Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-01-15


bully, Samson received more than
even he could be expected to bear.
One day the gnat ordered Samson to
bring him a pail of water from the
stream, and the big man unhesitat-
ingly obeyed. He spilled some Of it
coming up the bank, and when he de-
livered 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
Samson miserable, were standing
about, the little man picked up the
pail of water and dashed it into Sam
sons face. 1t was such good OPP
portunity for showing off before the
big men, who removed their pipes
from their mouths and laughed loud
" as Samson with his knuckles tried
| to take the water out of his eyes.
Then Samson did an astonishing
thing.
"You miserable, little insignificant
rat,n he cried 81 could crush you,
but you are not worth it. But to show
you UudU iul uOU diIdIu VI d1iy VI
you, there, and there!"
AS he said these two words with
emphasis, he struck out from the
shoulder, not at the little man, but at
the two biggest men in the regi-
ment, and felled them like logs.
A cry of rage went up from their
comrades, but DULLES are towards at
beart, and while Samson glared at
them no one made a move.
The matter was reported to the Of
fcer and Samson was put under ar
rest. 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,
sullenly, "for what they had done be-
fore. I could not strike the little man.
I should have killed him."
"Silence!" cried the officer. "You
must not answer me like that"
ct shall answer you as I like" said
Samson, doggedly.
The officer sprang to his feet with
little 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 inter-
fere, Samson sprang upon the officer,
lifted him like child above his head,
and dashed him with sickening
crash to the ground, where he lay mo-
tionless.
A cry of horror went up from every
one.
s'I have had enough" cried Sam
son, turning to go, but he was met by
bristling hedge of steel. He was
like rat in trap. He stood defiant
ly there, a man maddened by oppres
sion, glared around him helplessly.
Whatever might have been his pun
ishment for striking his comrades,
there was no doubt now about his
fate. The guard house was rude
hut Of logs situated on the banks of
the roaring stream. Into this room
Samson was flung, bound hand and
foot, to await the cOurtmartial next
day. The shattered officer, whose
sword had broken in pieces under
him, slowly revived, and was carried
to his quarters. A sentry marched
up and down all night before the
guard house.
In the morning when Samson was
sent for the guard house was found to
be empty. The huge Breton had
broken his bonds as did Samson of
old. He had pushed out log of wood
from the wall and had squeezed him
self through to the bank of the stream
There all trace of him was lost. If
he had fallen in, then, of course, he
had sentenced and executed himself,
but in the mud near the water were
great footprints, which no boot but
that Of Samson could have made; so
if he were in the stream it must have
been because he threw himself there.
The trend of the footprints, however,
lIuICdoOu Cudo IS Hdu ClluOou OH UH0
rocks, and there, Of course, it was i'm
possible to trace. The sentries who
guarded the pass maintained that no
one had gone through during the
night, but to make sure several men
were sent down the path to overtake
the runaway. Even if he reached a
town Or a village far below, SO huge a
man could not escape notice. The
searcbers were instructed to telegraph
his description and his crime as soon