The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-09


"But the English soldier he say he win
march them of to Quebec, and everybody
know dat IL the end OF the patriots
"All at once the oolonel's horse IL grow
ver' wild 1t raise up high and dance on
Its hind feet and, voilal he topple him over
backward, and the horse fall on the colo
mel and smash him. 1t smash him 90 he
GO tn die. Ver' well, the colonel what docs
he dor They lay him on the steps OF the
church Then he say, Bring me priest
quick, for / go to die Nobody answer.
The colonel he say: Il have a hundred sins
all on my mind. They are on my heart like
big hill. Bring to me the priest'-he groan
like dat. Nobody speak at first; then
somebody say the priest Is not here. Find
me priest, say the colonel. Find me
priestp For he tink the priest Will not
come because he go to kill the patriots.
Bring me priest, he say again, 'and all
the men shall go Free He say 1t over and
over. He Is all smash to pieces, but his
head it Is all right. All at once the door OF
the church open behind him-what you
t'ink? Everybody's heart 1t stan still, for
there Is Mathurin dressed as priest, with
leetla boy to swing the censer. Every
body say to himself, what is this? Mathu-
rim Is dressed as priest-ah, dat Is O sinl
1t is a-sapriel 1t is what you call bias
pheme.
"The English soldier he look up at Ma
thurin and say: 'Ah, u i.ciest All, 'sieu
le curep
"Mathurin look Down on him and say:
M'sieu, it is for you to confess your sins
and to have the Office of the church. But
first. as you have promise just now, you
must give up these poor mon who have
fight for what they t'ink IA right. You
will let them go free this moment Yes,
yes,' say the English colonel, they shall
go free Only give me the help of the
church at my last Mathurin turn to the
other soldiers and say, 'Unloose the men.
The colonel nod his head and say, Un.
loose the men. Then the men arc un.
loose, and they all go, for Mathurin tell
them to go.
Everybody is ver' afraid becos of what
Mathurin do. Mathurin he say to the sol.
diers, Lift him up and bring him in the
church. They bring him up to the steps
of the altar Mathurin look at the man for
awhile, and 1t seem as II he cannot speak
to him, but the colonel say: Il have give
you my word Give me comfort Of the
church before l dio He is in ver' great
pain, SO Mathurin he turn roun to every.
body dat stan by and tell them to say the
prayers for the sick. Everybody got him
down on his knees and say the prayer. Ev.
erybody say
"'Lord have mercy! Spare him, o
Lord, deliver him, o Lord, from thy
wrath. And Mathurin he pray all the
Same as the priest, ver soft and gentle.
He pray on and on, and the face Of the
English soldier 1t get ver' quiet and still,
and the tear drop down his cheek. And
just as Mathurin say at the last dat his
sins they are forgive he die. Then Mathu.
rim, as he 20 away to take OF his robes, he
say to himself: 'Miserere mel, Deusl
Miserere mel, DeusP
$50 dat Is the ting dat Msthurin do
to save the patriots from the bullets. Yer
well, then men they go free, and when the
governor at Quebec he hear the truth he
say it is all right Also the English SOL
dier die in peace and happy becos he t'ink
his sins are forgive. But then there Is Ma
thurin and his sin to pretend he Is priest.
The cure he come back and there Is great
trouble
'.Mathurin he is ver' quiet and still.
Nobody come near him in his house; no
body go near to the school. But he SIT
alone all day in him school, and he work
on the blackboar', and he write on the
slate, but there is no child come becos the
cure has forbid any one to speak to Ma
thurin. Not till the next Sunday, then the
cure send word for Mathurin to come to
the church. Mathurin come to the steps Of
the altar; then the cure say to him:
"Mathurin, you have sin q great sin.
If 1t was 900 years ago, you would be put
to death for dat. Mathurin he say ver'
=. nafs &C. III Nv tn "a
now. I did it to save the fathers of the
Children and the husbands of the wives.
did it to make poor sinner happy as he
go from the world. The sin is mine
"Then the eure he say The men are
free, dat is good; the wives have their hus-
bands and the Children their fathers. Also
the man who confess his sins-the English
soldier-to whom you say the words OF a
priest of God, he is forgive The Spirit Of
God was upon him when he die, becos you
speak in the name of the church. But for
YOU blasphemer, who take upon you the
holy thing, you shall suffer. For penance all
your life you shall teach child no more.
"Ah, IN 'sieu' le cure he know dat Is tho
greatest penance for the poor Mathurin.
Then he set him other tings to do and ev-
err SunGVb for q whole year Mathurin
cGine on lils knees all the way to the
church, but the cure say, Not yet are you
forgive AT the end of the year Mathurin
he look so thin, SO white, you can blow
through him. Every day he go to him
school and write on the blackboar' and
mark on the slate and call the roll of the
school. But there is no answer, for there
is no child. But all the time the wives Of
the men dat he have save and the Children,
they pray for him. And by and by all the
village they pray for him, they are SO sorry.
cit is so for two years, and then they
say dat Mathurin he go to die. He cannot
come on his knees to the church, and the
men whose life he save they come to the
cure and ask him to take the penance from
Mathurin.
"The cure say, Wait till next Sunday. ,
So next Sunday Mathurin is carry to tho
church-he is too weak to walk on his
knees The cure he stan at the altar and
he read letter from the pope, which say
dat Mathurin his penance Is over and no
is forgive dat the pope himself pray for
Mathurin to save his soul
$50 Mathurin all at once he stan up,
and his face 1t smile and smile, and he