The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-14
no Peeps 1RIp ON HIs ARK.

Maine but . Poor Hand 1t Love Making
How no Peep Found Fortune and
Peace After Years IN the Wilderness.
VAN buren,. Me- Jan. N.-Youngish looking
mon who have been put into the grandfather class
Ike to get together at the end Of tho year and tell
strange tales Of tho deeds performed by their
French Canadian ancestors thirty years ago
when the MadawaskA settlement was about as
Tar removed from American civilization a. II II
had beon In the heart Of Africa, and whom tho
only avenues OF travel between tho little villages
were over the leo OF along the waters Of tho Aroos
took and St. John rivers. There wore giants
In thoss days among the shortlegged, swsrthy
Canucka There were also brave men and mighty
hunters and low down. common towards, 10 the
last Of whom tho women wouldn't speak and al
whom the bareiooted children made faces. Tho
stories that the old men tell their grandchildren
about these celebrities would make books enough
70 NIL a circulating tbrar-. and every tale con-
cerns somebody that lived and died right here
among the men who now tell OF their deeds.
Of course Antoine Soucci was tho strongest
man and the best lighter that ever lived. In 1883.
when he was 90 years old and had los, ono leg
through getting II caught In a bear trap In front
OF a ncighbor's hen pen. he hired Pere Basil 10
writ q challenge 70 John l.. Sullivan, Offering
IN nght him 10 a finish with bare knuckles on the
Ice In front OF tho village, and promising TO give
the champion 200 cords OF wood and twenty beaver
skins II he could 40 much a. hit him hard enough
70 produce a red spot. He waited two months
Tor a reply and then got into q rage from his dis
appointment at receiving none.
Smart and powerful as Soucci was he was
q poor hand at love making. and he spent his
life In sorrowing over the loss Of Felice IL Roy.
the village belle who married one Napoleon Bona
parh Beauprc, a handsome coward who lived
in a swamp by tho side of Aroostook River, four
miles from the village. The story Of how Bcauprc
OF 30 Peep as he was called, took his wife to
he wilderness and lived there for six years for
fear Of Soucci's wrath. and then brought her
down among his cncmics against his will IL ono
oil n traditions OF northern Maine.
The Beauprc home was hand made and con-
sttuctrd Of spruce logs cut and put into place
by It's ownrrs. II WAS placed upon u raft Of dead
ana nproot"d trees that had come down the rivcr
at different times and collected in q cove under
ast"rp bank. Three sides Of the raft were firmly
mootrd 10 the shore by protrlding limbs and roots
OF the masscd brushwood, while the fourth side
laced thu river. SO that the occupa nts Of the house
could sit in the door and catch trout, rickcrcl
and white perch without going Ia tho trouble
Of dressing. Back Of the house were acres Of red
oaks that furnished acorns for fate ming the 30
Peep rigs and fuel for the DO Peep FIRE. For
The r"st the family relied upon such rabbits, par
tridg"s and othcI, small deer as tho gun or snare
could CaDtnre. 10 Pcep spent his days in a dug
out on the hillside where he watched for Soucci
with a loaded gun. His nights were passed in
a tumulto Of terrible dreams, in which Soucci played
o the part Of an a,sngsri In spit Of the monoton.
tatocs and buck wheat enough for food and raised
black eyed babies at the rate Of one a year, He
was in a far way 70 die Of old age or the govt
setting all his plans and compelling him 10 face
his ancient enemy.
The rise Of water in the spring Of 1872 WAS
due tA tho AveCtlgn NJ a mill Aspp N q ~. pt1.
OF Aroostook River. During the winter saw
logs had been hauled on TO thcice above the ia n,
SO that when the spring rains came the ice be
hind broke in. great fragments and backed up
at the rear Of the obstruction. The ice swellcd
from a ridge, 70 a hilloCk and from a hill.
lock to . hill. AT nigh, it was ten feet
with a long pole. When the next night set IN
the oak grove on the bank was under water and
the stream had swollen to q great lake, which
covered two townships Above the mill and
the village doomed a wall 81 Ice fifty feet high
that roared and groaned under the great pressure
Of water, The people had moved out Of the
the barrier gave way the valley would be swrrt
clean OF everything. When terror had become
a panic, and women and child en were calling
upon their patron saints 70, aid, Soucci lin ped
ont under the ovcrhanging crags, put in several
charges Of gunpovder and blasted a hole through
the bottom Of the, gorge; The boil, Of confined
and landed him on the side Of a haystark, where
he was rescued and taken home none the worse
f9r his voting. The loosencd flood roared oil
night enlarging the opening and relieving the
Vt daylight when the lately submerged oak
trees began To- loom up through the mists the watch
ers on the hill looked far up stream and saw an
ac'e 81 land with . log house on it come swing
ing around the bend Blue smoke assembled
from the chimney and people went in and out Of
the door. The village people crossed thcmselv YES
apd heat their breasts in terror, believing that
another deluge had arrived and that
,he house thy saw was a modern ark which had
been made Tor some fortunate Noah who was
~ is Beaupr-." said the priest calmly. TT is
Napoleon Bonaparte Beaupre who has been pun
ished for rot coming to church. Let US 20 70
the rescue"
Though 'h- intentions Of the priest were m-r-
citul and ~rraiseworthy, 30 Peep. having his old
near the settlement. He begged the people 10
tow his home back TO It's old mornings. He
threatened and promised and swore in two Ian
gunees. When he found that the mass Of wafer
soaked. 'imters could no, be taken, up stream
he told the priest that he had got tired
Of living, up, in the GODS alo', and was going
where he had found work in a sawmill.
How mooch you get er day. asked the owner
"Two dollars" replied the terrified French
,,Ahm gee, you two tectty,.. said the kind
was keel me sure"
Aim no keel you now. DO Peep said Soucci,
want Fclice no more, by dam, Aim bin glad you
bin gcet her. Wot you say. hev?"
They threw a line out 10 Bo Peeps floating
real estate and warped 1t TO shore in the lee Of a
projecting point Of land. In a week the water
was down 10 its normal le7-l though the ice gorge
held on until July 4. As the logs on the mil
pond were deep under ice 30 Peep sold his farm
e. The mill owner and helped to saw it up; so when
autumn came he had money enough 10 build
a new house on land. Just before Christmas
NJ Ip beap fva q lIrth 4 a M Ia chiI IN h., 4.
ehris,cned AMT inc out OF compliment 10 Soucci.
by gar" said Soucci, "eef Aim no hin g~rt
Felicc fer Aim ownself, Aim bin dam glad Bo
Peep hin geet her, Mayb"ss le garcUn grow
I'M IN l.ck hell nuten 30 Pecn Llmnhy NJ u.c