DuringthesiegeofVicksburgin1863intheAmericanCivilWar,aCatholicnun,SisterSerephena,escortedbyasmallblackboy,wasspeakingtoaConfederatecorporalwhenashellsuddenlylandedattheirfeet,withitsfusestillburning.Thethreeofthemweretransfixedwithhorrorandthecorporalleaptbackwardandtooktohisheelsignominiously.Thelittleblackboypickedupthesmoulderingshellandthrewitasfarashecouldawayfromthem.Hewasonlyjustintimeastheshellexplodedinmid-air.
“Whydidn'tyoudothatimmediately?”askedthetremblingnun.“Yourhesitationmighthavecostusourlives.”
“Lord!MissSisterSerephena,”saidthelittleboy.“Igottoomuchrespectforwhitefolkstodoathinglikethatwhiletherewasawhitegentlemanstandingthere.”
美國內戰期間，維克斯堡一八六三年被圍攻。有一天，天主教修女瑟雷赫納由一個黑種小男孩陪伴，正和南軍一名下士交談，忽然有枚榴彈落在他們身旁，引信還在燃燒。三人嚇呆了，那下士向後一躍，很不光采的逃之夭夭。那黑種小男孩拾起悶燃着的榴彈，盡力往遠處擲去，還未着地即告爆炸，慢一點就來不及了。
瑟雷赫納修女渾身發抖，問那小男孩：「你為什麼不馬上動手？遲遲疑疑，可能送了我們性命。」
小男孩說：「唉，瑟雷赫納修女小姐，我非常尊敬白人，剛才既然有一位白種紳士站在那裏，我不敢僭越。」