Part 4 (1/2)
It was five o'clock in thee left the boat, but it was a Roe, and we did not dare to stop All that day we pursued our ithout food or drink, and at night ere tired and hungry Arriving at a se, we ventured to stop at thehouse, and asked the woht She looked at us very attentively and said she could not We did not dare to call again, for we knew that ere surrounded by those ould think they were doing a good work to deliver us up to the priests
Darkness came over the earth, but still weary and sleepy as ere, we pursued our lonely way I will not repeat our bitter reflections upon a cold hearted world, but the reader will readily i, we came to an old barn I think it e There was no house, or other building near it, and as no person was in sight, we ventured to enter
Here, to our great joy, we found a quantity of clean strahich we soon prepared a comfortable bed, where we could enjoy the luxury of repose We slept quietly through the night, and at the early daoke, refreshed and encouraged, but O, so hungry! Gladly would we have eaten anything in the shape of food, but nothing could we find
The ain started on our journey At length our hearts were cheered by the sight of a village The first house we cas, and o wo cows We called at the door, and asked the lady for some milk ”O yes,” said she, with a sweet smile, ”come in, and rest awhile, and you shall have all you want” She thought ere Sisters of Charity, for they often go about visiting the sick, and praying with the people It is considered a very meritorious act to render them assistance, and speed them on their way; but to help a runaway nun is to conitude to dran the anathema of the church Therefore, while we carefully concealed our real character, we gratefully accepted the aid we so much needed, but which, ere sure, would have been withheld had she known to who till the coere milked, and she had finished her own breakfast, she filled a large earthen pan with bread and ave each of us a spoon, and we ate as ave each of us a large piece of bread to carry with us, and asked us to pray with her We accordingly knelt in prayer; i on her household, and then took our leave of this kind lady, never otten
That day we traveled a long distance, at least, so it seeue,from the tow-path an island in the river, and upon it a small house Near the shore a ns to hi into his canoe and came over We asked hiranted our request, but said we must sit very still, or ould find ourselves in the water I did not wonder he thought so, for the canoe was very sht of three persons sank it almost even with the surface of the river, while the least motion would cause it to roll froer of a very unco worse
We landed safely, however, and were kindly welco on the floor, so shoes and baskets They were very gayly dressed, their skirts handsomely eirls seelish language which she spoke correctly But she did not look at all like an Indian, having red hair and a lighter skin than the others She was the only one in the family that I could converse with, as the rest of them spoke only their native dialect; but the nun ith me could speak both French and Indian
They treated us with great kindness, gave us food, and invited in to stay and live with them; said we could be very happy there, and to induce us to reeon the other side of the river, called St Regis, was inhabited by Indians, but they were all Roman Catholics They had a priest, and a church where we could go to Mass every Sabbath Little did they i for life fro an induce to send us on our ith all possible speed We did not dare to stay, for I knew full well that if any one who had seen us went to confession, they would be obliged to give information of our movements; and if one priest heard of us, he would iraph to all the priests in the United States and Canada, and we should be watched on every side
Escape would then be nearly iently, but firood people, and hastened to bid theirl how far it was to the United States She said it o , and that was in the States We then asked the is on the other side of the river He consented, but, I thought, with some reluctance, and before he allowed us to land, he conversed some minutes with the Indians who met him on the shore We could not hear what they said, but ht they suspected us, and if so, ere lost But the th, and, assisted us from the boat If he had any suspicions he kept them to himself
Soon after we reached the shore I ansburg He gazed at us a moment, and then pointed to five boats out in the river, and said those were the last to go that day They were then ready to start, and waited only for the tow-boat to take theet to theers What could we do? To stay there over night, was not to be thought of for a moment We were sure to be taken, and carried back, if we ventured to try it Yet there was but one alternative; either ree on the tow-boat It did not taketio on, if the captain would take o on the tow-boat!” she exclaio with so many men” ”I am not afraid of the men,” I replied, ”if they are not Roo” ”Do not leave et along better if we keep together, but I dare not go on the boat” ”And I dare not stay here,” said I, and so we parted I to pursue ave her the parting hand, and have never heard from her since, but I hope she succeeded better than I did, in her efforts to escape
I went directly to the captain of the boat and asked hio as far as Ogdensburg, and would carry me there, if I wished; or he could set me off at some place where he stopped for wood and water When I told him I had no money to pay him, he smiled, and asked if I was a run-a-way I frankly confessed that I was, for I thought it was better for me to tell the truth than to try to deceive ”Well,” said the captain, ”I will not betray you; but you had better go to my state-room and stay there” I thanked hiave o in and lock the door, ”for,” said he, ”we are not accustomed to have ladies in this boat, and the men may annoy you
You will find it more pleasant and corateful for his kindness, and happy to escape froaze of the ain until I left the boat The captain brought me my meals, but did not atte on the inside; he would come and tap on the , and ask me to raise it, when he would hand me a waiter on which he had placed a variety of refreshments, and immediately retire
CHAPTER XII
STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND
That night and the next day I suffered all the horrors of sea-sickness; and those who have known by experience how coine how I felt on leaving the boat at night The kind-hearted captain set me on shore at a place where he left coal and luave ret that he could do nofor the night, being a stranger in the place, and this the first time he had been on that route Should this narrative chance to meet his eye, let hier in distress, are and ever will be reratitude they so richly merit It ith evident reluctance that he left me to ine, if you can, e land, and coer to the whole world--alone in the darkness of night, not knohere to seek a shelter or a place to lay my head; exhausted with sea-sickness until I felt h it would be a luxury to lie down and die
My stockings and shoes were all worn out with so , and reatest effort that I could step at all So extres, that I stopped e, cast o no further
Not even the idea of being run over in the darkness by so traveller, had power to keep ain; and so I hobbled onward It seeth h the s, and the sound of cheerful voices that fell upon ht at least But no, when I asked perain and again I called at houses where the people seemed to enjoy all the comforts and even the luxuries of life; but their comforts were for themselves and not for a toil-worn traveller like entle manner; and some of those I called upon were not very particular in the choice of language
By this time my feet were dreadfully swollen, and O! so sore and stiff, that every step produced the h life was hardly worth preserving? I resolved to call at one house ain refused, to lie down by the wayside and die I accordingly entered the village hotel and asked for the landlady
The bar-tender gave lance that made me tremble, and asked my business I told him my business ith the landlady and no other person He left the room a moment, and then conducted me to her chamber
As I entered a lady came forward to meet me, and the pleasant expression of her countenance at once won , with a suess, my dear, you are a run-a-way, are you not?” I confessed that it was even so; that I had fled from priestly cruelty, had travelled as far as I could, and noeary, sick, and faint fro, I had ventured to cast myself upon her mercy ”Will you protect me?” I asked, ”and are you a Roman Catholic?” ”No,” she replied, ”I am not a Roman Catholic, and I will protect you You seem to have suffered much, and are quite exhausted But you will find a friend in me I will not betray you, for I dislike the priests and the convents as irl, and ordered a fire kindled in another cha she did not wish her servants to see me The child soon returned, when the lady herself conducted e, pleasant bed-room, handsorate She gave e easy-chair before the fire, and went out, locking the door after her In a short time she returned ater for a bath, and with her own hands gave me all the assistance needed As I related the incidents of the day, she expressed lad I had coht me a cup of tea and other refreshments, of which I made a hearty supper She would not allow ood forwash, and assisted me to bed O, the luxury of that soft and comfortable bed! No one can realize hat a keen sense of enjoyment I laid my head upon those downy pillows, unless they have suffered as I did, and known by experience the sweetness of repose after excessive toil
All that night this good lady sat besideI was little inclined to sleep, and at her request related so this, I hardly knehat to make of this curious woman Sometimes she would weep, and then she would swear like any pirate I was surprised and soe and used such peculiar language She understood s at once, and immediately said, ”You need not be afraid of me, for I have a kind heart, if I do use wicked words I cannot help swearing when I think about the priests, monsters of iniquity that they are; what fearful criion! O, if the people of this land could but see their real character, they would rise en masse and drive them from the country, whose liberties they will, if possible, destroy For ood cause to hate theed her to do so, which she did, as follows:
”I once had a sister, young, talented, beautiful, amiable and affectionate She was the pride of all our family, the idol of our souls She wished for an education, and we gladly granted her request
In our zeal to serve her, we resolved to give her the very best advantages, and so we sent her to a Roht by nuns, and was the most popular one in that part of the country My father, like many other parents who knew such establishments only by report, had not the least idea of its true character But deluded by the supposed sanctity of the place, he was happy in the thought that he had left his darling where it was said that 'science and religion go hand in hand' For a season, all went on well
She wrote to us that she was pleased with the school, and wished to re wonderfully ierly looked forward to the time when she would return to us a finished scholar, as well as an accomplished lady But those pleasant prospects were soon overcast Too soon, our happy, bounding hearts were hushed by unspeakable grief, and our brilliant anticipations were dissipated in the chamber of death In their place came those solemn realities, the shroud, the coffin, the hearse and the tomb”
”Did she die?” I asked ”Yes,” replied the lady, as she wiped away the fast flowing tears; ”Yes, she died I believe she was poisoned, but we could do nothing; we had no proof” She had been long at school before we suspected the deception that was practised upon us But at length I ith my other sister to see her, and the Superior inforoing to her roo could not be allowed