Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-06-18
The Old Fort and
a Passer By ~
BY S. RHETr ROMAN.

| the Atlantic shore. Its 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 a 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 a 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 inyes-
tignte.
The Old Fort. like an ancient CO.
quette. has a history, a stormy his
tory, and romance attached 70 il.
1t once withstood assault after as
sault long years ago from a vigor-
Gus and determined enemy and the
sod Of its bastions and outer wall.
not then so lofty and imposing as IL
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 a gallant line of blue,
which surged up, was beaten back
thinned and decimated, then swept
up again 10 remain in queer mis-
shapen heaps, and outstretehed 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 60 Flooding along
above them, and pedestrians living
in the pretty village, scattered over
the island. tramp eheerily along mar
row sidewalks skirting this forgot
ten cemetery, being quite ignorant
that their careless footsteps are
passing over the remains of men who
had tried fruitlessly and heroically
TO storm the battlements of the
grass-grown fort.
Conditions are changed to-day, but
Il still remains impregnable.
A young man sat on the grassy
edge of the road. and while smoking
cigar. glanced with idle interest
az 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,
which had gone so decidedly against
him during the summer just passed.
So a feeling Of friendly interest
went out from his heart toward the
ancient field work which had held out
SO long and so we'll but was now oc-
cupied by those against whom i had
been CALAMITY and useiessly fought
in the long past years.
at was all TO no purpose, old fort"
he said, lazily, as his eye measured
the noble proportions of the bat
terry. 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 yell
low and crimson clouds in the west
where the sun was setting.
''You held your own with splendid
strength and tenacity, and You
thought you had won a great victory
the day when your sides were red
stained and the smoke Of your can
non blew in the eyes q your gun
ners- But IL was a useless struggle.
To-day the men who man your guns
are the brothers Of those who per-
ished attempting TO scale your walls.
You are monument TO the futility
Of desperate effort and the mutabil-
itv of human affairs"
A breeze swept over the walls of the
fort and rufiied 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 detected
tourist sitting on the edge Of the side
walk
at was not useless, young man. No
lesson Of struggle and immortal
nroweSs is useless" said the walls,
browning down in disapproval on the
athletic. good-looking young fellow
idlv smoking a choice Havana, his
neatly turned-up trousers, patent
leather shoes, polka-dotted socks
weli-cared-for hands and handsome
seal ring plainly showing that his were
lines running smoothly along the easy
road of prosperity where bitter
struggles. disarpointments and de-
feats are not usual.
what have you TO complain Of
voune MANI" asked the old fort
sWhat are you detected and spiritless
about? I've noted you often passing
along here with a clever-looklng
brieht-eyed girl-a spirited girl with
. bo,aaor,a face and erect carriage.