The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-09-07
A Great Woman.

Many Of the readers of the Wide
AaUdke have doubtless seen Tom Thumb
and his little wife and friends. Not so
many of them, perhaps, have seen per-
sons who are as much larger than aver
age human beings as Tom Thumb is
smaller. Shall l tell them about a
woman of unusual stature, who once
lived in the State of Maine? She may
be living at this time, for it was not
many years ago that saw her, and she
was then not middle-aged; and, as she
was somewhat sensitive regarding her
remarkable size, perhaps it would be
as well not to give her real name, but
simply call her Sylvia, since she was
born and brought up in the country.
When 1 saw Sylvia she was probably
not more than 35 years old. She must
have been then nearly seven feet tall,
and was said to have grown little
within year or two before. My
Young friends will better realize what
it is to be nearly seven feet
high when I tell them that when Sylvia
sat in high backed rocking-chair, in
which if tall man sat his head would
just reach to the top of the back, you
could go behind her and put your
fingers across the top and under her
arm or she could easily sit in it, with
her elbow resting on the back, and her
hand supporting her cheek, as other
people lean an elbow on the arm of the
chair on which they sit
Yet Sylvia had been very little baby
even smaller than usual. She was
one of twins, and they were both so very
small that in the night, when the babies
were In bed with their papa, who was
not at all large man, he turned over in
his sleep and crushed one of the poor
babies to death without knowing it.
But either he was so shocked at what
he had done that he was more careful in
future, or. the mother took the precau
ton to save her other baby by putting il
to sleep out of his reach for Sylvia, the
small twin that was left, managed to get
through her babyhood without being
mashed by her papa. She was always
small of her age, and a delicate little
thing, and did not begin to take on un
usual proportions until she was as ole
as other girls are when they cease grow
ing. Instead of stopping when she wa,
II or 18 years old, as most girls do, sh,
htDb On BtOWlhS hib BIOMillS,
for ten or dozen years longer, just a
fast AZ children grow. She was neve
fat or plump, but had the rather meage
habit which children have who gro,
rapidly.
When she was % or % years old sh
fell on the icy doorstep and broke he
arm. The doctor who set it was aston
ished to find that the bones were yet sol
like little child's, instead of firm an
hard, like grown persons; and thi
softness of the bones seemed to continu
until she stopped growing.
Sylvia's parents were poor people
and by the time she was woman the
were growing old, and she was oblige
to do something for their support q
well az her own. She could not wor
any faster, or earn any more becaus
of her superior size; in fact, it is nc
strange if she did not feel 80 strong an
well as other girls, since so much of he
force went toward growing. She use
to 90 out among the villagers and towns
people and nurse sick people and tax
care of little young babies she was
very careful and tender nurse, and
have heard it said that when she We
holding a little baby, instead of takin
it on her arm, as most of US do, she lai
il on one of her hands with its hea
toward her finger-ends, and its lit
feet along her wrist, and in this grea
warm, loving hand, as in a coy cradle
the little creature would go coTfortabl
TO sleep without thought Ct bcv g
ceedingly funny it was, to he thus bite
ally held in the hollow of ont's hsr d.
Everybody loved Sylvia, ret tetsr'
she was great woman, but because 81