Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-12-26
GRIZZLY BEAR.

| Inc one great power enduring, ever strong
Through all the year!
GRIZZLY BEAR.
There never was such boy for getting
into scrapes and having such strange adj
ventures as Griswold Burr (Of course
all of the boys and most Of the girls call
ed him "Grlzzly Bear.') "Wish I'd been
as big as I am now when they christened
me-" the funny little bluc-eyed chap used
to say, "bet I'd kicked against 'Griswold
for a name mighty quick; anybody with
half an eye ought to have seen what that
would turn into with Burr after it,
And the most wonderful part OF it all
was that he never was a bit the worse for
the queer things that happened to him,
but, if anything, joll1er than ever.
The very first time he climbed tree
|-he was only seven years old, and Frank
Fowler and Vim Maher, both three years
older, had been up tho same tree trying
to get at 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 down with him, it breaking
with his weight and letting him down
easier than he could have come without
It's help-with a shock, it is true, but not
enough to prevent his rambling to his
feet moment after, with wild halloo,
and eating cherries enough in the next
ten minutes to have made at least half a
dozen deep~dish cherry pies.
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 bis mother,
who was sitting in the room sewing, and
who looked up just as his heels were dis
appearing, ''my child! my child'' And
while she was quietly fainting away,
poor thing, not being very strong, Griz-
Ely was rolling about on the top of a load
of hay, that had been passing below the
window on its way to the barn, as he tell
out, and shouting, "H-a-a-y! amt this
fun7"
And one winter morning when all the
boys we're Shedding down hill-a very
steep hill it was, and If their fathers had
known they were there, I am afraid some
of them woull have gone to bed supper
less, and the rest had their jackets dust
ed-Griswold's sled shot out from under
him, and away he went, turning cum
mersets Though think in that case they
might more appropriately be called win.
tersets) until out of sight OF his frighten.
ed chums. And when they his chums
I 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 elbows, and holes where the knees of
his trousers should have been, and a
lump about the size of walnut ON his
forehead, looking with delightful grin
at an old-fashioned silver dollar, which
he had spied the moment he found him
self right side up IN wide crevice of
the rree-stump that had stopped him
in his wild career.
But all these things are nothing to
what happened to Griswold Burr one
Christmas Eve, when he was about
twelve years old.
At that time his mother-she was a
widow-iived in q very small cottage On
the extreme bank of Wild duck bay. In
deed, it was so near the water that often
when the big waves felt uncommonly
frollcsome, they would run up TO the
front door, and throw a few drops of
saltwater under the sill, just for fun, and
then run away again. But when there
was heavy storm, they came pushing
into the little house as though they were
frightened, and Grizzly Bear and his
mother, who didn't like such wet visi-
tors, were obliged to stand ready with
brooms to brighten them out again.
Well, this Christmas Eve there was a
terrible storm. It had been very mild
weather so far, and the bay had not been
frozen over, as it had always had been
oy Christmas time preceding winters,
when after bright sunny day and starli,
evening, along came the wind from over
the water, shouting and squealing, and
grumhling, and growing, and yelling,
and whistling, and screaming, and groan-
ing, and shook the small wooden cottage
this way and then that, being the first
thing they met on land, Just as a great
lill-tempered giant of man might shake
and slap poor little child who accident
ally came in his way when he was in a
very bad temper.
The BUR- family were in bed and fast
asleep. The children's stock1ngs-there
were three children, two small girls and
Griswold-hung by the chimney, and
the Christmas pies-two mince and d
pumpkin-were nicely baked, and lock
ed up in the big chest that Griswold'f
tather-he had been sailor--had brought
bone years before, and the key hidden
away--Mrs. Burr said, ''on account Of
rats" but we boys know all about that
when the wind came along, as I said be.
fore, and nearly knocked the little house
over.
! Out OF bed sprang Mrs. Bltrr, dragging
her two small daughters with her, only
halt awake, and fortunately blanket
trailed after them; and as the house
righted itself, she few to the door ana
out into the road, calling loudly-she
was wide awake by this time-to her on
| ly son, who slept IN the garnet, to come
down, but no Griswold appeared, and ir
another moment the distracted mother
saw the wind, which now seemed to come
from all directions instead of one, lift
the cottage from the ground, fling it up
ON the waters, and send it sailing away
Nearly wild with grief and fright, hall
carrying, half dragging the poor little
scared, shivering girls-stopping every
now and then to wrap the blanket abou1
them-she reached the house of her near
est ncighbor, half a mile away, and find
ing the family all up and listening tt
the storm, with many tears she told hel
sorrowful story.
Nothing could be done until morning
came, but as soon as the first streak 0
light showed in the east, a dozen mel
started in their boats, to find if possible
the drowned boy.
II must go, 1oo,'' said the pale mother
l must be the first to take my poor dar
ling in my arms. His pretty BROW
curls must be smoothed by his mother
! fnger-his dear head laid on his mother
BOSOM"
And we must go with manla," crie'
, the little ones. And SO the kind me-
WraDDed them ny warmly and mt then