway way between en the horns of ot the harbor harbora no a fishing bo boat t with wid widespread spread sails that seemed hardly to catch the faint even evening ng air drifted like a shadow through the night t tIn In the cafe half balf a dozen dozen men fishers of this little port lounged idly over their heir glasses Old Antoine the irn- irn keeper keever drowsed as usual in his corner corner corner cor cor- ner chair Jean Modeste his grandson grand- grand son sat with a torn net across his knee mee and his blacks black bead b bent been JI Tike je rest relit slipped their their r W e. w talked to each other spasmodically fly a athe 11 the weather or the J good catch h I i Suddenly Jean Modeste 1001 g up uti from Irom the tear ar J In th the net mad made tb th I ha hand h nd the sign of the cross r The I others looked at hi him with curious halt curious halt baIt I frightened eyes He He Ho was Bt staring tl through the open open doorway i 0 at t the sea There was was an an instant bf bt heavy silence The glasses ce ceased SM to clink and only p f The Th fisher h he hs h's s said IdIn in a a low to tone e. e d dold fi- fi old Antoine snored softly In his C cor r- r ner I. I Jean Modestes Modeste's eyes fell again to his net lE l The Fisher he said In a low tonof tone ton of explanation I Every one except the sleeping Inn Innkeeper innkeeper inn inn- keeper turned at once to the do door Between the horns of the bay the on oner on- wide sail sail was was driving lazily nearer Again there was silence in the the care cafe cate an odd unwholesome sti stillness heavy with ill Ul omen and nd expectation of evil to come Presently Dig ig Jules Bontemps took Ok I i t- t J A 1 t 44 h a draught of his wine ine a and c set the the glass down noisily noisily on on the f table bl at which he sat For my part he said I I dont don't believe in this Fisher there Fisher there Every ery sail you see near nearS S. S Maurin its Maurin its it's the the same thing with you all the all the Fisher Im I'm a st stranger thank stranger anger th I thank the good God theres there's no Fisher In the port of ot Nice Nice no not Nice Now will any ny of Y you you tell me my friends who this this- Fisher o of yours is and what he seeks The question was addressed gener generally gener geher- ally lly to the wl whole ole company present present- but nobody answered answered Instead they they- all aU looked at Jean Modeste as he bent over his his' net Who he he Is Is he spoke m meditatively d fa Ah fo for that that that-no no one can tell teU you What he seeks seeks that's that's another matter mutter They do say say say- He bro broJ broke e oft e oft oft and glanc glanced d again o open door The bla black li sail was drifting very slowly toward th the landWell land Well what do they say Bontemps asked Impatiently i iThe The he young man turned again to his net Th They s say ay h he he answered nsw rec In in 4 the same low unwilling tone that he fishes for for forthe the souls of men men Bontemps stared for a second Then he flung back his rought black head with a great laugh The souls of men Ah Ali my faith that's good Are you Christians then In this harbor o of S. S Maurin As good as any In the port of Nice Jean Modeste r replied plied with a touch of heat heat Bontemps laughed again No offense ense my friend But come its it's absurd you know Its It's moonshine that's what It is This Fisher of yours yours yours- Jean Modeste cut through his bis speech and lifted a finger from his net to point through the do door r I There he said Is the Fisher Laugh Laugh Laugh-if if you please Bon Bontemps temps was silent The shadowy sail had drifted very near Again stillness fell upon the little group broken to ken only b by the old mans man's heavy breathing br athing Laugh Laugh if If you yop yop please e Jean Modeste Modeste Mo Mo- deste said again None of us here will laugh with you What i if We cannot cannot can can- not tell teU you who the Fisher Is We know his work well enough eLough Did heno follow my brothers brother's boat the Marie Maria Blanche the last voyage ever she took took Never a man man came cam back to tell teU the tale tale but but the Fish Fisher r sailed behind behind them but out of S. S Maurin Bay That I saw with saw with these e eyes yes eyes s yes yes Bontemps did not answer A kind kin of breathlessness had fallen upon u-pon the rest Jean Modeste shifted the net across his knee and spoke once once m more re reI I You Yo ask aek what the Fisher seeks seeks- he said Well Well in in the port vort of Nice he may have other business for what whai I know But here when he sails in Sn inthe inthe the bay he seeks a mans man's soul Again there was silence Through the doorway the could see the the- black shadow of the sail almost Touching Jr P I jA c j-J j A F E 1 J r the the quay The strange fishing boat w was was very near The tall mast mast seemed to touch the stars the sails were like like- the wings of or oran an an Immense bat stretched between them and the luminous blue blue- of ot th the clear clear- night sky In In the cafe if no no one moved or breathed Jean M Modestes Modeste's hands lay idle on his his feet BOI Bontemps temps sat motionless motionless mo mo- tio with wih his fingers stretched stretch d' d dout out out outto to take up his unfinished glass of wine For some reason he did not lake take It ft His eyes too were fixed d upon unon the sail saU ha hanging ging above the K quay Then silently as as- asIt it had come the tM boat heeled over and tacked seaward A light ight w wind nd c caught the huge nuge sail and swept it before it out into the bay The rhe still dark darle floating thing became In a moment alive buoyant t Incredibly Incredibly- light and swift a n. white flicker of oV foam tore at her bows as s she headed for for- forthe the sea 1 The men in the cafe watched with a 11 a. a deep unacknowledged sense of ot relief Still for a a while no one spoke The Thee little grimy ill smelling place w was was was-ex- s ex extraordinarily silent ilent it seemed as though something within within its its Its walls had had ceased ceased it it held the emptiness of a room in which a piece of machinery machinery- had just jus run down Bontemps was the first to speaR speak Well Well there there he said drawing av om quick breath breath your Fishers Fisher's gone He knows how to sail his chip ship Ill Ill I'll say sayI that for him im whoever he is s. s But what wha I s The fisher had n nt not t fished I In vain did he seek eh What fish was h he- he after your Fisher r of souls 3 No one answered and Bontemps chuckled a H little le quietly Jean Modeste Modeste Mo Mo- i deste gathered his net upon his armand arm arm- sr C and rose to all his height as he turned he-turned turned 1 from the open door Th Then n suddenly he stood rigid and 11 the nets slipped d and fell at his his' feet in in a brown tangle The others nervous nervous nervous ner- ner 1 with the reaction after the tension tension ten ten- sion o of that moment wh when n the shadow shadow shadow shad- shad j ow of the black blae sail lay across the the- quay followed the direction of his j v startled look 1001 There was vas a quick movement of horror of surprise and with the shuffling o of rough sea boots boots- upon the bare floor the lean blue- blue seamen rose t to their their feet For old Antoine's gray head had 1 fall fallen n forward on his his his' breast his breast his hoarse breathing was still He sat dead in his corner chair with a an un un- wine beside hh him wi Without in the the clear clear bl blue e ni night ht a- a sailed dark-sailed boat went racing to the the- sea ea The Th Fisher had not fished In In I. Black vain vain Black and W White ite i |