Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-07-20
Nicholas YOss.

Ont ulere nef flNnts over ine NOfl0l
George Cooper in The LitHe Corporal.
Nicholas yoss.
A group of young men were standing one
morning last April on the banks of the river
Aar, which flows by the quaint old Swiss
town of Berne. There was Johann Leid,
| the bakers son, Fritz Bund, the wood-carver,
| and half dozen others, with their sisters
aud sweethearts.
Bund, as usual, was loud.mouthed and
| voluble. He talked with one eye on the
| girls to see the effect.
"What do you say to race, boys ? There
is Johann Leid with his big muscles. l can
outrun or throw you in five minutes, Leid."
Leid nodded, threw off his coat, and was
beaten in both race and wrestle. He was a
big, sheepish-looking fellow, and grew red
with anger.
aft you want to look well in Jeannettes
| eyes," he muttered, ait is Nicholas Voss
you should throw, not me. She thinks more
Of his finger than of your whole braggart
body"
Bund was enraged. Everybody saw that
plainly. lie looked at Jeanette, standing
with the other girls like modest little rose
among Haunting dahlias. Nicholas Voss
was playing with his dog on the other side
of the field. He was quiet, understood
fellow, the son of the shoolmaster.
| "Throw Voss ] could do it with one
hand. No credit in that. The fellow has
no more strength than girl, porting over his
books. I'll put him to a test that'll shame
him. Jeanette shall see the stuff the baby
is made of. Hey, Voss ~ he shouted.
Nicholas came over, smiling, but coloring
little as he passed the girls. He was a
diffident, awkward lad, and felt his arms
and legs heavy and in the way whenever a
girl looked at him.
| "Come, girls y cried Bund. The girls
drew nearer shy, but curious.
| "IIere's question of courage to be set
tied. Leid wants me to try throw with
Voss but it wouldn't be fair, for | could
fling him with one finger, and blow him over,
for that matter"
Voss changed color. lie played nervously
with the dogs collar. He knew it was true
that he could not compete with Bund in a
| trial of strength; but it was hard to be told
it,-before little Jeanette, too.
"But there's something Voss can do as
we'll as L.
"What is it 2" said Nicholas, eagerly.
| "You can swim. Come, jump into the
river yonder with me, and see which of us
can reach the other shore |"
| The girls looked at the river. 1t was
swollen with the spring floods, and filled
with great Jumps of ice which crunched and
tore each other as they went rushing by.
| "Ah, that would be brave deed |" they
said, looking admiringly at Bund. jean
nette looked, and turned away with shud-
der.
"Well done, Bund |" said the other lads
"There is no cowardice in Bund, that's GER
tain -
Bund tore off his wooden jacket and boots,
Strengthening himself and clapping his
hands. He was not sorry that the girls
should see his broad chest and embroidered
braces.
"Come, little one, off with your coat
You're famous swimmer-and Jeanette
is looking" under his breath, with an angry
flash in his eye.
Nicholas looked at the lads waiting, and
at the excited, silly girls, and then at the
icy river. He did not trust himself to look
at Jeanette. In summer, he had often
swan the Aar at this very point. But his
lungs were weak. lie could not bear the
slightest exposure; to plunge into this flood
would be certain illness, perhaps death. And
for no purpose but to crafty the pride of a
vaporing idle fellow.
"Come, comel" cried Bund "Afraid,
ell 7"
The lads and girls looked at Voss. Even
Jeannette's eyes were fixed curiously on
him.
al am not going to SWIM" he said.
If he had bluffed it out in strident. joe
ular voice, he might have carried the day.
But he was painfully conscious that they all
| thought him coward. lie was sensitive
lad, and it cut him to the quick
"Afraid afraid |" laughed Bund, inso.
lently. swell, Voss, wanted to do you a
good turn, and let the girls see that you had
the making of a man in you. But no mat
ter" turning away contemptuously "a
pity he could not wear gowns and bonnet,
he said to Jeanette, loud enough for Voss
to hear.
Voss turned away, and went hastily down
the road. Hewas bitter and angry, and
would not go home to his old father in that
mood. He went to the bear-pits Now
everybody knows that bears are a sort Of
sacred animal to the Bernese; and Nicholas,
like his neighbors took keen delight in
watching the great sluggish beasts in their
pits. But he had no pride in them now
in fact though he leaned over the barrier
and looked with the crowd, he did not see
them at all
There were many strangers there that
day, principally English travellers and Amer
leans. Their children were climbing about
the edge of the pit, as no Bernese child
would dare to do.
"Take care, youngsters cried work
man. "They are ferce,-those monsters
down there. An English officer fell in last
spring and, though he fought for his life
that big fellow killed him."
Zach See his red eyes, the murderer !
cried woman.
All the people stretched their necks tc
look where he lay blinking up at them ano
q stupid nursemaid, with child in hel
arms, stood on tiptoe to lean further over
There was push, a scream.
"The child Ach Gott 1t is gone!"
The crowd surged and pressed against thu
barrier. Voss was almost crushed upon III
edge. For moment there was silence
like DEATH as people looked with straininl
eyes into the darkness below. Then the,
saw the little white heap close to the wall o
the pit. Two of the smaller bears wer'
shutting it curiously. The monster that hat
killed the Englishman was slowly gathering
up his fore-legs, and dragging himsel
toward it,
There was scarcely any sound in tn
crowd. Men grew pale and turned ava,
sick. A woman who had never seen tn
child before fell in dead faint on tn
ground. But its mother stood quite still
leaning over the pit, her hands held out to il
There came a wild cry from the crowd
boy had jumped into the pit. The bea
turned, glared at the intruder with sudde
fury, and then rushed upon him. He deal
it a blow straight between the eyes but
fell like feather on stone-wall
ale leaps over himl"
"The others are coming on him !"
Zach, what blowsi"
dwell struck Again, again !"
"But he can do nothing. He will be tor
to pieces !"
"Oh, the poor boy"
"See, the bear has torn his flesh p
ale has the child He has the child
ladder A ladder !"
But there was no ladder TO be found, nc
weapons of any kind. The mass of peopl
leaned over, praying, shouting, sobbinl
while the struggle went on below as siler
| aa ha uraya