The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-11-07
THE FLIGHT OF
THE SWALLOWS
BY S. RHETT ROMAN.


~ weeks their steady flight south
ward, in twos, or ,threes, or .singly, had
been watched with an idle interest by
a sad-faced soldier, wearing the khaki
uniform of Uncle Sans army, his red
stripes denoting he was in the artll-
Iery service, as did also the high walls
of Fort Getty, before whose postern
gate he was pacing, as sentry, up and
down.
Fort Getty, a splendid earthwork
fertilization, armed with the most i'm
proved modern guns, planned and
built to defend broad harbor, and
located to overlook bend in the chan
mel which has been. formed by long
line of jetties into a deep rushing cur
rent, up to the sea front of plctur-
esque, sturdy old town, looks serene
and peaceful, these September days,
while the swallows go noiselessly by,
fleeing from the approaching chill
frosts of autumn, and the Atlantic
gales which rush down the coast, when
Summer closes it's page of gay pleas
ures and idle saunterings. 40 -'''
The sentry, slight, erect and with
rather a foreign air, who. was sta
toned before the postern gate, Kept
looking upward, his gaze following the
swallows, all going in the same direc-
tion-southward.
Until recently this man, who was an
accomplished musician, had been the
principal soloist of the Field band,
whose reputation was we'll known
everywhere. 100 ~.
His name on the rolls was Gustavus
Berret. But somebody said his real
name was Gustave Berriet, and that he
came from New Orleans, and somehow,
while he denied the story, everyone be-
lieved it.
1t was very evident that his had
been a superior education, for he would
occasionally quote Latin, or the class
les, and he spoke French fuently, in
fact, better than English. a
And he would recall incidents of the
time when he was "lignard" in the
"quarante troiseme de ligne" of the
French army.
= His hair, now slightly gray, had been
black, and his brown eyes and rather
dark skin denoted Latin origin.
But he declared himself an American,
born in this country, and after all 1T
was nobody's business if Gustavus Ber-
ret declined to discuss his antecedents
with the fellows at mess and held him.
self aloof from Jim Grady and John
declined to talk CT his affairs.
When Gustavus Berret declared he
would no longer play the clarionette
in the Field band, there was a great
clamor at the port, and loud protests,
and the commander of Fort Getty was
appealed to.
But, as it is optional with a man to
serve in the band or to go back to the
ranks if he so desires, according to
the rules of the United States army,
nothing more than a remonstrance was
attempted. -
Gustavus Berret seemed determined
to forego the pleasures and privileges
attached to the position of a member of
the distinguished Seventh Artillery
Field band, and to prefer the more
arduous and monotonous life of plain
private, in L company.
What were his reasons? Well, that,
too, was exclusively his own business,
nor did he take the trouble to divulge
them to anyone.
The band had been engaged to give
concerts in the beautiful dancing pa
Wilton of the Isle of Palms, three times
a week, all summer, and its well trained
40 musicians filled the immense hall
with very delightful music, to which
thfoDgs of strangers, drawn from all
parts of the country, listened with
more CT less appreciation, according to
their lights and familiarity with
Beethoven, Bach, Mascagni, Chopin,
Strauss and others, and their previous
residence in city or village.
For the Isle of Palms is frequented
by the usual pot-pourri of summer
tourists, drawn thither by the entranc-
ing sweep of the Atlantic breezes, the
thunder of the surf on its long, low
beach; by its picturesque and broken
sand hills, it's myrtles, and storm
blown oak groves, and the usual pleas
ures to be found at all seaside summer
resorts.
There was man from Boston who
wanted to bring down his auto, and
risk the neck of a very handsome young
woman, on the beach, and along the
queer, winding roads, running through
a tangled tropical growth the length
of this ocean-girt island, and another
from New York, whose yacht was rid
ing at anchor in the bay, and who was
equally solicitous to take her and her
gray-eyed sister aboard for a cruise
down the coast, and there were quite
number of ''local talent" attached to
the party, chaperoned by gay and
pretty widow, Mrs. Chatworth.
They were in the habit of sauntering
in the big Pavilion to listen to the
concerts, and being conspicuous
from many agreeable standpoints,
good looks, wealth and fashion,
and the girls always centering the
attention of number of PEG.
pie, it was not surprising that
the musicians all grew familiar