Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-02-01

uue W tue CiOp idiluIt VI the pIcti-
GUS season, fell victims to numerous
diseases and were brought to the nuns
for their gentle care.
Often calls came from the outlying
seigniories for nurses to go and attend
those too ill to be removed to the city.
These were cheerfully answered by
the nuns, Renee going several times
herself. 1t was in response to one of
these demands IN early spring that she
begged permission of Frontenac to go.
The comte hesitated an instant, be-
cause the seigniory to which she was
summoned lay some ten leagues up
the river, farther off han any previous
call had been. But as there was no
special eason for fearing immediate
trouble with the Indians, and he could
send a goodly party to escort her, he
could not find it in his heart to refuse
her urgent request.
The little settlement to which she
went consisted of half a dozen farms,
each with a house of the farmer upon
it. At a spot centrally located was
the home of the seigneur, flanked with
various buildings, among which was
a blockhouse where was kept the pow
der and other warlike munitions, in
Guiding a small n This was
built to serve as the last defense
against an attacking force. About the
group of buildings was a palisade, with
a bastion erected at each corne In
times of trouble with the Indians the
families retired to this enclosure, aban-
doning temporarily their homes. The
seigneur and his wife had spent the
winter in Montreal, leaving affairs in
charge of the head farmer. Through
improper management two of the
servants employed about the seigniory
had fallen i'll with scurvy and were in
good chance of dying from sheer neg
lect, hence the urgent message for help
sent to Quebec.
When Renee arrived there she found
besides the sick men a couple of half
grown girls, two boys, sons of the
seigneur, aged 10 and -, and IN old
a of so, also the wife of one of the
farmers, who stayed to do the cook
ing, and two soldiers loaned by From
tenac to guard the seigneur's posses
sions in his absence. The other de-
pendants were scattered about on the
outlying farms with their families, all
hands at work as beftted the season.
Renee managed within a few days
after her arrival to secure some order
out of the confusion, and her attention
to cleanliness and matters of diet soon
showed good results in the improved
condition of her patients. The little
spare time she had for herself she
usually spent in walking down to the
landing place or strolling along the
bank of the stream. One afternoon
while standing with the younger of the
two boys looking up and down the
river, while he played at skipping
stones, she noticed several times a
sound as of the muffied reports of fire.
arms. Thinking it strange, she gazed
in the direction from whence the noise
came, and was surprised to see a wom-
an suddenly emerge from the woods
and run speeding across the clearing
towards the house. "The Iroquois!"
she cried in terror. Renee's young
companion stopped his play, and, after
shading his eyes and gazing ~intently
an instant, seized her hand, exclaim-
ing, Run, mademoiselle, run! Here
come the Indians!" and as he spoke
she saw some so or 80 painted savages
break from cover. AS they sped to-
wards the gate, the brave boy urged
her on, yet keeping a pace behind so
as to guard her. The distance was
but short, and the Indians, seeing they
could not capture them, stopped and
began to fire. The bullets whizzed
by the ears of the fugitives, but they
remained unhurt. The woman reached
the gate before them and would have
shut it in their faces had not Renee
called to her to wait. Once inside, the
two fastened it securely. Renee has
tened to find the men, but no one was
in sight. There was little time to lose,
so after sending the boy to find them
she set about herself to inspect thu
uClOAloSDs IL DCCh 81 lOIlS SlllCe
any danger had presented itself that
they had been allowed to get out of
repair. She found that several of the
palisades had fallen down, leaving
openings through which the enemy
could easily enter. By this time the
boy had returned, bringing with him
only his brother and the ~octogenarian,
both of them willing but feeble hands.
The soldiers and the women were no
to be found. With encouraging words
Renee made use of the material she
had, and with their assistance soon
raised the fallen palisades into posi-
ton again. She then directed one of
the boys to fire at the Indians from
the loopholes, while the other beat a
drum violently. She then went to the
blockhouse where the ammunition was
stored and there found the two soldiers
huddled up in a dark corner with the
women folks, n hiding his head, the
other with a lighted match in his hand.
What are you doing?" Renee cried.
Il shall light the powder and blow
us all up" was the reply.
You are a miserable coward! Leave
this place!" was her contemptuous
command.
Finding herself thus deserted of all
expected aid, Renee's spirit rose, so,
throwing aside her head-gear, she put
on a mans hat and, Selling a gun,
called to the two boys, saying: Let
$50 a-IL - L Sr- ~ |
for u country and our religion. Re-
member that gentlemen are born to
shed their blood for the service of God
and the king. l, too, am of gentle
blood and will serve with YOU"