France and England in North America, Part IV: The Old Régime In Canada — John Shaqi
France and England in North America, Part IV: The Old Régime In CanadaParkman, Francis
History
France and England in North America, Part IV: The Old Régime In Canada
Parkman, Francis
Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France)
a few who took the vows, Sister Jumeau should not pass unnoticed. Such
was her humility, that, though of a good family and unable to divest
herself of the marks of good breeding, she pretended to be the daughter
of a poor peasant, and persisted in repeating the pious falsehood till
the merchant Le Ber told her flatly that he did not believe her.
The sisters had great need of a man to do the heavy work of the house
and garden, but found no means of hiring one, when an incident, in which
they saw a special providence, excellently supplied the want. There was
a poor colonist named Jouaneaux to whom a piece of land had been given
at some distance from the settlement. Had he built a cabin upon it, his
scalp would soon have paid the forfeit; but, being bold and hardy,
he devised a plan by which he might hope to sleep in safety without
abandoning the farm which was his only possession. Among the stumps of
his clearing there was one hollow with age. Under this he dug a sort
of cave, the entrance of which was a small hole carefully hidden by
brushwood. The hollow stump was easily converted into a chimney; and by
creeping into his burrow at night, or when he saw signs of danger, he
escaped for some time the notice of the Iroquois. But, though he could
dispense with a house, he needed a barn for his hay and corn; and
while he was building one, he fell from the ridge of the roof and was
seriously hurt. He was carried to the Hôtel Dieu, where the nuns
showed him every attention, until, after a long confinement, he at last
recovered. Being of a grateful nature and enthusiastically devout, he
was so touched by the kindness of his benefactors, and so moved by the
spectacle of their piety, that he conceived the wish of devoting his
life to their service. To this end a contract was drawn up, by which he
pledged himself to work for them as long as strength remained; and they,
on their part, agreed to maintain him in sickness or old age.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account