Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-12-25
4 MOTHER SAVAGE.

The ztI2y h>zins with the author bunting
ct virsloxns With his friend ssrvaL They
eAns upon . Deserted cottage and ssrva
told this story;
wb@u war Wa Declared, the son. thsn 81
year. Old. -nllstsd leaving the nothsr alone
10 the house. The old woman did not 70
c~ive Ia, much sympathy. because she wss
known To have money,
70 she stayed all alone In this Isolated
het-r, far from The village, the outskirts
Of tho wo1i But sns Wa not afraid. for she
belonged To tn. .ame race - her husband
and ~,n-x rough old woman tall and thin.
who did not often laugh, and with whom no
one ever jok~i Women who work In the
aeIds Seldom laugh, for that matter. Laugh
ter u fer the tneu The women have dr-ary
and restricted souls living dull and gloomy
lives The man learns 70 indulge in little
noisy gaysty at the wine shop, but his com
pani.b remains serious with . countenAncs
constantly sev~re Tbs u1usei~s of her face
have not learned how n laugh.
Mother Savage continued her every day
life in her cottage, which vas soon covered
with snow. She visited the village once
week to got some bread and little meat:
then sh. returned 70 hsr hut. As there were
rumors Of wolves, she carried = gun on her
back her sons gun. II was rusty and the
stock worn from constant handling. She WAS
a curious sight. this tall Mother Savage, .
little bent going with slow strides through
tn. snow. the gun barrel projecting above
the black cap which 10 ofIectuaily impris-
onad her white hairs that no had ever
~sn them.
ons day the Pru-~iAns came They were
kat.t r.
n thu, fortune and resources Of each. With
the old woman who whs known 10 h. rich
they placed four.
Th.y were four big. light haired. blue eyed
fellows who had kept their dssh in spite Of
the fatigue which they had already endured,
and their good nature, although In . con-
qlersi country. Alone at this aged womAn's
h,ni-. they we're thoughtful Of her saving
her all the fatigue and expense that they
could All four were 10 oe seen making their
tsilsts around the well in the morning in
their SHIRT sleeves, wetting their pink white
flesh, Characteristic Of the men Of the north,
with an abundance Of water In the raw,
snowy air, while Mother Savage came and
went, preparing the soup. Then they were
seen cleaning the kitchen, securing the floors.
chopp,ng wood, peeling potatoes, washing
linen, fulfilling ali toe household duties like
four sons around their mother.
But the old woman thought continually Of
her own boy with mis- tall, thin figure, hooked
noe. brown ewes and big mustAchs Every
dny she asked each Of the soldiers installed at
her frs~ide
"1po YOU know which way the Twenty
third French regiment VENT Ny boy be-
longs 10 it
They answered. mo. not at ALL And,
a
they had mothers Of their own. they bestowed
upon her thousand little cares Besides,
she was very fond Of her four enemies, for
peasants seldom feel the patriotic hatred that
Is monopoiized by the upper classes The
humble, these who pay the most because they
are the p-irest and whom every new burden
over whslms. those who killed in masses
forming because Of their numbers, real food
for the cannon. those. in short, who suffer
most cruelty from the atroeious missries OF
war h-csn-, they are the weakest and least
able to resist seldom understand the b~liicose
ardnr the eIeitsble feeling Of honor and the
pretended political combinations which in six
months eShausts two nations, the victors A.
we'll as tn. vanquishet,
The nc,ghbcrs said speaking Of Mother
Havage's Germans;
There are four who have found bone"
But one morning. while the old woman
alone in her cottage, she saw at = distance
over tn. plain n man coming toward her
dwelling soon she recognized him rs the
bitter carrier He handed her folded paper,
and she drew from their the spectaclcs
which she used in sewing then she read;
Mak S.vaaK. This brings you sad news Your
boy Victor WAS killed yesterday by cannon ball
~hich cut hun IN two. was standing near. for
.lt.tx ~ zitl In cpu
had asked me IN notify you In any misfor
tune should tefAl him
Ihav~ taken possession Of his watch in order 70
restar- II to YOU at the end Of the
salute volt as a friend CESAR Rivor,
Soldier 81 the al class in the I'D Of the lima
The letter bore date Of three weeks before.
She did not weep. She remained motion
less, 80 struck and stupefied that as vet she
did not even suffer She thought: There's
Victor killed now Then gradually the
tears rose to her eyes. and grief invaded her
heart On. hv one ideas came to her, fright
ening and tmturing her Never more would
she embrace her big child. her big boy
never more The gendarmes had killed the
father the Prussians had killed the He
had been cut in two by q cannon ball And
il seemed TO her that she the horrible
sight the bead falling, the eyes open. while
he bit the corner Of his big mustache, ~ he
had been wont TO do when angry.
But what had they done with his bodyi II
they had only restored her her child, they
had restored her her husband, with the bullet
IN the middle Of his forehead.
But she heard the sound Of voices 1t WAS
the Prussians returning from the village She
quietly hid the letter in her pocket, and 70
cpived them TRANQUILITY with her usual face,
having had time to wipe her eyes.
All four were laughing with delight, for
they brought with them dne rabbit. stolen,
doubtless. and they made signs to the old
woman that they were going 10 have feast
She t~gsu directly the preparation Of the
breakfast, but when 1t came TO the killing Of
~ rabbit her heart failed her. One OF the
soldiers hit it q hlow bshind the ears with
his fist
Once the animal va. dead. she succeeded
in skinning the red body. but the sight Of
the blood that covered her hands, the warm
blood that she felt cooling and CLOTHING, made
her tresubie from bead to foot, and always
she SAW her big hoy cut in two. his body rcd
also like that OF this still FACILITATING animal
She sat down at the table with her Prus-
sians but she could not eat single mouth
full They did not heed, but devoured the
rabbit She looked at them sidewise, saying
not q word. maturing an idea. her face 20 ex-
prexioules. that they noticed nothing.
Suddenly she asked: Here we have lived
. month together, and | do not even know
your uamss" They underytood. not without
diliiculty, what she wanted, and told their
nance That did not satisfy her; she made
them write them down on . piece Of paper,
with the address Of their families; then,