Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-02-01
UNCLE BERNARD'S SEA
SHE'LL.
From The French Of Erckmana-
ChGtrian.)


BY A. F.. @.
Upon Uncle Bern1rd's desk in his
library rested an enormous sea shell
with rosy lips, which had been to us
children, ever since we could remem.
ber, an object of great curiosity as
well rs awe, for sea shell with roSy
{ ps WAS not Il common thing in the
forest of Hundstruck, a hundred and
fifty miles from the sea. Daniel Rich
ter, an old marine soldier, and one of
Uncle's friends brought it from the
ocean rs perpetual reminder of his
sea voyage.
One can fancy with what admiration
We children of the village contemplated
this marvellous object. Every time
that Uncle Bernard went out 10 visit
his patients, we went into the library,
our cotton caps on the back of our heads
and our fingers in the armholes of our
little waistcoats, with noses glued to the
glass doors of the cabinet We gazed
at the american SNAIL" as our old
servant Gredel called it. Ludwig slid
that 1t lived in the hedges; hasper that
1t swan in the rivers, but no one knew
exactly how it lived or what it was.
One day Uncle Bernard finding US
discussing the matter, smiled, and,
placing his hat on the table, took the
shell IN his hands, seated himself in
his armed chair and said: Listen to
what you hear in the shell" immedi-
ately one after the other put the shell
to his ear, and we heard loud noise,
a complaint, murmur like a gust of
wind, far off IN the forest We looked
at each other astonished. "What do
you think Of that" asked Uncle Ber-
nard. None of us knew what to reply.
Then he said to us in a grave tone,
Children this great rumblng sound
is the blood which flows in your head,
IN your arms, in your heart, and In all
your members. 1t flows here like lit
tie streams, there like great torrents or
broad rivers 1t reaches and bathes
ali the inner parts of your bodies that
all may live and grow, and properly
increase from the crowns of Your heads
to the soles of your feet Now, in
order that you may understand why
you hear this sound in the shell l
must explain something to you
you know the echo of the "Roche
Ureuse," which returns to you the
sound Of your voice when You call, or
your song when you sing, or the sound
goats from the Altenberg in the eve
ming? Well, this shell Is an echo sim1-
lar to that of ''Roche Creuse," only,
when you place it to your ear, it is the
sound of that which is Within yourself
that comes back to you; this sound
seems to each the voice sof heaven and
earth. for each of us has within him
self little world. He who can under
stand a hundredth part of the m.rvels
which occur within his head in a second
of time, in order that he should live
and think, and which he can only un-
derstand family like the murmur of
the shell, should fall upon his knees
and with tears thank God for his inf
mite mercy. Later when you have be-
come men you will understand my
words better and will recognize them
as true.
"But, while waiting, nv dear ci.Il
dren, guard well your souls, and keep
them without spot; the Lord has
placed them within your bodies that
tLey may give light to your little
world, as he has put his sun in the
heavens to tighten and warm the uni
verse. You will learn that thers are
countries in this world where the sun
never shines, so to speak. TlsJse
countries are very gloomy; men can
rot live in them; flowers, fruit and
trs@5 do not grow in them, neither do
t-ey have singing birds. Nothing is
there but silence, darkness, snow and
ice Such will be your state If you
permit yonr soul to be obscurcd; your
little world will be overwhelmed in
darkness and misery. Avoid then
with care all that can darken your souI,
idleness, eluttony, dIsobedience, and,
above all, decelt. These vile habits
are ike vapors which rise from low
lands and will obscure the light the
Lord has put within us. If you keep
your soul above these clouds 1T
will always shine brilliantly like the
sun. and you will be happy.
So spoke Uncle Bernard, aad all
listened with eagerness, each promis-
ing himself to follow the good advice
and never to let the clouds darken his
soul How many times since have |
dlsregarded the murmur of the she'll
Avery evening during the fine autumn,
on returning from the pasture, | tyOk
the she'll in my hands and putting the
rosJ lips to my ear, l listened with de-
light l thought of the marvels OF
which Uncle Barnard had spoken. and
thought if rne could see these things
through little hole how fine it would
be. But what astonished me more than
all the rest was that, by force of listen
ins 1 seemed to distinguish in the
roaring of the shell the echo of all my
tho lg1s some sweet and tender,
oth.rs joyous; they sang like the tit
mouse and fauvet at the return of
sp'.ng. All this enchanted me; / could
remain ours at a time my eyes spark
l.Gs. my mouth half open, scal eely
t@sathing, IN ssler to hear better, had
not oLr old G'edel called, ''Fritzel of
A"at ar you thinking, take the snail
TO- sour eye and spread the cloth,
Nor sleur, the doctor, is coming"
Ihss replacing the shell, signing,
made the table ready for Uncle and
myself.
Afses time beard less agreashls