The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-01-08
GRIZZLY BEAR"
"A Story for the Young Folks

SsoAy Aor the Young Folks
1here never was such bov for Oct
tihg into scrapes and having strange nd :
ventures as Griswold Burr. (Of course
an the boys, and most of the Girls. called
MIN g Grizzly Bear'') The very first
time he climbed a tree-he was onlv =
years old, and Frank Fowler and Vim
Maher, both three years older. had been
up the same tree trying to get at a
9ranch which was loaded down with
ueiicious black cherries, and hadn't suc.
ceeded--he tumbled from the very ton !.
put he brought the heavily-laden bouob
with mm-wlth a shock, it is true. but
not shock enough to prevent his scram-
Dllng to his feet, 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 cberrv-
branch affair, he fell out of the second
story window while trying to reach a
pird 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 moth
er, who was sitting in the room sewing.
and who looked up just as his heels
were disappearing, "my child! nv
child!" And while she was quietly
1alntlng g 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! amt this fun?''
And one winter morning, when all the
boys were Shedding down hill-a very
steep hill it was, and, if their fathers
mad known they were there, am afraid
some OF them would have gone to bed
supperlcss, and the rest had their Jackets
dusted-Griswold's sled shot out from
uuder him, and away he went, turning
summersets (though think, in this case,
they might more appropriately be called
wlntersets) until out of sight of his
| frightened chums. And when they-his
chums, l mean-had slid, hoped, sled
ded 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 elbow, and holes where the
knees OF his trousers should have been,
and lump about the size of a walnut
on his forehead, looking with % delight
| ed grin at an old-fashioned silver dollar
which he had spied, the moment he had
found himself right side up, in wide
crevice of the tree-stump which had stop
ped him in his wild career.
But all these things are nothing to
what happened to Griswold Burr, one
Christmas Eve, when he was about IL
years old. At that time his mother
she was widow-lived in very small
cottage on the extreme bank of Wild
duck Bay. Well, this Christmas Eve,
there was terrible storm. 1t had been
very mild weather so far, and the bay
had not been frozen over, as it always
had been by Christmas time preceding
winters-when, after a bright sunny
day and starlight evening, along came
the wind from over the water, and
shook the small wooden cottage,
first this way and then that. The Burr
family were in bed and fast asleep. The
children's stockings-there were three
children, two small girls and Griswold-
hung by the chimney, and the Christ
mas pies-two mince and pumpkin
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 son account of the
rats" but we boys know all about that
when the wind came along, as l 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 fortunately
blanket trailed after them; and as the
house righted itself she flew to the door
and out into the road, calling loudly
she was wide awake by this time-to
her only son, who slept in the garret,
appeared, and in another instant 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 upon the waters, and
send it sailing away. Nearly wild with
fright and grief, half carrying, half
dragging the poor little scared, shiver-
ing girls-stopping every now and then
to wrap the blanket about them-she
reached the house of her nearest neigh
Dor, half mile away, and finding the
family all up and listening 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, if possible,
the drowned boy. 81 must go, too"
said the pale mother. 81 must be the
first to take my poor darling in my arms.
His pretty brown curls must be smoothed
by his mothers fngers-his dear head
laid on his mothers BOSOM" "And
we must 60 with mamma" cried the
little ones. And so the kind man wrap
ped them up warmly and put them in
the largest boat, and away they sailed,
lust as the sun burst over the hills,
bright and beautiful, land the early Christ
mas chimes rang out upon the air.
They rowed about hither and thither
for an hour or two, when the mother
ah! whose eyes as keen as mothers
when she is looking for her child?--
caught sight of something propped
against the bank which they were near
;nr ssTherei therelt she cried point