Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-10-18

yOung fellow who, up to fhe time ne
vas compelled to enter the army, had
spent his life in dragging heavy nets
over the sides of boat. He knew
the Brittany coast, rugged and In
lented as it is, as well as he knew
.he 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 the waves. He was a man
who, like Herve Riel, might have
saved the feet, but France, with the
Usual good sense Of officialism, sent
.hiS man of the coast into the noun
.ains, and Jean Rasteaux became q
soldier in the Alpine corps. IT he
stood on the highest mountain peak,
Jean might look over illimitable
wastes of snow, but he could catch
neither sound nor sight Of the sea.
Men who mix with mountains be-
come as rough and rugged as the
rocks, and the Alpine corps was a wild
body, harsh and brutal. Punishment
in the ranks was swift and terrible,
for the corps was situated far from
any of the civilizing things Of modern
life, and deeds were done which the
world knew not Of; deeds which
would not have been approved II re-
ported 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 this stream was
the only way out of, or into the val
ley, for all around, the little plateau
was walled in by immense peaks OF
everlasting snow, dazzling in the sun
light, 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 circum-
navigated the little plateau. as If try
ing 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 dignified
measured thunder of the waves on
the broad sands of the Brittany
coast.
But Jean was a good-natured giant,
and he strove to do whatever was re-
quired of him. He was not quick at
repartee, and the men Knocked his
Breton dialect. He became the butt
for all their small and often 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 TN 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 Off
GERS and men. 1t was 50 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 becoming exhausted, and his COM
rades forgot that the 8retons for hun
dreds of years have been successful
fighters, and that the blood of con-
tcntion flows in their veins.
Although the Alpine corps, as a
general thing, contains the largest and
strongest men in the French army.
yet the average French soldier may
be termed understood when ccm-
pared with the military of either Eng
land or Germany. There were several
physically small men in the regiment.
and one of these, like a diminutve
6nat, 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 1t COM
ing up the bank, and when he de-
llvered 1t to the little man, the latter
abused him for not bringing the pa!
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 1t into SAINT
sons face. 1t was such a good OPP
portunity for showing of before the
big men, who removed their pipes
from their mouths aud laughed loud-
Iy 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" he cried. II would crush you.
hat vn.. N ra NOT xuarth n.t a.. aho...