Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-02-08
JOHN MASTERS, COWARD.

First call for parade had sounded
at West Point, and the cadets had
gathered in little groups on the in
fantry plain, laughing and chatting
while waiting for the drums to roll
off the fall in" 1t is the close of a
rare June day, and the sun sinking be-
hind the ruined battlements of old
Fort Putnam, towering westward of
the barracks, throws the slowly
lengthening shadow of the old Revo-
lutionary relic across the parade
ground.
There is the usual jollity in d Com
pany tonight. The names of the ca
det officers for the coming year have
been announced. and of the cadets
who will wear the chevrons a large
number have been chosen from the
boys of this command. The un-
lucky ones are busy congratulating
their fortunate fellows and giving
them the initiatory backslapping
usual on such occasions. Altogether
there is a good deal of noise and sky
larking being crowded into that brief
interval between drums.
At a little distance from the rollick-
ing, gray clad groups stands a cadet
no part in the fun of his fellows.
John Masters, that is his name, is a
tall, well knit boy, with face that
is perhaps grave and thoughtful be-
yond his years. He has been at
West Point a full year now. and is a
full fiedged third classman, or year
ling as the cadets prefer to call it.
John Masters is cut by nearly all his
fellow cadets The few who speak
to him do so only on rare occasions,
for the cadets have pronounced this
boy a coward. When he reported at
the academy for some weeks his
course ran as did that of the other ca
diets. He took his hazing good ma
turedly and there was nothing to
mark him different from his COM
rades. Then one day. by the usual
order from the superintendent the
new cadets were formed into two sec
tions for the purpose of taking dane
ing lessons. The corps of cadets
was something more than mildly
astonished the next day when a
special order from Gen O. o. Howard,
the superintendent, was read, eXcus-
ing new cadet John Masters from at
tendance at the dancing class on ac-
count of expressed conscientious
scruples against dancing" Such a
thing as this had never happened be-
fore in the whole history of the
academy. The cadets laughed at
Masters a little and most of them
called him a "milksop."
1t was not until month after
this, however. that the real trouble of
the new cadets life began. In ac-
cordance with old time cadet usage
it seemed to the body of boys that
certain class difficulty made it
necessary for Masters to engage in a
fight with an upper class man be
hind the ramparts of old Fort Gin
ton, which for eighty years had been
the place where cadets settled their
difficulties with their fists. Masters
had said: There is no reason for my
lighting; | do not believe in it, While
will always defend myself from as
sault, and will resent an intended in
suit, will under no circumstances
engage in an arranged fight. 1t is
against my conscience"
The cadets at once voted Masters
a coward and cut him off from all
comradeship. His roommate secured
other quarters, and the ostracism was
made complete.
1t was mid-July at the academy.
one month after the opening scene of
this story. The first class men are
drilling with heavy "seacoast guns"
which frown over the parapets near
the north pier. The third class men.
standing in detachments by the Gals.
sons and light field pieces on the ar
tillery plain, are waiting the ringing
trumpet signal, "Cannoneers. mount"
In front OF the white tented canning
ground, under the shade of the great
elms, are gathered hundreds of spec-
tators, mostly women and children
waiting eagerly for the yearlings'
inspiriting artillery drill. The trum-
pets sound Mount" and the cannon
GERS spring to their seats on caisson
and timber chest. There are four
horses, two leaders and two at poles
for each piece and its attached lin.
Der. On the extreme left of the hat.
terry is the field rife, to which Cadet
Masters is assigned. He has sprung
to his place on the timber chest and
is sitting there with folded arms fac
ing forward, with his feet upon the
pole between the fiangs of the rear
horses. On either side of him. facing
to the rear, is another cadet. his com.
panion cannoneer for the drill. The
horses drawing the timber chest and
its a. 'hed field piece a recent gov.