The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-03-07

Who will always pc to yOu
faithful Valentine and true;
For love May, and May lOves-who?
Nary D. Brine, In N. Y. Independent.
stGRIZzLY BEAR"
THERE never was such boy for get
ting into scrapes and having strange
adventures as Grizzly Burr. (Of course
sll the boys, and most of the girls,
called him "Grizzly Bear.") The very
first time he climbed tree-he was
only seven years old, and Frank Fow-
Ter and Vim Maher, both three years
older, had been up the same tree trying to
get at a branch which was loaded down
with delicious large black cherries, and
hadn't succeeded-he tumbled from the
very top; but he brought the heavily
laden bough with him-with shock,
it is true, but not shock enough to pre-
vent his scrambling to his feet, with
wild halloo, and eating cherries enough
in the next ten minutes to have made at
least half dozen deep-dish cherry
pes:
The autumn following the cherry
branch affair; he fell out of the second
story window while trying to reach a
birds nest that dear little brown
winged bird had made in the old apple.
tree that stood by the back porch.
"Oh! dear, oh! DEAR cried his
mother, who was sitting in the room
sewing, and who looked up just as his
heels were disappearing, "my child!
my childr' and while she was quietly
faihting away, poor thing, not being
very strong, Grizzly was rolling about
on the top of load Of hay that had
been passing below the window on its
way to the barn, as he fell out, and
shouting H-a-a-y! ain'tthis fun?"
And one winter morning when all the
boys were shedding down-hill-a very
steep hill it was, and if their fathers
had known they were there, l am afraid
some of them would have gone to bed
supperless, and the rest had their jack
cts dusted-Griswold sled shot out
from under him, and away he went,
turning summersets (though think, in
this case, they might more appropri-
ately be called wintersets) until out of
sight of his frightened chums. And
when they-his chums, mean-had
slid, hoped, sledded and scrambled
down to the foot of the hill, to pick up
what was left of him, there sat Grizzly
Bear, his sleeves torn open to the ell
bows, and holes where the knees of his
trousers should have been, and = lump
about the size of walnut on his fore
head, looking with delighted grin at
an old-fashioned silver dollar which he
had spied the moment he had found him
self right-side up, in wide crevlce OF
the tree-stump that had stopped him in
his wild career.
But all these things are nothing to
what happened TO Grlswold DUFF, one
Christmas Eve, when ne was about
twelve years old. At that time his
mother-she was widow-lived in a
very small cottage on the extreme bank
of Wild-Duck Bay. Well, this Christ
mas Eve, there was q terrible storm. 1t
had been very mild weather SO far, and
the bay had not been frozen over, as it
always had been by yChristmas-tlme pre-
ceding wlnters-when. after Fright
sunny day and starlight evening, along
came the wind from over the water,
and shook the small wooden cottage,
tifst this way and then that. Inc Burr
family were In bed and fast asleep. Ihe
ehhdren's stockihgs-there were three
children, TWO small giris ana \, urlswola rs
hung BY the chimney. ana the Chrlst-
mas pies-two fhiffce ana a Pumpklh.-
were nicely baked and locked up IN the
big tea-chest that Griswold's father
he had been sailor-had brought home
years before, and the key hidden away
Mrs. Burr said ION account OF the
rats, but we boys know all ABOUT that
when the wlnd came along, as said
before, and nearly knocked the little
house over.
Out OF the bed sprang Mrs. Burr,
only half-awake, dragging her Two
small daughters with her, and fortu,
nately a blanket traiied after them; and
as the house righted itself she New to
the door andsout into the road, calling
loudly-she was wide-awake by tins
time-to her only son, who slept IN the
garret, to come down; but no Gris-
wold' appeared, and in another instant
the distracted mother saw the WIND,
which now seemed to come from all dl-
rectiofls instead OF one, LIT the cottage
from the ground, nlng " upon tne Wa
ters and send it sailing away. Nearly
wild with fright and grief, half-carry-
ing, half-dragging the poor little scared,
shivering girls-stopplng every now
and then to wrap the blanket ABOUT
them-she reached the house OF her
nearest neighbor, hall 2 mile away,
and finding the family all up ana iisten-
ing to the storm, with many tears she
told her sorrowful story.
Nothing could be done until morning
came; but as soon as the first streak OF
light showed in the east, dozen men
started in their boats to find, II posi-
BILE, the drowned boy. ." must go.
too" said the pale mother. l must
be the first to take my poor darling IN
my arms. His pretty brown curls must
be smoothed by his mothers hngers.
his dear head laid on his mother 8
bosom" And we mustgo with man.
MAJ cried the little ones. And 50 the
kind men wrapped them up warmly
and put them in the largest boat; ana
away they started, Just as tne sun Durst
over the hills, bright ana DeautiIui, ana
al ~ -xk Hi ~ mn