The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-18
THE YOUNG FOLKS COLUMN.
The Wonderful Mother.


| Good Words.
The winter of the year 100 was ono of ex-
| treme 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 even in the villages aud cities The hottest
| fire not sufficient 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 of them burst, and made noise as if
O small mine had exploded.
Sparrows, and crows and jackdaws sometimes
fell down dead while flying in the air. Large
focks of sheep and cattle froze in the barnyards
The bats. which usually sleep during the winter
were awakened out of their torpid slumbers
fnttered around little while and fell dead to
the ground The deer in the forest could no
longer run swiftly. but crept slowly ont of the
woods and came the dwellings of
men. Finally spring came, and multitude of
them were found dead in the woods. The little
lakes. and brooks. and rivers, after they bad
been thawed by the sun, emitted very IN
pleasant odor, because nearly all the hsh In
them had been frozen to death. The people
suffered from extreme poverty, for the cold had
destroyed many of their means of support The
wheat that had been sown in the autumn their
sheep, fowls, fish and vegetables that had been
buried in the ground, were completely destroyed
by the frost.
During this winter, a poor little Savoyard boy
was wandering in the streets of Luneville, in
Lothrlngia. He was pitiabe orphan. His
older brother, who had taken care of him, had
now gone on message to the city OF Nancy, to
earn few francs. But he suffered the fate of
many travellers, and was frozen to death. Many
CT the passengers of the stage and on horse
back were frozen to death, though covered with
furs and cloaks. The drivers lost their lives,
and still held the reins in their stiff hands.
The little Savoyard boy wandered about from
house to house to get little employment or
piece of bread He was glad to blacken boots or
SHOES, dust clothes, clean dishes in the kitchen.
or do anything that would give him a But
when night came on his suffering became intense
lie had slept with his brother in carpenter-shop,
where the two had covered themselves with an
OLD footcloth. on which they piled shavings very
nigh They lay very close together, and by this
means managed to be protected from the severity
OF the cold But now he was alone, he would
certainly freeze if he should attempt to sleep III
the carpenter-shop. The wife of hostler took
compassion on him. She showed him little
sleeping place in one of the stalls of the stable
where the horses of certain prince were kept.
LIZ this stall there stood az iron cage in which
large brown bear was confined, for the beast
very wild and angry. The little Savoyard boy,
who had come in the darkness of 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 ne stretched out his hand he put it between
the wires of the cage in which the beast 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 violence. 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 he who had not slept for many
nights With any comfort now forgot all fear, and
soon fell into sweet, deep sleep
In the morning the boy walked up with re-
newed 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 lay a
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 the little Savoyard boy helped himself
to all he needed. He then lay quietly down be
tween the paws of his thick mother. 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 any
one knowing it, On the morning of the sixth
night he oversight himself, so that, when 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 d little,
as II she were very much offended at any one
seeing her taking of her little favorite. The
boy sprang up and squeezed through the cage, to
the great establishment of the bystanders
This strange affair became widely known, and
created much wonder throughout the city. AL
though the modest little Savoyard boy vas very
much ashamed that anybody should know that
he had slept in the arms of BEAR he
dered to appear in the presence of the prince. to
whom he told his recent experience. The prince
appointed day for him to come again. The
boy came, and, in the presence of the prince and
princess and many people of rank, he was re-
quested to enter the cage where the great bear
was She received him as kindly as ever, and
pressed him to her breast.
The little Savoyard afterward led an honor
able and useful life. nor did he forget how
God had spared him in mis- great need.