Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-30
The Old Fort and a Passer By }~
By S. RHETT ROMAN.

IT STANDS back, the old fort, from
 ! the Atlantic shore. It's grass grown walls towering up to an i'm mense height, in unbroken sweeps and angles of green, and it looks soli- tary and deserted. Only small sen try box on the sea face indicates that the impregnable earthwork is again occupied, while the occasional sound of drum beats, and bugle calls, show that company of United States ar tillery is stationed there to look after the row of sunken guns. quite invisible from the outside, and which no intruder is ever allowed to inves- tigate.
 The Old Fort, like an ancient CO quette, has history, a stormy his- tory, and romance attached to it.
 It once withstood assault after as- sault long years ago from vigor- ous and determined enemy, and the sod of it's bastions and outer wall, not then so lofty and imposing IS it is to-day, was dyed red in many places, and the white sand road, winding around in front of two of its sides, covers the crumbling bones of most of gallant line of blue, which surged up. was beaten back thinned and decimated, then swept up again to remain in queer mis- shapen heaps, and outstretched soli- tary figures, all along the escarp- ment of the walls from whose case ments puffs of gray smoke oozed out, and were blown this way and that by the salt sea breezes.
 They were placed side by side, those silent figures, and given decent burial down in the white sand at the foot of the fort, where they had fallen, and to-day butcher carts and bakers wagons go plodding along above them, and pedestrians living in the pretty village, scattered over the island, tramp cheerily along mar row sidewalks skirting this forgot ten cemetery, being quite ignorant that their careless footsteps are had tried fruitlessly and heroically to storm the battlements of the grass-grown fort.
 Conditions are changed to-day, but it still remains impregnable. r.
 A young man sat on the grassy edge of the road, and while smoking a cigar, glanced with idle interest at the towering slant of the forts walls behind him, crowned as they were by the sentry's watch tower. <.
 And as he lounged he ruminated moodily on his own private battle (between himself and a pretty girD, oh bo1 him during the summer just passed.
 So feeling of friendly interest went out from his heart toward the ancient field work which had held out so long and so well, but was now oc- cupicd by those against whom it had been ga1lantly and use1essly fought in the long past years.
 ''It was all to no purpose, old fort,'' he said, lazily, as his eye measured the noble proportions of the bat tery, and he noted the solitary sen- try pacing back and forth on the rampant above, his figure dwarfed by the light but distinct against the vel. low and crimson clouds in the west where the SUIT was setting.
 You held your. own with splendid strength and tenacity, and you thought you had won great victory the day when your sides were red- stained and the smoke of your cam non blew in the eyes of your gun ners. But it was a useless struggle. To-day the men who man your guns are the brothers of those who per- ishcd attempting to scale your walls. You are a monument to the futiIity of desperate effort and the mutabil- ity of human affairs
 A breeze swept over the walls of the fort and ruf1led the short grass grow ing thick and rank this late summer month and sent an aromatic odor of field flowers in the face of the dSiected tourist sitting on the edge of the side walk
 Tt was not useless, young man. No lesson of struggle and immortal prowess is useless" said the walls. frowning down in disapproval on the athletic, good-looking young fellow idly smoking choice Havana, his neatly turned-up trousers, patent leather shoes, polka-dotted socks, well-cared-for hands and handsome seal ring plainly showing that his were lines running smoothly along the easy road of prosperity, where bitter disappointments and de- teats are not usual.
 What have you to complain of, young man2" asked the old fort. ''What. are you dejected and spiritless about? I've noted you often passing along here with clever-looking, bright-eyed girl-a spirited girl with 2 handsome face and erect carriage. What are you so moody about?"
 'sI have not what want, old fort. What do care about wealth? have not the love of brown-eyed girl, whose smile is the light of heaven, and for whose sake would scale your sombre old walls in the face of all your cannon if thought i$ would give me the hope of winning her.
 You talk of battiesa Ikx easier to storm up In the wild cru~S Nf battle and wrest victory and SSslgsiou against long odds than to 5awdls through life and see the thing you