The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-11-26
THE POOR HUNCHBACK.
A Pitiful Story of French Peasant
Life.

8asE LHO OVA Mas WudU
they called her. although she had a
family name and three or four Chris
tan names besides. selected some fifty
years before from the almanac, or given
at the time of her christening.
She had received all the saeraments
except one--that of marriage; for the
simple reason that during her youth
she had not been able to find hus-
band to her liking. Still, it is true, she
was quite hard to please in this respect,
although one who is deformed can not
generally afford to be so fastidious.
She was not born hunchback. Her
misfortune was the result of an acci-
dent which occurred when she was
scarcely ten years old. One day when
she was about to get whipping she
tried to escape by going under the bed.
Her grandmother had tried to pull her
out BY the arm, and her shoulder, strik-
ing against sharp angle of the heavy
bed-post. was fractured.
They took her to the village bone
setter-a woman-who. after having
ielt the hurt place, pulled the joint un.
tlt it cracked, ordered a six-to-the-
pound candle to be melted over a glass
OF water, gave the parent package of
dry herbs to make Hsane with. and
forsal her trouble asked only remun-
Grafton of forty cents and two pounds
Of butter.
From that time the little girl found
that it hurt her great deal when she
stopped to pluck up weeds. or when
she bent down over her washing. As
sne grew older it was noticed that one
ot her shoulders grew round. and re-
NAMED much lower than the other one.
at last this condition became SO marked
that folks declared her hunchbacked.
And she was so, in fact.
The first time thew told her she pot
angry and began to cry. She would
not believe it. and tried to see herself
IN broken looking glass nailed to the
wall near window. She asked, under
promise OF secrecy, all the young girls
OF her age whom she did not believe to
pc malicious or likely to break prom.
Use, to tell her if what had been sad
ABOUT her having hump was true.
Finally she found herself compelled to
believe in the fact of her deformity.
But even then she tried to train herself
never TO think about it; and she disliked
TO have it spoken of.
Quite young as she was, she said to
herself that her life was ruined: that
sne was already just like any of those
very old women that nobody would
eEer think of loving; and with this gen
eIal crumbling down of all her future
pans, and the vanishing of all her
hungry hope for happiness, she ceased
oeonsider life except as what it really
"a painful duty one must accomplish |
u oraer TO reach a better. condition.
u seemed to her unjust that ones |
y, Ihole lie should be spoiled like that |
~ as once-without some hope of COM
meaclng another and a happier exist |
sasei sas, and this idea, combined with the
s.a a.as q what she could vaguely under
sssau q the sermons preached at the |
lo@h church, on high mass davs. |
Laoaght her to believe thatif she would |
Sor,s NJ rs,s9ufageously endure this life she
bsa bbossa come back again" straight and |
AaSasone" .. in another life.
IL lug = became very pious. She jealous
4 Iesan trying to wearing out her life
3 nara Work-like certain needy folk.
wao., ~ ,oelleye that in abridging each |
,ha gseA task by extra labor, they hasten
Sns ~ coming of their day of rest. To the
Sas.snoack Sas.,iack it seemed that the dav of
5eas ~ aeath would be a fair Sunday in
ii aaa , every time that she met the par
sha - priest, or another monsieur grefrie
.iass ~ .alsed with them in the most art.
sbs s 'asnion about the new life in which
more 40 would not be humpbaeked any
nlss g e remained long time in the en-
F'Ts OF farmer as servant.
fo,as no1ard her twenty-fifth wear she
her hi'a : herself alone in the world-all
ma;aa M lamly having died. There re-
enlI ueo TO her, by way of inheritance
ths rs., swelling place followed ont in
bala eA' I' with brick oven in which to
enough @ g.saa ael and and strip Of vineyard just
sSs lor one person to cultivate
il s Las iels her situation in order to live
sass's - essaaa6roas where her sole nos
sstsS Sa = N the way of furniture con.
0a OF the bed against which