Two Little Soldiers

• A short story written by Guy de Maupassant, French writer
• Characters:
  • Jean Kerderen
  • Luc Le Ganidec
  • A dairy maid
• Theme: Triangular love; betrayal, jealousy, and tragedy

Summary of the Story

This story is a short story written by Guy de Maupassant, French writer. It is about a triangular love and the betrayal and jealousy aroused by that love leading to the tragedy. Two soldier friends love the same girl, a dairy maid, and one friend betrays the other friend. The betrayed, jealous, and heart-broken friend, then, commits suicide.

Two little Breton soldiers have the routine habit of leaving their barrack every Sunday for a certain place by the forest in Bezons. These two friends like to be at that place for it reminds them of their home. One friend’s name is Jean Kerderen and the other friend’s name is Luc Le Ganidec. As they lie on the grass and think about their village, a dairy maid passes by them every Sunday. They do not talk to the girl; they just enjoy watching her. One day the girl herself asks them about their visit. Next Sunday she behaves friendly and gives them the cow’s milk to drink. Over next several Sundays, the soldiers develop intimacy with the girl, and both the friends begin to secretly love her.

One Tuesday Luc takes leave from the barrack without informing Jean and returns only at late night. On the following Friday too, Luc borrows money from one of his friends and disappears for several hours. Jean is surprised by his friend’s behavior. On Sunday when they together again head towards their favorite spot, Jean finds Luc quite changed. After they reach the place, to the surprise of Jean, the girl arrives and kisses and hugs Luc, but doesn’t even take notice of Jean. Luc and the girl chat for some time and then together go to milk the cow leaving Jean alone. Jean understands now where his friend had gone on Tuesday and Friday. Luc had gone to meet the girl and probably he proposed her and won her love for himself. Jean was kept totally ignorant about all this thing. He feels betrayed by his friend and feels jealous too.

Thus emotionally wounded and heart broken, while returning, over the bridge, Jean bends over the railing, and bends so much that his head carries him away making him fall into the river below. It is not an accident, but rather an act of suicide. But Luc doesn’t understand and takes it as an accident. Horrified, he cries for the help, but his friend gets swept away by the river in no time. Back to the barrack, he reports about his lost friend, still horrified and in tears. But he still doesn’t know that he himself is the actual cause of his friend’s death.