Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-09-16

81 know you are only testing
FL enry. You know me too well fo
tha at. No! Rather than give he
up, | will stay and risk everyth hing
eVe en- life !"
"Come, major" said I, "the re vii
Tbe no need for you to risk anything
if you will only follow my advice
It is simply come hom + witt
your regiment; stay a month or two
| III New Orleans, until the excl temen1
consequent upon our eva tuatior
ools down. Shave off your nous
t hches; put on plain cloth9sB come
back and marry Rafaela.
"You are right. 1t is certainly
the best-the only plan. ! will fol
low it." and l. left me.
I saw no more of him f6f three
days, when the brigade to v hich he
and belonged entered the city on
It's road homewd I'd. He had detailed
bis plan to Rafaela, and bid her fol-
b time Elrew ell
The other three divisions had all
ready marched. Ours was. to form
the rear guard, and that nisR It was to
|be our last in the city of Mexico
| had retired to bed at an early hour:
to prepare for our march on the NOR
row. / was about falling ASLEEP when
a loud knock sounded at my door.
| | rose and opened it. 1t was L
l sta arted as the light showed me his
face it was CHASTITY. His lips were
white, his teeth set, and daf Fix rings
appeared around his eyes. The eyes
themselves glared in their sockets
| lit up by some terrible emotion.
':Comel'' cried he, in a h3arse and
tremulous voice. "Come with me!
Henry; l need you.
"What is it, my dear L
A quarrel? A duel?"
1No! no! nothi ing Of the sort
Come. come! come! | will show you
sight that will make wolf of you
Haste! For Gods sake, Hdste.'
/ hurried on my clothes.
'Bring Your arms. cridq L
"You may require them"
l bucklfd on my sword and pistol
belt and followed hastily into the
street. We ran down the Gale Cor
REQ toward the Alameda. It was the
road to the Convent of Sal q Francis
co, where our regiment had quartered
for the night. What cop pld it be!
We reached the convent, a hd hastily
passing the guard, mad e for the
quarters o coupled by my friend. AS
we entered the room a large one
| sa W five or six females, with about
a dozen d nen, soldiers and officers
All were excited by some unknown
occurrence The females were Mex
leans, and their heads were muffled
lin their rebozos. Some were weep,
ing aloud, others talking in strains
of lamentation. Amongthcm | dis
tinguished the face Of my friends 5
betrothed-
aDearest Rafaela!'' cri ed :
throwing lis arms around her, ''lt is
my friend Here, Henry look here
look at thisn'
As he Spoke, he raised the rebozo
and gently drew back her long black
hair. l ssw bloodlupon her cheek
and shoulders! Hooked more close
ly: it flowed from her ears
THer cars! O God! they have beer
cut off?''
@Aye, aye cried L :, hoarsely
and dropping the dark tresses, agall
threw his arms around I'll e girl, anc
kissed away the tears that were roll
iag down her cheeks-whi lie utterlng
Expressions of endearment and con
ISOLATION.
I turned to the other females
They were all similarly mutilated
some Of them even worsey Tor then
foreheads, where the U. SI had beer
freshly burned upon them we're rec
and swollen. Excepting Rafaela
they we're all of the ''pob lana class
= the laundresses-the mistresses o
the soldiers.
| The. surgeon was in attendance
and in a short time al was done thai
could be done for wounds like these.
"Comel1 cried L, addressing
those AROUND him, "we ar : wasting
time, and that is precious; it is neal
midnight. The horses viii be ready
by this, aid the rest will be waiting
Come, Henry, you will 90? 1ot
will stan d by us?"