Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-17

OUT OF Gn0 ranks anu replleQ, 'HreSenG. -
Hating in front of the officer, he presented
arms and stood looking him full in the
face. The latter delivered the generals or
der and in spite of the ordinary harshness
of his manner he could not entirely con-
Ceal certain emotion which touched the
soldier. When his comrades heard the Or
der given, murmur of insubordination
ran from right to left Of the company and
whispered protestations, which the officers
leigned not to hear in order not to pun
lsh. They might have expected it. Ca
rette, for numerous reasons, was greatly
beloved by all his companions. Among
the joyfuls Carette was the joyful par ex-
Cellence. In his youth, which had been
very varied, he had first been one of a troop
Of mountebanks, then he had travelled
with dentist, and, thanks to his wander
ings with this charlatan, he had made q
considerable collection of puns and jokes
which had an enormous success In Africa.
He also pretended to certain surgical
knowledge, and his talent as prestidigi-
tator delighted the zephyrs. Moreover,
he had o fine voice and played the hautboy
In q manner that the joyfuls pronounced
remarkable, especially when it constituted
the orchestra at one Of the soldiers balls.
In short, not one among all this undisci-
plined band was more unruly than Carette.
His repartee, often clever, always saucy,
enlivened the whole battalion, and when
any farce was organized-and heaven only
knows what the farces of the zephyrs are
-Carette was always the author or insti-
gator 1t was probably for all these rea-
sons that tho commander honored him
with his choice.
When the column began its march, more
than one among these fearless men was
moved when he abandoned this gay COM
rade, and each one wanted to shake his
hand and say farewell in some form or
other. "Goodby, Carette. " "Goodby, old
man." YOU'RE sharp fellow" said an
other, "but keep your eye OPEN" "Have
no fear" replied the poor boy, greatly
touched by these proofs of sympathy, you
will find me here when you come back"
But when the last wagon had passed
and the last man had disappeared in the
ravine, when he found himself alone, sur
rounded only by the sheep, dreary thoughts
began to assail him. He had vague in
tuition Of the grandeur and sacredness Of
duty and understood the necessity of dis
cipline, that mystic bond which united all
his companions in an invincible whole
while he remained alone, isolated, proba-
bly, lost for having discarded, like heavy
yoke, the necessary order and discipline.
But tho joyful's mind could not long
remain occupied with serious thoughts,
so, raising his head he said, with q smile:
Wont the others be surprised II they
find me here with my sheep when they
come backi And the commandant," said
he, laughing heartily, chow astonished he
will be!' Then, looking at the sheep scat
tered ON the plain, grazing like Nine. De-
shouliere's lambs on the tranquil banks Of
the Linod, he added, "All the same, I
months" Suddenly bright idea occurred
to him. He would train one of his pen
sioners and make a learned sheep Of himl
For there was in Carette Something of
Gavroche and Of Barnum, united to tho
carelessness Of the zephyr and to the man
ly confidence Of the soldier in his arms and
In his courage. Afterward he busted him
self In preparing shelter for the night
which he tried to make as solid as posi-
BILE, propping the gourbi "a hut madS Of
branches and brushwood) against rock
and strengthening 1t as well as he could
with the materials at his disposal. This
took some time. When he saw the sun
sink in the horizon, he made tour Of the
little plain where he had been abandoned.
Seeing nothing to make him anxious, his
mind was at ease, and he began to prepare
his evening meal, whistling gayly.
The night had come-a calm night, ST.
lent and serene, such as one sees only In
the desert. There was not a cloud in the
sky, and the moon, which, on account Of
the purity and transparency Of the atmos-
phere, appears larger and more brilliant
than in any other part Of the earth, seemed
enthroned in the midst of host of stars,
also more numerous and brighter than
elsewhere. Obedient to an instinct COM
mon to all domestic animals, the sheep col
lected for the night around their shepherd.
They covered the plain for great dis
lance toward the east At the west
of the rock against which the zephyr
had erected his gourbi was a ravine,
not very large in that spot, but deepen
ing toward the north and south. At the
north 1t disappeared between slopes Gov
cred with cactus, roses and Barbary fig
trees, whose interlacing branches offered
to the reptiles and animals Of that region
haunts impenetrable to man. At the south
the ravine bordered upon valley, in
which was established the Douar or Arab
village, which had furnished our latest az
gressors.
The poor soldier, ignorant Of the exist
ence Of these redoubtable spots, hearing
no sound, seated himself on rock and
began to dream.
1t will be impossible to enumerate all
the memories which his thoughts evoked,
some touching, even poetical, others sim
ply gay or guilty, but all full Of charm to
him at that hour and in such circum-
stances. After hasty look on his past, a
look which embraced his childhood, his
wanderings and his success as mounte-
bank, his escapades, his love affairs, he
began to think of the severity of his chiefs,
Of the council Of war which had sent him
to the African battalion, of his popularity
among his comrades, and finally of his
present situation. The result of all this ret
rospection was a melancholy look adj
dressed to heaven and these few words:
1T doesn't matter, but 1t would be strange
to die on such a beautiful night" With a
versatility peculiar to these badly balanced
brains, he struck the ground with the butt
end OF his gun and cried, almost gayly,
bah, have my flingot (gun) and my
cartridges; everything is quiet, and it will
be light tomorrow" In order to drive
away the ideas that saddened him and
weakened his courage, he took his hautboy
and prepared to give little concert