The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-18


nounced his blessing upon suchi Yes, indeed
And His Blessed Virgin Mother. with the holy
angels will aid you in life, and guide you to
him, whether You will OF no; and the thought
And so we parted l did not ask their name
nor did they ask mine. We wanted to know
as little of each other as possible in those ex-
cited times, in case the circumstances have
related should be- discovered, and trouble en-
sue.
have often asked myself, did the prayers
and blessing of that aged saint procure for me
great gift Of faithf The question cannot be
answered in time; but the gift, if we hold it
steadfastly, will assuredly form the theme
of thanksgiving for numerous and united
household in eternity
During many succeeding years, my thoughts
and with regret that did not even know their
names.
My beautiful baby-girl passed from her
cradle to heaven My boy had grown into a
merry, hayward STRIPPING, full of mischievous
pranks, but fond of his books withal, and al
BROTHER" loveliest and gentlest of boys-who
at the age of four years was soaemnly COM
mitted to my care by our dying father-had
graduated with honor from the university of
Vermont, studied law in my husbands office,
picked up his scanty atrimony-carefully pre-
served for him by his good brother-in-law-
West to seek his fortune. ] received a letter
from him at st. Paul, Minnesota, where he
thought of establishing himself. Then many
months passed, and heard nefhing further.
My heart was filed with anxiety, and op-
pressed with the most gloomy conjectures as
to the cause OF his silence, when the following
letter, written in, q faitering hand, entirely
different horn his usual clear, bold style, ex-
planned 1t all:
. n sl1s = .s B., Iowa, March, ls-.
DKAA SIsTER-I know you, have been wou-
and Your snxieties have been bat too well
founded, rs you will know when you have
read this letter, which !, shall write by
patched my letter to you, set out for q Ion <
journey on the Western plains. to transact
some business with the indians for leading
mercantile firm of that place. While I was
ceiving packages of valuable furs, and other
articles of Indian traffic, in payment of former
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS them by trusty
agents directly to my employers-and en-
gagged in making contracts for future supplies,
u band of the fierce Sioux came suddenly upon
u.s. and captured the whole party. They hur-
ried us off to the Northwest, where winter soon
set in with frightful rigor. l was wholly un-
supplied with clothing necessary to defend me
against the inclemency of the climate.
Forced to undertake long journeys with par
ties in quest of furs, and to labor early and
late in taking and dressing them, with such
scanty allowance of food that was afmos:
famishcd my sutferings became at length so
intolerable that determined to escape, or die
in the attempt.
Taking advantage of carousal in which
my companions were indulging-after having
met some itinerant traders, and exchanged
furs with them for whiskey-and while they
were in the stupor of intoxication, took a
flask of the liquor, the gun was allowed to
use for procuring game, and what ammunition
could find, and started in as direct course
cert ain means of determining.
AS long as the ammunition lasted, Isucceeded
in getting sufficient food to sustain life, bu
my suferings from cold and fatigue We're past
would l pain your tender
heart by giving the full picture if could. My
feet and hands were frozen several times SO
badly that feared should lose the power to
use them entirely: did not dare to stop for
rest OF sleep, lest the numbness which OPP
pressed my whole frame should pass into the
final torpor of death.
gan to experience softenng in the air and n
yielding in the in tensity of the cold. When at
length that supply was gone, wandered on
and on, in the lonely wilds, the weather get
ting more and more mild, until finally, beeom-
ing so utterly famished, faint, and PROSTATE
that my tottering feet refused any longer to
perform their Office sank down, signing
myself to the Divine Will, and to the care of
the Blessed Virgin and my guardian angel. 1
soon fell into a state which was neither sleep
nor swoon, but Partook of the nature Of both.
How long remained in that condition, have
no idea; but, when began painfully to revive,
became dimly conscious that soft voices were
near me; that friendly hands were
employed in applying vigorous
course of measures for my restoration. Eric
ton with the hand, and with flannel cloths
in some pungent mixture, was kept |
up. stimulants were poured in small quanti-
ties and at short intervals into my mouth, and
the first words distinctly heard were, "Thank |
God he has swallowed for the first time. Now, |
my boys, take courage, and work with will |
we shall soon have him alive again." |
>My head was completely bewildered. I |
could not recall q feature of the past, or form |
an idea of the present, or of the circumstances |
in which found myself. When opened my
eyes and looked around me, exclaiming, |
'tNhere am 7 and what has happened f an |
elderly woman, who sat by me chatting my |
hands, said kindly, "No matter, my son! You
are with friends who will take care of you,
and you must keep perfectly quiet"
l resigned myself in full and peaceful trust
to their care. In my bewildered condition,
my first impulse was to renew the frantic eff
forts had been forced to make, during all |
that agonizing journey in the wilderness, to |
preserve the life with which God had entrnst-
ed me. Obi the unutterable relief that came
with the slowly dawning assurance that l need
make those efforts no more abandoned my
self to sweet refreshing sleep, and, when /
again awoke, it was to a clear consciousness of
ali around me, of the perils had encountered,
q nd ia reapua uhich had been yOUChSafo0 by !