The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-12-10
SAVED HER son.

GU must KNOW that Mime. Jam be
Mother Jambe the soldiers called her
was for many years cantiniere III "A repi-
ment of the line. and in this capacity
she was sort Of good angel to the
troops. Officers and soldiers alike all
respected her, and never, during the
quarter of "a century she served, whether
in Algeria or throughout the Italian
campaigns had she to complain Of il
single brutal act or word
She married, when about 80 years of
age the quartermaster sergeant of the
regiment His time was nearly up, but
he remained with the colors in order to
help his wife to keep the canteen The
little household was u prosperous one,
for Nine Jambe had more than one
string to her bow and well understood
how TO employ her spare time prohtably
She had learned the art COR science, per
haps, it should be called of hairdress-
ing. and on the occasion Of any fete was
in great request with the officers wives
Nine, la Colonelle never employed
professional coiffeur even for the most
ceremonious event The thrifty woman
was thus able to lay by very consider
able sum of money. which by no means
lessened her popularity IN the regiment.
After year of married life a son was
born and Nine. Jamie and her husband
agreed that as soon as be should attain
the proper age he too, should be IL sci
dier At the age Of l6 he passed into the
ranks and already accustomed, as he
was, to military life and discipline and
being smart and intelligent, he seemed
to have u bright future before him.
But in the full tide of its prosperity
the little family suffered u sad catastro-
phe. The husband and father died sud
denly III 1869. II was IA terrible shook
to our poor Nine Jamie, and she would
hardly have survived 1t were It not for
the thought of her son and the hope
, that he would be IA comfort to her in
her declining years Sorrow aged her
: moro thnn htr rough life had done. and
with regret She left the service and set
tied IN little cottage left her by her
parents in the village Of Clusy, near
PontarlieTs.
= \ year later var broke out and this
was another sorroW fer her to bear. She
$ was - patriof--Mme. Jambe-but she
. was a mothcf also Her country Was
III danger, ard her son. too. and she war
"A prey to nervous fears which knew nc
cessation, no relief.
During that terrible winter of 1901
= she hardly Sept for three consecutive
honrs in the "a. Always on the alert for
. news she chafcd sorely at the snow,
=. which almost cut of her little village
from the outer world and made commu.
nication matt'r Of great difficulty.
q She passed wholr weeks III iREurance Of
the progress Of the war and Of her son
whereabouts, mud then, little 10y little.
she beard of the defeats and al last
. learned that fcr son. u sergeant now
had heen attached 10 the Army of tht
East, which - being fmmod under the
b command Of General BrerbakL
From tins time and N all weather,
sh' might b. seen oarb Jay trudeiuq the
weary, SNOW covered .IilcS which lay
between Clusy and Po4iariicrs or eIsc
, climbing 10 Fort de ,ipux, overlooking
the Swiss frontier Sire sought news
/, but news, uahappily. was scarce ano
contradictory, and gradually hopes of q
decisive victory grew fainter and fainter
p Suddenly, toward the end of .january,
the rum0l spread that the Army of tn
East was approaching, having failed Il
D relieve Belfort For nearly week Mere
D Jamie kept II strict watch day and night
e scanning eagerly the road By wksch snt
e hoped to see the French arrive. They
t were signaled at las, but the Germans
Were signaled toe, from the opposite di-
p rection and it seemed evident that the
= armics would encounter one another III
the immediate ueighborhood
And DOW viii lel Mime. Jambe take
up the story, for what follows | had
from her own lips few months altar
the events described took place.
"One morning al dawn l heard II
! noise at the door Of the cottage ami then
the sound Of breaking glass losa has
tlly and ran down to the entrance
gave cry My buy was there, and be
hind him stood three Of hi comrades
but in what s'at'--haggard hollow
NAi' NJ Ntt Nii'iA Aiit4.#i b1N III 49, tliill
boots almost in pieces. blue ana ,hlyer-
ing with cold!
All, nay childr cried, opening my
arms.
Mother, you must hide US, he
said The general has iutrusted me
with a message to the commandment of
the fort, but the Prussians bar the way.
They have seen us and are in pursuit
They must not find Us.
" Give me your order, l cried ]
will take it while yen hide here, Ne
one will suspect woman -
y bad n time to finish * heard a
discharge Of mu,ketry, and nelghbor
rushed in, clying
" The Piussals The Prussians are
here
81 pushed my ~a and his friends
into a storrioer} r. lie fart .ar end OF
which, under some hay was the door
leading int til, e3.aI Wbpgo kept my
little stock a. WHe aHd claer