The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-10-25
MY MIRACLE.


When any one says that age of
miracles is over tell him Provi-
dence once sent to me mp who
brought to me four hundredlars.
had invested my savings real es-
tate, which was mortgaged, sat when !
the panic of 1873 came, aio many !.
scholars were taken from private
schools to be sent to the puBchools,
my tuition money was not Eient to
enable me to pay my init. My
mortgages were therefore eclosed,
and the foreclosure sale talliplace in
the midst of the panic, the perty was
sacrificed, so that l lost all.
was also driven into banptcy by
q greedy person from VIII l had
bought two houses and two ) for flf-
teen thousand dollars, payinhim five
thousand in cash, and leav the rest
on mortgage. He was notntent to
receive back again his prGty, with
the five thousand dollars had paid
him, together with about tIhousand
dollars worth of improvemts that l
had made, but bought the operty at
the sale for three thousand } hundred
dollars, thus bringing me tenically in
debt to him to the amount thousand
five hundred dollars.
When ne sent deputy stiff to take
possession of my school, went to a
young lawyer, who had be my pupil,
and got him to put me tbugh bank
ruptcy. worried good sal, as men
will under such circumstans, until one
morning as l was waitinfor train,
and, as usual, full of "caing care, "
felt something like colaand grasp
ing the back part of my bin. l said
to myself, "1hat means tralysis. Ii
am paralyzed my wife nd children
will not only lose their sport, but
shall become a burthen td6em. The
best thing for me to do ito stop this
worrying, work as hard a can, anc
leave the rest to Provides" l die
so, and had worked onh this way
having experienced what eemed sew
eral small special provlences thai
helped me along. until nea Christmas
when,' one morning, my lchool-roon
door was opened by a lam&ramp. Hi
garments were soiled anddilapidated
but his features were clen cut, witt
rather a high nose, and, wen he aske'
for assistance, his English Ioon showe'
that he was French. As Reclaimed t,
have been an officer in the FrencI
army, 1 asked if he could teacl
fencing. He said thIt his lam
knee prevented him. He could, how
ever, teach tie military Fill, and o.
asking my boys how man would lik
to. join such class, I bund that
could get him half dozen pupils. A
we were within two days IF Christmas
and l was favorably impressed, l CAV
him money enough to carry hil
through the Christmas Holiday, so thf
he could begin to drill his class on JaI
uary 3. f.sl ~
When that day came he did not al
pear, and was obliged to concluC
that had been "sold.n The next da,
however, came postal card from hi
stat ng that he had slipped on the il
two days before, so that he had aga
broken his damaged knee-pan, and hs
been taken to the Police Hospital
Ninety ninth street. Visiting him the
on Saturday. and finding that this ho
pital had very much the appearance
q barn, I thought he would be bett
cared for at the Roosevelt Hospital, al
on speaking of it to very intellige
and active physician who lived near m
he Immediately secured his admissit
there. Sunday was a bitter, cold da
and heavy snow had fallen, but
lifting him out carefully on his mattres
well wrapped up. and making the slei!
go slowly we transferred him witho
damage.
Wishing to teach philanthropy pra
tically, [ called for volunteers in 4
school to contribute a few cents ca
week to supply our patient with new
papers and such small comforts, o
contributions being carried to the hi
pital by the boys in turn. manag
to see him once OF twice a week, an
in the eomsa of conversation, fou
from his special and apparently, pr
found knowledge OF military affairs Il
he must have been an officer, as he h
said. His knee was injured just befC
the great defeat at Sedan. Being in
cavalry regiment, he was out in CO
mand of u small scouting party. a
was riding in advance of his men alo
a road between high banks, when, al
short, turn, he suddenly found hims
in front OF a German lancer who v
also the leader of some German SCOT
Before Captain NJ. could draw his
volger the quick German had smasl
his knee-pan with the butt-end OF
lance, and thus endorsed him. b
parties falling back Immediately to
port that they had met. be was
lying there until some Of his msnt