The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-02-19
THE PRESS.
FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 10.
THE DANGERS OF LIBERTY.
The Story of Monsieur Sc
gums Coat.

journal, and you have the audacity to re-
fuse?
Reflect moment unhappy youth OBJ
serve your ragged attire and your attenuated
form, speaking evidence of your poverty !
See to what extremes passion for beautiful
rhymes has reduced You! See what you
have gained by ten years loyal devotion to
lyre Of your father Apollo! Are you not
ashamed at last? Become a reporter, SIM
pleton; become a reporter. 1ou Will earn
competency: YOU will dine with Brebant and
you can present credltaple appearance TO
the world when occasion shall require it.
No? You will not? You still insist upon
liberty to rhyme according to your lnsplra-
ton? Very well, listen for: a mo-
ment to the history of M. Seguln's goat
YOn will see what happens to those who
recklessly choose freedom regardless Oh all
consequences. -,
NJ. Seguin had never been fortunate with
his goats. He was deprived of them all by
the same means. Being independent ami
mails, desiring freedom at any price, neither
the caresseS OF their master nor fear OF the
wolf could restrain them: therefore, one fine
morning they broke their strap fled lnto.the
mountain, aud there were devoured by the
wolf. .,,.. A..
nature of his beasts, was filed with conster-
nation. He said:
"Tbis is the end the goats are weary Oh
me. | shall not be able to keep one,
Nevertheless, he was not discouraged.
After having lost six goats IN the same
manner, he bought seventh, being careiul
to choose a young, one, IN order tnat sue
might more readily naDlIuaIe herseH W
dwelling with him.
All, Gringoire, NJ. Seguin's little goat was
very pretty with her soft eyes, her under
officers beard, her glossy black hoots, her
zebra-marked horns, and the long white halr
of her great coat. She was almost as charm
ing as Esmeralda's kid-you remember tnat'
Gringoire? And then so docile, SO aftectlon-
ate, allowing herself to be MIXED without e,,I
stirring, without putting her toot INTO Tue
porringer-a love of a little goat.
In the rear of NJ Seguin's house was q
field surrounded by hawthorn hedge. In
the most beautiful part of this meadow he
strap to a stake. To his delight the goat ap-
peared very happy in her new surroundings,
browsing the grass so cOntentedly that the
poor man congratulated himself,
cat last here is one which VIII not become
disconnected with me.
M. Seguin was deceived, However; his goat
was already dissatisfied.
One day, happening to look toward the
mountain, she said to herself:
''What happiness to be up there! Wnat
pleasure to gambol on the heath without thlS
accursed strap to gall the neck.
1t is all very well for an OK or an ass 10
browse in a field GOATS sloud
have liberty.
"a prey to discomfort" from this moment
the grass of the meadow appeared Wlthered
to her. She grew thin, and her milk OWN
died away. 1t was pitiful to see her Pull al
day upon her strap, with her head turned
toward the mountain, her nostrils distented,
plaintiyely calling MA Ma
NJ. Seguin could not tell what troubled his
goat mt. -,
Listen, n. Seguin am pining away
here; let me go to the mountain.
"Oh, heavens! She also? cried NJ Sc
gum.
Overcome with the blow, he dropped his
porringer and sank on the grass beside the
"How, Banquet, do you wish to leave
me?"
Banquet replied
Have you not enough grass here? Or
perhaps you are tied up too short? Shall l
THAT is not the trouble, NJ. Seguin'
''Then what is wrong? What do you
want?"
Il want to go to the mountain, NJ Sc
gum, a. no+
know that there is a wolf on the noun
tain. What will you do when he
comes?"
Il will strike him with my horns, NJ. Sc
gum"
"The wolf would laugh at your horns. He
has deyoured goats for me with different
horns from yours. There was old Renaude,
who was here last year, mistress goat,
the wolf all night; in the morning
the wolf ate her."
''Peeairel Poor Renaude No matter, NJ
Seguin, let me go to the mountain.
fsDiYine goodness said M. Seguln, WHAT
spirit possesses my goats? Another one for
the wolf to devour.. All, well, no.
/ will save you in spite of yourself, you )aGe,
and, as you might break your strap, WIN
shut you up in the stable, where you shall
hereafter remain
Thereupon. placing the goat in a dark s5a-
BILE, he double-loeked the door. Unhappily,
however, he forgot the window, and hardly
had he turned his back when Banquet
leaped therefrom
You laugh, Gringoire? Parbleu! | be-
lieve it, You take Blanquet's part against
good NJ. Seguin. Perhaps you will not
laugh by and by, When the white goat
reached the mountains there was general
delight.
Never had the old pines eheld anything
so pretty. She was received as little queen.
The chestnut trees stopped to the earth TO
caress her with the tips Of their branches;
The golden broom, eXhaling its sweetest
odor, parted that she might pass through.
The whole mountain made festival for her.
Imagine, Gringoire, the happiness OF our
goat! No more strap, no more ore
stake. nothing to prevent her
from gamboling and browsing at her pleas
ure. Such pleasure! Such grassi Above the
horns, my dear! Savory, fine, toothsome;
How different from grazng II r the enGloSGTe
long. calyxed purple fox-gloyes, a whole for
est Of wild flowers overfiowing with luscious
Juices.
The white goat, half intoxicated, feet in
the air. rolled about the slope pell nell,
with the fallen leaves and the chestnuts. Re-
gaining her feet with a sudden bound-hop!
There she goes, head erect through the
thicket, now scaling a peak, now in, the
depths of ravine-high, low, everywhere
There appeared to be at least ten Blanquets
on the mountain.
BANQUET. perfectly fearless, splashed and
drenched with the foamy spray Of waterfalls
over which she leaped, stretched herself upon
an OVerhanging rock to dry in the sun. Far
below in the valley sheperceived M. Seguln' 5
house and field, at which, her mouth full Of
cytise, she laughed until she wept:
How small it isH' she cried; How did
ever endure lt?
Poor little creature perched so high, she
imagined herself at least as big as the world.
To sum it up, this was happy day TO! NJ
Seguin'S goat Toward noon, running right
and left she encountered troop OF chamois,
cranchlng a wild grape vine with their beauti-
full teeth. Our little white ROBBED trnant Gre
ated sensation. She was accorded the best
place at the line, and all the messleurs We're
very gallant. 1t even seemed, pc
tween ourselves. Gringoire, that a black
haired Young chamOiS was so fortunate as TO
please Banquet The two lovers wandered
among the woods an hour or two, and you
wish TO know what they said to each other
,
visible through the moss.
All at once the wind freshened. The
mountain became purple. Night had arrived.
s"Already?" exclaimed the little goat, paus-
ing in astonishment. ,,-o
mist settled down upon the landscape,
ohscnring not only M. Seguin's inclosure, but
also his little house, from whose chimney
faint smoke was barely perceptible.
Rlan0uet trembling as falcon i'll his
aiaht erazed her with his wing, hardened
sadly to the bells of homeward bound flock.
Suddenly there was long howl on the noun
tain.
"How! how" e. -.
' At the same moment horn sounded far
away in the valley. Good NJ Seguin was
making last effort to save her.
"HoWl howl" howled the wolf.
leone back come back y the horn seemed
to say. .;.,,. ,,,,4 how,
could she leave the dear mountain tor the
stake the strap, the hated enclosure? -,
The horn sounded no more. Inc goat neaIu
a rustling of leaves close behind her. 1ura l
ing, She beheld In the shadow two snort,
erect ears, two glittering, fiery eyes.
This was the wolf. -,