The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-19
AnekIfsI0ID IlNCENNES
6I MAURICE

I 80
To-Day and walk southwark along Sec
ond street TO it's intersection with
Church street, the spot then under foot
would be probably very near where N.
Roussillon stood while uttering his
great sentence. Mind YOU the present
writer does not pretend to know the
4 exact site of old Saint Xavier church.
II II could be fixed beyond doubt the
! spot should have an imperishable mon
ument OF Indiana stone.
/ When II. RoUssillon ceased speaking
/ the audience again exhausted its vocal
resources; and then Father GibauIt
called upon each man 10 come forward
and solemnly pledge his loyalty TO the
American cause. Not one of them hes
| itated.
Meantime a woman was doing her
part in the transformation of Post Vim
cennes from a French English picket
10 full-hedged American fort and
town. Madame Godere, finding out
what was about to happen, fell to work
making flag in imitation of that I'M
| der which George Washington was
! hghting. Alice CHANGED to be in the
| Godere home at the time and Joined en-
[ Enthusiastically in the sewing. 1t was an
exciting task. Their fingers trembled
while they worked and the thread,
heavily coated with beeswax, squeaked
as they drew 1t through the cloth.
I'VE shall not be in time" said Ma
dame Godere; Il know we shall not
Everything hinders me. My thread
breaks or gets tangled and my needles
so rusty l can hardly stick it through
the cloth. o dear,''
Alice encouraged her with both words
and work. and they had almost I'm
lShed when Rene came with a staff
which he had brought from the fort
Mon dieu, but we have had great
meeting" he cried He was perspirfng
with excitement and fast walking;
leaning on the staff he mopped his face
with q blue handkerchief.
We heard much shouting and noise"
said Madame Godere. m. Roussiilon's
voice rose loud above the rest. He
rOared like a lion"
All. he was speaking to US; he was
very eloquent" Rene replied. But now
they are waiting at the fort for the
new flag. L have come for it,
1T is ready" said Madame Godere.
With flying fingers Alice sewed it to
the staff.
"Voici!" she cried, "v,ve la repub-
lique Americaine." She lifted the staff
and let the flag droop over her from
head to foot
Give it to me-" said Rene. holding
forth hand for it, and I'll run to
the fort with it,"
No said Alice. her face suddenly
lighting up with resolve. mo, l am
going to take it myself" and without
moments delay off she went
Rene was so caught by surprise that
he stood gazing after her until she
passed behind a house. where the way
turned, the shining flag ripping around
her, and her moccasins twinkling as she
ran.
At the blockhouse. awaiting the mo-
ment when the symbol of freedom
should rise like a star over old Vim
cennes, the crowd had spicturesquely
broken into scattered groups Alice en-
tered through rent in the stockade,
as that happened to be a shorter route
than through the gate, and appeared
suddenly almost in their midst
1t was a happy surprise pretty
and catching spectacular apparition of
a sort to be thoroughly appreciated by
the lively French fancy of the audi
ence- The men caught the girls spirit.
or 1t caught them. and they made haste
to be noisy
de Zhorzh Vasintoni (Look, look, lit
tie Alice and George Washington's
hagD" shouted 0ncle Jazon. He put
MS wiry little legs through a sort of
pas de zephyr and winked at himself
with concentrated approval
All the men danced around and yelled
till they were hoarse.
BY this time Rene had reached AHce's
side; but she did not see him; she ran
INTO the blockhouse and climbed up a
rude ladder-way; then she appeared on
the roof still accompanied by Rene,
and planted the staff in a crack of the
slabs, where it stood braVeIy I'D. the
colors floating free.
She looked down and saw NJ Roussil-
Ion, Father Gibault and Father Beret
grouped in the center of the area. They
were waving their hands aloft at her,
while a bedlam of voices sent up an
plause which went through her blood
like strong wine. She smiled radiantly.
and a sweet flush glowed in her cheeks.
NO one of all that wild crowd could
ever forget the picture sketched so
boldly at that moment when, after
planting the staff, Alice stepped back
a space and stood strong and beautiful
against the soft blue sky She glanced
down hrst, then looked up, her arms
folded across her bosom. 1t was a pose
as unconseiously taken as that of A
bird, and the grace of it went straight
10 the hearts of those below.
she turned about to descend and for
the first time saw that Rene had fol-
lowed her His face was beaming.
What girl you are," he exclaimed,
IN tone or eXultant admiration -NeV-
er was there another like your
Alice walked quickly past him with
out speaking; for down in the snace
where some women We're huddIed aside
from the crowd, looking on. she had
seen little Adrienne Boureier. She
made haste to descend. Now that her
lnlpulsiVely chosen enterprise was com |
pleted, her boldness deserted her and
she slipped out through a dilapidated
Postern opposite the crowd. on her /
right was the river. while southwark
Deiore her lay a great fiat plain be-
yond which rose some hillocks covered |
with forest. The sun blaZed between /
masses of slowly drifting clouds that /
trailed creeping fantastic shadows /
across the marshy waste.
Alice walked along under cover of 4
the slight landswell which then. more /
panty marked than il is now. formed /
the contour line of hummock. upon |
which the fort and village stood. /
watery swale grown full of tail aquatic
weeds meandered parallel with the
DUN, so 10 call ii, and there was
SOFT melancholy whispering of wind 4
along the long blades and stems. She !
passed the church and Father Reret's
hut, and continued for some distance in
The direction of that pretty knoll upon
"hlch the cemetery is at present an |
lastefully kept. She felt shy now as
Il TO run away and hide sxTouId be a
great relief. Indeed so relaxed were
her nerves that a slight movement in
ne grass and cat-tail flags near bv
startled her painfully, making ber