Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-05-08
Nj | see LII A MY


A soldiers widow lived in little hut
near q mountain village. Her only child
was poor cripple. Hans was a kind heart.
ed boy. He loved his mother, and would
gladly have helped her to bear the burdens
of poverty but his feebleness forbade it.
He could not even join in the rude sport of
the mountaineers. At the age of fifteen he
felt keenly the fact that he was useless to
his mother and to the word
1t was at this period that Napoleon Bona
part was making his power felt throughout
Europe. He had decreed that Tyrol should
belong to Bavaria, and not to Austria. and
sent French and Bavarian army to accom-
plish his purpose. The Austrians retreated
The Tyroles resisted valiantly Men,
women, and children of the m0untain-and
were filled with zeal in the defence of their
homes. On one occasion, ten thousand
French and Bavarian troops were destroyed
In single mountain pass. by u" immense
avalanche of rocks and trees prepared and
hurled upon them by an unseen foe.
A secret arrangement existed among the
Tyrolese. by which the approach of the enc
my was to be communicated by signal fires
from village to village, from one mountain
height to another; and combustible materials
were laid to give an instant alarm,
The village in which Hans and his mother
lived was in the direct line of the route the
French army would take, and the people
were full Of anxiety and fear. All were pre-
pared for the expected struggle. The wi
dow and her crippled son alone seemed to
have no part but-to sit still and wait.
'Ah, Hans she said, one evening, it is
well for us now that you can be of little
use; they would else make a soldier of you.
This struck tender chord. The tears
rolled down his cheek
Mother, am useless, cried Hans, in
bitter grief. Look round our vilage-all
are busy, all ready to strive for home and
fatherland; am useless.
My boy, my kind, dear son, you are not
useless to me-
Yes, to you l cannot work for you,
cannot support you in your old age Why
was | made, mother''
Hush, Hans said his mother; these re-
plning thoughts are wrong. You will live
to lind the truth OF our old proverb;
"'God has his plan
For every man.
Little did Hans think that ere few
weeks should have passsd, this truth was to
be verified in remarkable manner.
Easter holidays, the festive season of
Switzerland, came.
Luz pc'Ilt ioSl tHelr IthTs VI INVASION IN
the sports Of the season. All were busy in
the merry msking-all but Hans. He stood
alone on the porch of the mountain hut
overlooking the village.
Towards the close of Easter day, after his
usual evening prayer, in which he breathed
the wish that the Father of Mercies would,
in his good time, afford him some opportun-
ity of being useful to others, he fell into
deep sleep
lie awoke in the night as if from dream,
under the strong impression that the French
and bavarian army was approaching. He
could not shake off the impression but
With the hope of being rid of it he rose,
hastily dressed himself and strolled up the
mountain path. The cool air did him good
and he continued his walk till he climbed to
the signal pile Hans walked around the
pile but where were the watchers They
were nowhere to he seen, and perhaps they
were busted with the festivities of the vii
lsge. Near the pile was an old pine tree,
and in its hollow stem the tinder was laid
ready. Hans paused by the ancient tree g.,
and as he listened singular sound caught
his attention, now quickened by the pecu-
liar circumstances in which he found him
self, and by the perception that much might
depend on him. He heard slow and steady
tread, then the click of muskets, and two
soldiers crept along the cliff Seeing no one,
for Hans was hidden by the old tree, they
gave the signal to some friends in the dis
tance.
Hans saw instantly the plot and the
danger. The secret of the signal ri e
had been revealed to the enemy, and q
party had been sent forward to destroy it
the army was marching to attack the vii
lage, With no thought of his own peril
and perhaps recalling the proverb his mother
had quoted, he seized the tinder, struck q
light, and flung the blazing turpentne brand
into the pile.
The two soldiers whose backs were ther
turned to the pile, waiting tho arrival Of
their comrades, were seized with fear, but
they soon saw there were no foes in ambush
only single youth running down tn,
mountain path, They fired, and lodged
bullet in the boys shoulders.
Yet the signal fire was blazinp high. ant
the whole country would be aroused. |
was already aroused from mountain TOD t,
mountain top. The plan of the advancing
army was defeated, and hasty retreat fol
lowed
Hans, faint and bleeding, made his wa
30 the village. The people, with their arm,
were mastering thick and fast. All wa
CONSERVATION. Inquiry was everywher
heard, 'Who lighted the pile .
1T was L.. said at last faint, almost ex
piring voice. P,or crippled Hans tottere
among them, saying, The enemy-tn
french-were there, lie faltered. an
sunk upon the ground, Take me to IN
mother, said he; 'at last | have not bee
useless
They stopped to lift him.
What is thisP they cried; he has bee
shot II is truei Hans the cripple has save
w.,