Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-05-02

to eat our harvest, there must be arms to de-
fend it."
"But the young student too, shook his head
when he lamented such use of lfe."
"Because he does not know what self sacri-
fee and suffering can teach. The books which
he studies we have put in practice though we
never read them; the principles he applauds
we have defended with powder and bayonet."
"And at the price of your limbs and your
blood. The merchant said when he saw your
manned body, "See the worth of goryi"
"Do not believe him, my son true glory is
the bread of the soul it is this which nourshes
self-sacrifce, patience, and courage. The Mas
ter of all has bestowed it as tie the more between
men. When we desire TO be distinguished by
our brethren do we not thus prove our esteem
and sympathy for themP The longing for ad-
miration is but one side of love- No, no-true
glory can never be too dearly paid forl That
which we should deplore, child, is not the inirm-
tiles which prove "a generous sef-sacrifce, but
those which our vices or our imprudenee have
called forth. All if l could speak aloud to
those who, when passing, cast looks of pity up
on me, should say to the young man, whose
excesses have dimmed his sight before he is old,
| What have you done with your eyesp To the
slothful man, who with difficulty drags along
his eneryated mass of flesh, What have you
done with your feet p To the old man, who is
| puHlSileu lOT MS incompetence ny tNe pOut,
'What have you done with your hands !? To
all, what have you done with the days God
granted you, with the faculties you should have
employed for the good of your brethrenP If
you cannot answer, bestow no more of your
pity upon the old soldier MANNED in his coun-
| try's cause; for he-he at least-can show his
scars without shame"
October l6H.-The little engraving has made
me comprehend better the merits of father
Chauffeur and | therefore esteem him all the
more.
He has just now left my attic. There no
longer passes a single day without his coming
to work by my fire, or my going to sit and talk
by his board.
The old artleryman has seen much, and
likes to tell of it, For twenty years he was an
armed traveller throught Europe, and he fought
without hatred for he was possessed by single
thought: the honour of the national flag 1t
might have been his superstition, if you will /;
but it was. at the same time, his safeguard.
The word FRANCE. which was then resounding
so glcriously through the world, served as
talisman TO him against all sorts of temptation.
10 have to support great name may seem
burden to vulgar minds but it is an encourage
ment to vigorous ones.
81, too, have had many moments" said he to
me the other day, "when | have been tempted
to make friends with the devil. War is not
precisely the school for rural virtues By dint
of burning, destroying and killing, you grow
little tough as regards your feelings; and, when
the bayonet has made you king, the notions of
an autocrat come into your head little strong
". But at these moments called to mind that
which the lieutenant spoke of to me, and |
whispered to myself the well-known phrase,
To1ours FrdncdiS 1t has been laughed at
since. People who would make joke of the
4 of 81, 81, "a
cule, as if the name of our country was not also
noble and a binding thing. For my part l
shall never forget from how many follies the
title of Frenchman has kept me. When,
overcome with fatigue, / have found myself in
the rear of the colours and when the musketry
was rafting in the front ranks, many time |
heard voice, which whispered in my ear,
Leave the others to fight, and for to- day take
care of your own hider But then, that word
Francais, murmured within me, and pressed
forward to help my comrades. At other times,
when irritOted by hunger, cold, and wounds, l
have arrived at the hovel of some Meinherr, l
have been seized with an itching to hreak the
masters back, and to burn his hut but l whis-
pered to myself Francois! and this name would
not rhyme either with incendiary or murderer.
l have, in this way, passed through kingdoms
from east to west, and from north to south, al
ways determined not TO bring disgrace upon my
country's flag. The lieutenant, you see, had
taught me. a magic WORLDLY country! Not
only must we defend it, but we must also make
it great and loved"
October l7H.-To-day have paid my neigh
bour long visit. A chance expression led the
way to his telling me more of himself than he
had yet done.
/ asked him whether both his limbs had been
lost in the same battle
mo, no ~ replied he; "the cannon only took
my leg-it was the Clamart quarries that my
arm went to feed"
And when | asked him for the particulars -
"That's as easy as to say good morning"
continued he. "After the great break up at
Waterloo, | stayed three months in the camp
7 hospital to give my wooden leg time to grow.
As soon as | was able to hobble little, / took
, leave of headquarters, and took the road to
Paris, where hoped to find some relation or
friend but no-all were gone, or under ground.
J should have found myself less strange at vi
enna Madrid, or Berlin. And althoug had a
, leg the less to provide for, was none the bet
! ter off my appetite had come back, and my
l last half pence were taking flight.
81 had indeed met my old colonel, who rec
, objected that had helped him out of the skim
ish at Montereau by giving him my horse, and
e he had offered me bed and board at his house.
S | knew that the year before he had married a
4 castle, and no few farms. so that | might be-
= come permanent coat-brusher to millionaire,
y which was not without its temptations. 1t re-
remained to see if | had not any thing better to
e do. One evening sat myself to reflect upon
it.
r "I.et US see, CHAUFFEUR said | to myself the
r question is to act like man. The colonels
n place suits you, but cannot you do any thing
better? Your body is still in good condition
: and your arms strong do you not owe all youl
strength to your country, as your Nincenne'
: uncle said? Why not leave some old soldier
# more cut up than you are, 10 get his hospital a
the colonel's? Come, trooper. you are still tit
s for another stout charge or two! You mus
r. not lay up before your time.
It "Whereupon | went to thank the colonel ano
to offer my services to an old artilleryman, whc
2; had gone back to his home at Clamart, and VINO
II had taken up the quarryman's pick again.
e "For the first few months played the con
S scripts part--that is to say, there was more stl
e, than work but with good will one gets thu
II better of stones as of every thing else. | die
not become so to speak, the leader of a column
j. but brought up the rank among the workmen
1, and ate my bread with good appetite, seeing
2 | had earned it with a good viii. For eyel
under ground, you see, still kept my pride
o The thought that was working to do my par
n in changing rocks into houses pleased my heart
| said to myself
IS "Courage, Chauffeur, my old boy, you ar
helping to beautfy your country
IS 'AnQ that kent my snirit.