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Show "THE BEAUTIFUL NUN." Ethan Allen's Daughter Saved From a Monster Her Miraculous Conversion. Of Ethan Allen's daughter, Fanny, the following interesting story Is thus told by the Rt. Rev. Louis de Goes-briand, Goes-briand, bishop of Vermont. After the War of the Revolution, General Allen came to reside in his farm dwelling. One spring morning his 9-year-old daughter, Fanny, was gathering wild flowers on the river bank. She was startled by the sight of a monster which was rustling through the water, apparently to devour her. Stricken with fear, she was unable to move, and utterly helpless. Just as the savage beast was about to tear her with its ferocious claws, she heard a kind and gentle voice saying, "Have no fear, my daughter, the monster has no power over you." Raising her eyes, she saw standing by her bide an aged man of venerable aspect, white hair and beard, wearing a long cloak and carrying a long staff in his hand. His words reassured the frightened maid; her fears departed. And she went home. There she related her fearful fear-ful adventure and described the appearance ap-pearance of her deliverer. Her father and mother immediately went in search of him, but he was neither to be found nor heard of. No one had seen him, and the parents gave up the search, believing that the daughter was the victim of her own imagination, and that no such person existed as she believed be-lieved she had seen. The incident passed from their minds and was for the time forgotten. The bishop's account then proceeds with the life of Miss Allen, who grew into a beautiful woman and became engaged en-gaged to the son of a wealthy Boston merchant. Miss Allen had received an excellent EnEglish education, but when 18 years old she conceived "an irresistible irresis-tible desire" to acquire the French lan- finifltrft This -4cVi woo nnnncQrl Hit Vt. mother and her affianced. As further resistance promised to imperil im-peril the health of Miss Allen, her stepfather step-father (Mrs. Allen having remarried) vk-Ided, and her mother accompanied her to Montreal, Canada. Their final visit to the convents was to the celebrated cele-brated sisterhood known as the Con vent .otei Dieu. i ney entered its chapel, -walked up one of the aisles until un-til they stood before a large painting near the altar. To the mother's amazement, the daughter suddenly fell upon her knees, bowed her head in prayerful adoration, and. pointing to a figure in the painting, exclaimed: "There is the man who saved me from the monster!" It was the figure of St. Joseph in a large painting paint-ing of the Holy Family. Miss Allen became a student at the convent, and there a new life began for her. The unselfish piety of the sisters impressed her and she determined to enter the sisterhod. Her mother, friends, affianced, tried to dissuade her. In the hope of diverting her mind, she was taken from the convent into the most fashionable circle of city life, where her beauty attracted admiration. Her affianced made of her 1he most tender appeals. If she longed to become be-come a minister of charity like the good sisters, his fortune was hers. All he asked was. that he might work beside be-side her and sustain her strength. But Miss Allen was inflexible. She had the energy., decision and firmness of her father, controled by the gentleness gentle-ness of a trustful nature. In due time Fanny Allen, confident of her conversion conver-sion to the Catholic faith, returned to the convent to prepare for her final withdrawal from the world. Her life at the convent "Hotel Dieu" was an ex ceedingly happy one. She became known far and wide, and every visitor to Montreal was drawn to pay a visit to the "Beautiful American Nun." After assuming the religious habit she lived eleven years, and came to the end of her beautiful life at the age of 35. These eleven years witnesed so many conversions of her relatives and acquaintances to the Catholic faith as to establish the miraculous character char-acter of her own experience. The physician phy-sician who attended her last hours, a Protestant, was so touched by ' her faith that, when at the last moment her confessor said. "Come to her assistance, all ye saints of God," he fell upon his knees and made a solemn nromise. which was executed by leav ing his profession, joining the church and entering a religious community. Her intended husband sold what, he i had and gave it to the poor and himself to the services of the Church. The Rev. Mr. Barber, the Episcopal minister minis-ter who baptized Miss Allen, became a Catholic, and his son and grandnon became Jesuits and missionaries to the Indians. Miss Allen's relations and her friends, almost without exception, followed her example, and even to this day the example set by the "Beautiful "Beauti-ful American Nun" has not yet lost its power, for many conversions from Protestantism among the descendants of her family continue to occur. 1 |
