Our Little Quebec CousinSaxe, Mary S. (Mary Sollace)
General
Our Little Quebec Cousin
Saxe, Mary S. (Mary Sollace)
Children -- Québec (Province) -- Juvenile literature
How the brave voyageurs had come to a land filled with hostile tribes
of Indians. First these adventurous Frenchmen settled in Quebec,
the city of Quebec was founded, and then Paul de Comedy, Sire de
Maisonneuve, being anxious to follow up this great river St. Lawrence,
coaxed his men to row with him the one hundred and sixty miles right
against a swift current until they came to Mount Royal and beheld the
swift rapids in the river; these are now called Lachine Rapids. So they
decided to land and build another village.
One can read in Parkman's history a very clear picture of that scene,
just at twilight when they stepped from their boats and tired as they
were, they stopped to build an altar and hold a mass of thanksgiving
to God for the safe journey. For lights on that altar, they imprisoned
fireflies in bottles and the company all knelt on the ground while the
mass was said. They were watched by hostile Iroquois Indians who lurked
in the shadow of the trees.
All this was long long ago. There are no more Indians wearing blankets
nowadays. But on this spot where mass was said rises the great solid
city of Montreal with its two nationalities, French and English, trying
to live in harmony.
This statue stands in _Place d'Armes_ Square, just in front of the
famous Notre Dame church, with its twin towers, two hundred and
twenty-seven feet high. In these towers hang some famous chimes. One
bell of this chime weighs twenty-four thousand seven hundred and eighty
pounds and is known as the Great Bourdon. It takes seven men to ring
it, and it has a deep booming note that is heard for miles.
There is a legend about this corner of the square where this church
stands. It seems that there is always a breeze blowing just here,
even the very hottest day in summer, and the story goes that on this
corner the Devil and the Wind once met, and the wind as it swept up
from the river and swirled around the corner said to the Devil: "I'll
travel along with you," and Satan replied, "Before we start, I must go
into this great church here and confess my sins, so you wait around
this corner until I am done." And the wind said: "Very well, I'll hang
around." Now, when the Devil got into the confessional, he had so many
sins to confess that he is still there, and the wind still waits on
that corner; waiting, waiting.
One day when Oisette Mary drove past that street corner, the wind did
sweep up through the narrow street, from the river, swirl around the
corner and away went her hat rolling across the square, driven by
the summer breeze until it was caught at the base of the Maisonneuve
monument and finally handed back to her by a French boy. So she never
forgot the legend.
FOOTNOTE:
[1]
"Alouette, stylish Alouette, Alouette, I adorn myself for thee,
For thee I adorn the head, For thee I adorn the head,
Oh Alouette, pretty Alouette, I adorn myself for thee."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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