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and ordering breakfast. Mrs. Davis, providentially a Catholic,
served the stranded group and then politely informed them
that her's was a private residence. She agreed, however, to
let the nuns stay while Mr. Queen found transport across the
river.
Richard Queen crossed first to Kaskaskia to announce
the arrival of the Sisters and to learn what preparations had
been made for them. When he returned in the afternoon, he
informed the tired group that Kaskaskia was a poor,
miserable, out-of-the-way little place and nothing had been
done to prepare for their arrival.
Although discouraged, and of a mind to return to
Georgetown, the sisters continued the last lap of the journey
in the late afternoon. All of the baggage, boxes and trunks
were put on a flatboat and served as seats for the nine
passengers as the boat crossed to the Illinois shore.
The boat was so heavily laden that the water came
up almost to the edge. Broad and muddy as the
river was, the water could hardly be seen for the
carpet of green caterpillars that covered it. On
landing, the shore and trees were in the same
predicament. It almost exceeded credibility.
A temporary wooded structure was erected where
both nuns and students lived and worked. The teachers kept
boxes lined with buffalo skins under the tables for students