Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-30
THE COLD SNAP IN ILLINOIS.
Larks, Sparrows and Rabbits Frozen
i'm the Suburbs Of Chicago,

From the Chicago Mail.
81 had" said a gentleman to q reporter.
ian unusual experience recently when Chicago
was visited with her bitterest cold snap. /
have a small property beyond Humboldt park,
on the west side, and and my little boy took
the cars as far as Garfield park, and thence re-
solved to have a brisk walk home along the
boulevard. As we were trudging through the
crisp snow and stoutly facing the bitter breeze
that made the dry branches of the trees and
shrubs crackle, suddenly my boy caught sight
of something moving on the ground short
distance from the sidewalk. 1t was q
tiny object covered with snow, and bore a
general resemblance to an India rubber ball.
We watched the little thing and presently saw
1t distinctly make movement. We then
picked 1t found 1Sa It to be sparrow
wings and could only move its feet and blink
its little bead-like eyes, 1 put it in my over
upon another, and then another, little feathered
sufferer bound to the ground in the same help
less fashion. They allowed us to handle them
them also into our pockets and proceeded on
our way. To make long story short, We picked
up in this way more than a dozen larks and
sparrows, and had our pockets full before we
reached Humboldt park. There we saw two
galena fowls making desperate efforts to get
away from us, but for the fife of them they could
not run. We made up to them aud stroked
them down and, timid as these birds generally
are, they submitted in a dull, helpless kind of q
way IudG was pltldDle. line DOV wanted
to pick them up in his arms and carry them
home, but pointed out that they were proba-
bly, the property OF the garden, and so, after
and they made off through the snow at a much
better pace than they were capable of before
they had been partially thawed out. A short
was running just in front of us. Poor old Rey-
nard's joints were evidently too stiff to permit
him to put on on so sRTi1 dd and it was jus.
of us, looking around every few moments to
see how we were getting along. Altogether, it
of nature, both winged and four-footed.
"When we reached home we threw our coats
down on the parlor couch and went out to look
that had on the chain, whining and paving
and showing all the signs of impatience that
his doggy nature was capable of showing. This
unusual must be around, and l slipped his
chain; ne He ala not stop TO Jump on me as he
down the garden plank walk in a bee line for
the barn. With his nose and forepaws he
pushed the door little open, and In a few
and laid it at my feet. He returned imme-
diately to the barn and produced yet another
rabbit, In this way he continued until had
stiff and half frozen, and had obviously taken
shelter in the barn to get out of the
cold, at least little. The cock soon put
prairie billiards. When | returned to the
house found the boy in high state of excite
ment In the parlor. He was dashing among
chairs, making carroms with his body against
tables and whoOping and waving his arms like
a veritable savage. My first impression was
that the boy had gone out of his head alto
gether. But the mystery was soon explained
when saw sparrows, robins, larks and other
small birds fluttering among the window cur
talns, perching upon my picture frames, or
dashing frantically from wall to wall. They
had all become completely thawed out by the
heat OF the room and the pockets OF the over
coat, ana with the thawing out Lad returned
the desire for freedom and wild, unpar-
lor life. opened the window wide, the pant
ing yOungster 'shOoed' them out, and that was
don't think ever saw before so much distress
among our small farm birds SO early in the sea-
son, and my field help, who is a bit OF Il Vennor
In his way, says it all means long and hard
winter"