Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-11-05
A boar Mother

The winter of the year 100 was one
of extreme cold. Never WAS a colder
winter known in Europe. In France
many people froze to death in their
beds, not only among the mountains.
but every where in tie villages and
cities. The hottest fire was not sufii
cient TO keep room warm. While the
stoves were red hot, the water would
freeze but few feet from them. The
trees In the forest and by the roadside
became so frozen that some or them
burst, and made noise as if smal!
mine h exploded.
Sparrows and crows and jackdaNs
sometimes fell down dead while flying
in the air Large fiocks Of sheep and
cattle froze in the barnyards. The bats,
which usually slept during the winter,
were awakened out af their torpid
slumbers, tiuttered around little while
aud fell dead on the ground. The de
Ia the forest could NO more run swiftly,
but crept slowly out of the woods and
came near the dwellings Of men FL
nally spring came, and multitude Of
them were found dead in the woods.
hO AlNlC l6hCo anu ciVOrNo hAlAA AAfNAot
after they had been thawed 10y the sun,
emitted a very unpleasant otor, because
nearly all the fish in them had been fro
zen to death. The people suffered from
extreme poverty, FOR the cold had de-
Stroyed many OF their means OF support.
The wheat that had been sOwn in the
autumn, their sheep, tow ;, fish and
vegetables that had been burled in the
ground, were completely destroyed by
the frost.
During this winter poor little saw
oyard boy was wandering in the streets
of Luneville, in LOthringia. He Was a
pitlable orphan. His older brother,
who had taken care Of him, had now
gone On message 10 the city of Nancy
TO earn few francs. But he suffered
the fate of many travellers, and was
frozen 10 death. Many of the passen-
gers on the stage and on horseback
were frozen TO death, though covered
with furs and clOaks. The drivers lost
their lives, and still held the reins III
their stiff hands.
The little Sayoyard boy wandered
about from house TO house TO get lit
tie employment or piece Of bread. He
was glad to blacben boots or shoes, dust
clothes, clean dishes in the kitchen or
do anything that would give him a sou
But when night came on his suffering
became intense. He had slept with his
brother in a carpenter shop, where the
two had covered themselves with aa
old foot cloth, on which they piled sha-
81 THIaVr 1.y ql1g.a
together, and by this means managed
TO be protected from the severity OF the
cold. But now be was alone, and ne
would certainly freeze If he should at
tempt TO sleep in the carpenter shop.
The wife Of hOstler took compassion
ON him. She showed him little sleep
ing place in one of the stalls in the sta
ble where the horses Of certain prince
were kept. In this stall there stood an
iron cage in which large brown bear
was confined, for the beast was very
wild and angry. the little Sayoyard
boy, who had come in the darkness or
the night into the stable, neither knew
nor cared for any wild beast that might
be near by. He lay down upon some
straw and stretched out his hand to
pull more. As he stretched out his
hand he put it between the wires OF the
cage in which the bess- was, and found
that a large Pile was there. Thinking
it was better to get in where the straw
was, he crawled up to the cage and
squeezed in through the iron bars. The
bear grumbled little, but did no vIo-
lence. She took the little stranger be-
tween her paws and pressed him near
her warm breast and against her thick
skin so softly and comfortably that be
who had not slept for many nights with
any comfort now forgot all fear and
soon fell into a sweet, deep sleep.
In the morning the boy walked up
with renewed strength and crept out Of
the cage, and went forth TO the city to
attend to his business and seek his
daily bread. At night he returned to
his strange mother. Beside the bear
there lay great many pieces Of bread
which had been brought from the table
of the prince: but the bear had eaten all
she wanted, and these were left. So tie
SavOyard boy helped himself to all he
needed. He then lay quietly down be-
tween the paws of his thick-clad moth
er, who pressed him to her as she had
done before; and he slept there as if In
the warmest feather bed. In this way
he spent five nights without anybody
knowing it. On the morning OF the
sixth he oversight himself, so that.
the hostlers went around with lanterns
in the early morning to attend to the
many horses in the stable, they saw the
boy lying between the paws of the great
bear. The old bear grunted little as
if she Was very much offended at anyone
seeing her taking care of her little ia
yorite. The boy sprang up and squeezed
through the cage, to the great astonish-
ment of the bystanders.