The Press., 1911-11-22
A BREEZY, TROPICAL HERO

"A DNEEA 1NOF1NAA HEM Written by "Mannering' for The Sunday
 Republican,
 Farms, I sing, and the man. Sam Rockwell Ox-eyed Qike Minerva) deep of chest, HeI culean in his masFi i've shoulders, or with a torso, let me say, like the great love, preserved fol us in all his pristine power on Rome E most famous hill, Capitoline. But the writer's name is not Virgil, aud he must drop from the epic to make the very original remark that life if puzzle whereof abundant proof is afforded in the presence of the afore- named Sam on breezy New England hilltop. driving mighty oxen. drag giDg from their resting plac huge bow lders. building therewith stone walls so subtt 4ntislly and truly laid that an engineer might point W tn pride to them up at dawn a very possibly in the open until we'll on toward midnight, and yet preserving J hearty spontaueity, fairly trp in | it's emotional warmth
 In short, Sam as a character, pre- sentiug to the eye lis long, snow white b ard with whose growth no razor had ever interfered), with cheeks of so rosy and delicate 8 red a belle at ball might have been proud of such a complexion, and with a great voice, well, words quite fail me when it comes to describing this last. neighbor is responsl ble for the statement that venturesome young wcodchuck approaching too near when Sam was once giving great encouragement to his btloved oxen was so oonvulsed by one of his shouts that he jumped into midair, turned a couple of double someIsaluts and vanished, - entirely sublimated il would seem, ,-whether from emotion of joy or terror deponent sayeth not. The word fear did not come into Sam $ vocabulary in any solitary one of its moods or tenses On the contrary, combat was the delight of his life.
 "A veritable old Andrew Jpckson democrat is Sam,' once remarked a neig hbor, and Andrew Jackson demo- orats are usually a trifl5 bel'igerent. But taken on his soft side he was a most kind hearted man II the last years of his life, when j ts were stiff and the descent from his weather worn buggy no slight task, the writer has many 8 time seen him slowly lum ber to earth to minister to the wants of forlorn little chicken that had strayed from his brood, or pel chance kitten in similar plight.
 Since his death, ,-he left us some two months since, story after story has come to the ears of the writer as to his very many kindnesses to needy men or women. He was a diamond in the rough, it is true, and profane swearing was not wholly bsent from his usual line of remarks But while swear words do net look we'll on paper, cannot refrain from one little incident. A group of young ters were visiting their fond ulcle one summer when Sam g having operation were under full headway. Hard older was partaksn of apparently somew hat too freely { I would not wish to exag- gerate) ), and the laborers were not wholly immune as regards highly. spioed conversation, so to speak. I ventured into the fl H, drew Sam one side, and demonstrated at such inde. coroUs volleys He attentively lis. tened and mildly remarked, "They don't mean much" and turned back to his work. But a veritable Sabbath day decorum prevailed among his men for the next few days, and meeting me soon after he said with great in. tensity of good will in his tone: 1T told these d. rasoals wi ho are wol king for me that if they didn't stt p their d. profanity I'd give them everlast- ing perdition. (Only perdition was not the word he used.
 Candor compels me to admit that she profusion with which Sam pro. vided alcoholic beverages naturally gave mbrage to the good temperance folks of the town and led to not in. frequent remonktrance with Sam; but being himself a man of ample self and strong head, he grt atly soorned the men who did net have strong heads or who could not control their thirst It is the typioa attitude of strong men generally. Unfo1tunate- ly his com bative temperament got the better of him in this respe ct and 1t seemed to be a point of pride, rather than of conviction, to maintain this in the matter. De mortuis nil nisi bonum. I gladly turn to the immense usefulness of such Wolk as he and his brother and ances tors con- stantly devoted themselve ton ame- ly, the clearing up If rough waste I land and making 1t into ara ble and product ve soil. Huge bow lders of granite or quartz. nos infrsquently | a ton or two at least, may be seen in many of their stone walls, l and on occasion grouped together | Whtre their transport ton was tco h,ll pS m.S Aho \