Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-10-13
WHOLE NO. i3g.
Umbrella Anecdote.

as they appear in their daily attr
butes, have each their romantic leg
endary annals, During the last in
surrection in favor Of Don Carlos, Al
attack was made upon the summei
place OF the Marquis dc In S
who was absent at the time, combat,
! ing in the Queens cause in another
, part of the country His daughter
the widowed Countess T was a.
lone with TIL eservants in the chateau
At the onsdt she assembled all the
men capable Of defending her father )
, property, al nd having barricaded the
doors and vi Indows, prepared to meet
the danger But, taken BY surprise
and i'll prepared for the attack, the
defenders we're soon compelled, fer
want Of ammunition, to surrender I
Driven from room to room in search
of "A fitting lace Of concealment from
the invaders the poor youngcountess
at last took refuge in small closet,
which had bfen for years used for
lumber room and where she hoped to
remain undi5 covered while the pillage
! of the house was going on. But the
search, condb bcied with the sele view
sf capturing the beautiful .heiress,
could scared y fail to prove success
I full. and she Fas soon tracked to her
hiding place. amid the brutal threats
and still NOR frightful jests Of the as
saiIlnts F$r moment, the poor
lady stood defended BY pile OF
trunks and | Lmber behind which she
had crept. But this fragile barrier
could not ava il for more than few
minutes long er In her despair, she
looked aroul I for some weapon Of
defence, which should era bic her to
keep off the attack uuti! she should
reach the window, resolving at once
to perish rather than fall into the
hands Of ruilians. Her eyes fell up
an old cast off umbrella, belonging
to her father, which, all dusty and
moth-eaten, had perhaps been stand
ing for years against the wall in the
place where she now beheld it, She
seized it in triumph and rushed to
the window, Just as the liercest Of all
her pufsuers had succeeded in forcing
the frail barrier which ST pod before
lie laughed in deria ion as she
raised the cid umbrella at his ap-
proach, but nevertheless, the surprise
oecasioned by the movement, caused
him to draw back. In an instant the
countess had sprung up5h the sill Of
the open window, and beipre he had
recovered seli-possession enough to
grasp her garments, she had disap-
pearet! through the CD Eement. a
cry Of horror burst from TIC group
of brigands as.they rushed forward to
the window, fully expecting to.behoid
the fair form of the Countess dashed
to pieces on the pa4enentI Iof The co..r5
yard. But tie qlG umb| |reIld, mhich
she still held In Z finn grasp, had
saved her from death an ll disAonor,
It had opened in her d Icscent, anu
catching The Erteze as slle fell, was
bearing her gently to lie groard,
where She alighted unha Fmed, and,
the gate before her phrsuer5
had even though. Of des lending the
stairs, found a refuge al he Cottage
Of one of the peasants on the estate
The Countess, now re-ma FRIED, is liy-
ing at the court Of Isabel II, where
she holds one of the high EST appoint
ments, and the old umbrd lila occupies
a place in the church Of st Isidore,
where, decorated with cl bth of gold
jewels, it hangs a votiYe offering be-
hind the altar of our lady. On tins
anniversary of her escape the Coun-
tess repairs to the chapel accompani-
ed by her children, and the old un.
brella is held over the kndeling group.
while the priest pronounces his ben
Gietion,and the little bell rings forth
merrlly in honor of the Virgin and
the miraculous umbrella.