Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-12-29
IA MODERN SAMSON

was powerful young fellow who, up to
the time he was compelled to enter the
army, had spent his life in dragging heavy
nets over the side of boat. He knew the
Brittany coast, rugged and indented as it
is, as well as he knew the road from the
little cafe on the square to the dwelling of
his father on the hillside overlooking the
sea. Never before had he been out of
sound of waves He was man who, like
Herv6 Riel, might have saved the fleet;
but France, with the usual good sense of
of1icialsm sent this man of the coas. into
the mountains, and Jean RasteauX became
a soldier in the Alpine corps. If he stood
on the highest mountain peak Jean might
look over illmitable wastes of snow, but
he could catch neither sound nor sight of
the sea.
Men who mix with mountains become as
rough and rugged as the rocks, and the Al
pine corps was a wild body, harsh and
brutal Punishment in the ranks was
swift and terrible, for the corps was stu
ated far from any of the cvilizing things
of modern life, and deeds were done which
the world knew not Of deeds which would
not have been approved if reported at
headquarters.
The regiment of which Jean became
unit was stationed in high valley that
had but one outlet, wild pass down which
a mountain river rOared and foamed and
tossed The narrow path by the side of
the stream was the only way out of or into
the valley, for all around the little plateau
was walled in by immense peaks of ever
lasting snow, dazzling in the sunlight. and
luminous even in the still dark nights
From the peaks to the south Italy might
have been seen, but no man had ever dared
to climb any of them. The angry little
river was fed from a glacier whose blue
breast lay sparkling in the sunshine to the
SOUTH and the stream circumnavgated the
little plateau, as if trying to find an outlet
for its tossing waters.
Jean was terribly lonely in these dreary
and unaccustomed solitudes. The white
mountains awed him, and the mad roar of
the river seemed but poor compensation
for the dignifed and measured thunder of
the waves on the broad sands of the Brit
tany coast.
But Jean was goodnatured giant, and
he strove to DO whatever was required of
him. He was not quick at repartee, and
the men Knocked his Breton dialect He
became the butt for all their small and oft
en- mean jokes, and from the first he was
very miserable, for, added to his yearning
for the sea, whose steady roar he heard in
his dreams at night, he felt the utter lack
of all human sympathy.
At first he endeavOred by unfailing good
nature and prompt obedience to win the
regard of his fellows, and he became in a
measure the slave of the regiment but
the more he tried to please the more his
burden increased, and the greater were the
insults he was compelled to bear from both
officers and men. 1t was so easy to bully
this giant, whom they nicknamed Samson,
that even the smallest men in the regiment
felt at liberty to swear at him or cuff him
if necessary.
But at last Samson's good nature seemed
to be wearing out His stock was becom-
ing exhausted, and his comrades forgot
that the Bretons for hundreds of years
have been successful fighters, and that the
blood of contention flows in their veins.
Although the Alpine corps, as general
thing, contains the largest and strongest
men in the French army, yet the average
French soldier may be termed undersizer
when compared with the military of either
England or Germany. There were sever
al physically small men in the regiment.
and one of these, like a diminutive gnat,
was Samson's worst prosecutor. AS there
was no other man in the regiment whom
the gnat could bully, Samson received more
than even he could be expected to bear
One day the gnat ordered Samson to bring
him pail of water from the stream, and
the big man unhesitatingly obeyed. He
spilled some of it coming up the bank, and
when he delivered it to the little man, the
latter abused him for not bringing the
pail full, and as several of the larger SOL
diers who had all in their turn made Sam
son miserable, were standing about, the
little man picked up the pail of water and
dashed it into Samson's face. 1t was such
good opportunity for showing off before
the big men, who removed their pipes from
their mouths and laughed loudly as Sam
son with his knuckles tried to take the wa
ter out of his eyes. Then Samson did an
astonishing thing.
you miserable little insignificant rat"
he cried. 81 could crush you, but you are
not worth it. But to show you that | am
not afraid of any of you, there, and
there!"
AS he said these two words with empha-
sis, he struck out from the shoulder, not
at the little man, but at the two biggest
men in the regiment, and felled them like
logs.
A cry of rage went up from their COM
rades, but DULLES are towards at heart, and
while Samson glared at them no one made |
a move.
The matter was reported to the officer
and Samson was put under arrest. When |
the inquiry was held, the officer expressed |
his establishment at the fact that Samson |
had hit two men who had nothing to do |
with the insult he had received, while the |
real culprit had been allowed to go unpun-
ished.
"They deserved it," said Samson, sulen-
ly, "for what they had done before. |
could not strike the little man. l should
have killed him."
"Silence!" cried the officer 'You must
not answer me like that"
81 shall answer you as like" said Sam
son, doggedly.
The officer sprang to his feet with lit
tie rattan cane in his hand and struck the
insubordinate soldier twice across the face,
each time raising an angry red mark.
Before the guards had time to interfere,
Samson sprang upon the officer, lifted him
like child above his head, and dashed
him with sickening crash to the ground,
where he lay motionless.
A cry of horror went up from every one.
81 have had enough" cried Samson,
urning to go, but he was met by a brist-
ing hedge of steel. He was like rat in (
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