The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-06-25


a rhythm like music.
The man raised his voice Boys"
he shouted, ''there is suffering wo-
man up the street; she is
VERY DESTITUTE AND VERY ILL,
and must be removed 10 the hospital
The first thing required is some mon
ey." Then taking off his hat with one
hand, with the other he took from his
pocket a $50 piece; he put his money
in the hat, then he sprang upon low
stump that was standing by the trail,
and added: Il start the subscription;
those who have triiie that they can
spare will please pass around this way
and drop the tritie, as they pass, into
the hat.
Then Sister Celeste had new ex-
perience. In an instant she was sur
rounded by shouting, surging, strug-
Cling crowd, all eager TO contribute.
There was babel of voices, but for
once a California crowd was awaken
ed to full roar without an oath being
heard. The boys could not swear in
the presence of Sister Celeste. In a
few minutes between seven and eight
hundred dollars was raised. 1t was
poured out of the hat into q buckskin
purse; the purse was tied, and handed
by the man who first addressed her, to
Sister Celeste, with the remark that it
was for her pnnr and that when she
needed more the boys would ''stand
in
Again the nun raised her eyes, and
in low voice which trembled little
she said: please salute the gentle
men, and say ia them, that God will
keep the account The man turned
around and with an awkward laugh
said: Boys! | am authorized, by one
of His angels, to say that, for your
contribution, God has taken down your
names, and given you credit"
Then a wild fellow cried out from
the crowd:
Three cheers for the angelr'
The cheers rang out like the braying
Of a thousand trumpets in accord.
Then. in hoarse, thunder-tones, voice
shouted Tiger" and the deep-toned
old-day California Tiger" rolled up
the hillsides like an ocean roar. 1t
would have startled an ordinary wo-
man, but sister Celeste was looking at
the purse, and it is doubtful if she
heard it all. Then the first speaker
called from the crowd eight men by
name. and said:
You were all married men IN the
States, and for all that | know to the
contrary, were decent, respectable
gentlemen. AS
MASTER OF CEREMONIES,
| delegate you, as there are no car
--io {hn 70 70 hn -Tni-
woman's house and carry her to the
hospital, while the good sister proceeds
in advance, and makes place for
her" This was agreed to, and the
sister was told that i'll half an hour she
might expect her patient.
Then she turned away, the crowd
watching her, and remarking that her
usual stately step seemed greatly
quickened. Long after, the Mother
superior related chat when Sister Ce-
leste reached the hospital on that day
she fell sobbing into the Mothers
arms, and when she could command
her voice, said: Those shaggy men.
that | thought were all tigers, are all
angels disguised. Oh Mother! L have
seen them as Moses and Elias were
when the Master was transfgured."
The eight men held brief consulta-
ton in the street; then going to a store
they bought a heavy pair of white
blankets, an umbrella, and four pick
handles. Borrowing a packers needle
and some twine, they proceeded to sew
the pick-handles into the sides of the
blankets, first rolling the handles
around once or twice in the edge of
the blanket. They then proceeded to
the sick woman's house, one went in
first, and told the woman, gently, what
they had come to do, and bade her
have no fears; that she was to be NOV
ed so gently that, if she would close
her eyes, she would not know anything
about it. The others were called in;
the blanket was laid upon the floor; the
bed was lifted with its burden from the
bedstead and laid on the blankets; the
covers were neatly tucked under the
mattress; four men seized the pick
handles at the sides,
LIFTED THE BED,
woman and all from the floor, fifth
man stepped outside, raised the UNI
brella, and held it above the woman's
face, and so, as gently as ever mother
rocked her babe to sleep. the sick wo-
man was carried the whole length of
the street to the hospital, where Sister
Celeste and the Mother Superior re-
ceived her.
Then all hands went up town and
talked the matter over; and am afraid
that some of them drank a little, but
The burden of all the talk, and all the
toasts. was Sister Celeste.
L., a.
going on her errands of mercy, and it
is true that some men who had been
rough, and who had drank hard for
months previous to the coming of the
sister, grew quiet in their lives, and
ceased going to the saloons.
One day most laughable event
transpired. Two men got quarreling
in the street, which in a moment cul-
minated in fight The friends of the
respected men Joined in, and soon there
was a general fight in which perhaps
about thirty men were engaged. When
it was at its height (and such fight
meant something), Sister Celeste sud-
denly turned the sharp bend of the
street, and came into full view not
sixty yards from where the melee was
raging in full fury. One of the fight
ers saw her, and made q sound between
hiss and low whistle, peculiar
sound of alarm and warning, so signi-
ficant that all looked up.
In an instant the men clapped their
hands into their side pockets, and COM
menced moving away, some of them
whistling low, and dancing as they
went, as though the whole thing was
but
4 JoFIAL LARK.
When Sister Celeste reached the spot
moment afterward. the street was en-
tirely clear The men washed their
faces: some wag began to describe the
co,, zeal scene which they made, when
they a-y col Guided that the street under
carfoin o;r ~aastances was no good
place for fghl, good tuspents hamor was s5oo r9-
hands with narfect ooro' o'siity. drink
ofreconciliation was ordered IL around,
and when the glasses were emp, Na d