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48 T H R O U G H T H E M A C K E N Z I E B A S I N"
inevitable paths of self- support, and to shield h i m f r om the
rapacity of the cold incoming w o r l d now surging around h i m.
A f t e r the presentation, over a good cigar, the Father told
some i n i m i t a b l e stories of I n d i a n l i f e on the plains i n the
o l d days, which to m y great regret are too lengthy for i n c l u s
i o n here. One incident, however, being apropos of himself,
must find place. T u r n i n g the conversation f r om materialism,
idealism, and the other " i s m s " into which it had
d r i f t e d , he spoke of the fears so many have of ghosts, and
even of a corpse, and confessed that, f r om early t r a i n i n g , he
had shared this fear u n t i l he got r i d of i t i n an incident one
winter at Lac Ste. Anne. He had been sent for d u r i n g the
night to administer extreme unction to a d y i n g half- breed
g i r l thirteen miles away. H i t c h i n g h i s dogs to t h e i r sled he
sped on, but too late, for he was met on the t r a i l by the g i r l ' s
relatives, b r i n g i n g her dead body wrapped i n a buffalo skin,
and which they asked h i m to take back w i t h h i m and place
i n his chapel pending service. He tremblingly assented,
and the body was duly t i e d to his sled, the relatives returni
n g to their homes. He was alone w i t h the corpse i n the
dense and dark forest, and felt the old dread, but reflecti
n g on his office and its duties, he ran for a long distance
behind the sled u n t i l , thoroughly tired, he stepped
on it to rest. In doing this he slipped and fell upon
the corpse i n a spasm of fear, which, strange to say, when he
recovered f r om it, he felt no more. The shock cured him,
and, reaching home, he placed the g i r l ' s body i n the chapel
w i t h his own hands. It reminded him, he said, of a Comm
u n i t y at Marseilles whose Superior had died, but whose
money was missing. The new Superior sent a young priest
who had a great dread of ghosts down to the crypt below the
church to open the coffin and search the pockets of the dead.
H e d i d so, and found the money; but i n n a i l i n g o n the coffin
l i d again, a part of his soutane was fastened down w i t h i t.
The priest turned to go, advanced a step, and, being suddenly
held, dropped dead w i t h fright. These gruesome
Object Description
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| Title | Page 55 |
| OCR | 48 T H R O U G H T H E M A C K E N Z I E B A S I N" inevitable paths of self- support, and to shield h i m f r om the rapacity of the cold incoming w o r l d now surging around h i m. A f t e r the presentation, over a good cigar, the Father told some i n i m i t a b l e stories of I n d i a n l i f e on the plains i n the o l d days, which to m y great regret are too lengthy for i n c l u s i o n here. One incident, however, being apropos of himself, must find place. T u r n i n g the conversation f r om materialism, idealism, and the other " i s m s " into which it had d r i f t e d , he spoke of the fears so many have of ghosts, and even of a corpse, and confessed that, f r om early t r a i n i n g , he had shared this fear u n t i l he got r i d of i t i n an incident one winter at Lac Ste. Anne. He had been sent for d u r i n g the night to administer extreme unction to a d y i n g half- breed g i r l thirteen miles away. H i t c h i n g h i s dogs to t h e i r sled he sped on, but too late, for he was met on the t r a i l by the g i r l ' s relatives, b r i n g i n g her dead body wrapped i n a buffalo skin, and which they asked h i m to take back w i t h h i m and place i n his chapel pending service. He tremblingly assented, and the body was duly t i e d to his sled, the relatives returni n g to their homes. He was alone w i t h the corpse i n the dense and dark forest, and felt the old dread, but reflecti n g on his office and its duties, he ran for a long distance behind the sled u n t i l , thoroughly tired, he stepped on it to rest. In doing this he slipped and fell upon the corpse i n a spasm of fear, which, strange to say, when he recovered f r om it, he felt no more. The shock cured him, and, reaching home, he placed the g i r l ' s body i n the chapel w i t h his own hands. It reminded him, he said, of a Comm u n i t y at Marseilles whose Superior had died, but whose money was missing. The new Superior sent a young priest who had a great dread of ghosts down to the crypt below the church to open the coffin and search the pockets of the dead. H e d i d so, and found the money; but i n n a i l i n g o n the coffin l i d again, a part of his soutane was fastened down w i t h i t. The priest turned to go, advanced a step, and, being suddenly held, dropped dead w i t h fright. These gruesome |
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